12-year-old Vette deserves fresh rubber
I own a 2003 50th-anniversary special edition Corvette coupe. The car has 44,000 kilometres on it and still has the original Goodyear Eagle F1GS EMT tires. They are now showing tread wear, as well as front cupping. I am looking for an improved ride while maintaining performance characteristics similar to the F1s. Any advice would be appreciated.
Your 12-year-old Goodyears can’t have much traction left, so, yes, you need tires. And you need to do an alignment when you get them. The cupping has nothing to do with the tires’ age. Since these tires lasted 12 years, I assume that you do not track the car. So you do not need the ultimate grip tire.
I would stay away from the Goodyear Eagle F1GS EMT. That technology is very old now; even Goodyear has moved on with its latest F1A symmetric. It is all-season rated, al- though that’s a stretch on their part. However, it beats the treads off your OE tire, in every category — dry, wet and comfort — plus it is a run-flat if you want to stay in that vein. In the run-flat category, the only other tire to consider is the Michelin Pilot Sport ZP (Zero Pressure). It is summer ultra-high performance, but it is not Michelin’s latest technology. So in run-flats, the Goodyear F1 Asymmetric wins the nod.
If you move into regular tires and just rely on tire sealant in case of a flat, there are a couple of considerations: the Michelin Pilot Super Sport and the Hankook Ventus V12 Evo2.
The new Michelin Pilot Super Sport is the top dog in ultra-perfor- mance tires right now. It has the most dry and wet grip, it wears well and it has a comfortable ride for that class of tire. So it has it all, at a premium price. The Hankook V12 Evo2 aims for the same kind of performance profile, just a little less of it in each category. It is a high-quality product at a significantly lower price point.
I have driven many kilometres on each of these, on track and street. They are excellent. Your preference will depend on just how big you need your tires’ performance envelope to be. Consider how and where you drive and your tire choice will become obvious.