My tire blew and I just paid $400 for a new rear tire! Story and Question inside...

[don527]

First the question then the story...

My tire blew and I Just bought a new left rear tire for $400

The right rear is still original but I just compared the tread depth to the new tire and it's got about half the tread...

Finally the question... What does a person do with the tread difference?

Live with it?
eat another $400 and buy a right tire to match?
Shave the new tire to match the old?
Find a used old to match the right?

Below is the entire story of what happened... sorry it's long but I like to write . If you don't wanna read it then skip it and if you can give me a suggestion to the above question, I can really really use any suggestions.

Thanks.

Now the story...

I woke up early to meet a buddy at the gym for a workout. The weather was good and I haven't driven the car much since I became a daddy recently and thought I'd take the Z.

About 2-3 miles out, I'm about to turn off from 441 to palmetto and can't wait to hammer it cause the Z should be warmed up by now and all of a sudden I hear a major "POP!" and tinking sound!

In denial, I thought for a moment that it was the clunker in the next lane making that god-aweful sound. I turn off into the other road and realize from the tinking sound that followed me thru the turn that the god-awful sound is coming from the Z!

On that intersection I just turned off on is a Walmart so I turned into their parking lot, immediately got out of my car and, already fearing the worse, look at my rear tire and it is completely flat! Words cannot describe the feeling so...

This is my second flat in the Z. The first was a construction nail also in the rear that I ended up getting patched but I was luckier then because I spotted it in my garage and it was a slow leak and I could drive it to a tire store. This one was as flat as a pancake.

I couldn't immediately see the nail so out comes the tire kit that came with the car. I followed the instructions... pretty simple... poured the gunk into the tire and then plugged in the compressor and let her blow. After a minute or so... nothing. So I take a more detailed look at the tire... and it find an aluminum tubed piece of shrapnel (sp?) sticking out of the center of the tire! At least I know the tinking sound was from the metal shrapnel hitting the road. I put my hand over it and can feel warm air being pushed out like a hair dryer from the compressor! Nothing was gonna plug up this hole... even a runflat couldnt have survived that! This really sucks now cause I'm worried I have to have this car towed.

Luckily it only happened a few miles away so I called the wife, in-laws watched the baby as she picked me up and drive me home. I picked up my heavy duty floor jack, 2x6 wood and drove back out in my wifes Lex to the Walmart parking lot. Fortunately being a Walmart, I went in while waiting for my wife and bought 2 3-ton jack stands and a lug wrench.

I placed the 2x6 under the rear crossmember, jacked the car, lowered it unto the jack stands and removed the rear wheel.

I tried one tire shop and no suprise they didn't carry the F1 tire.

Luckily Lou Bachrodt down the street was still open so I drive there and they have the tire. They cleaned the gunk, mounted and balanced the tire and I'm out in about an hour and out almost $500 bucks ($400 for th tire, the rest to mount and balance)! I didn't know exactly how much it would cost... didn't care considering the cirsumstances but when I actually heard... words cannot describe the feeling so.... !

I drive back to the Walmart to find my QSZ parked in their lot with the rear on jack stands and missing a rear tire (it really was an interesting site), mounted the tire and drove it home where I come and post my story here to find out what I should do with the difference now in the rear tread depth.

Well, if you made it all the way to the end, hope you found it interesting and maybe it'll make you think about and dread the day this may happen to you and maybe you can do something to prepare in case of such a scenario.

I don't think there is a moral to this story except...

"times like these I'd forego the wait savings and wish they had a tiny spare?"
or... "is there a tiny spare that will work with the Zs that I can toss in the back with a little mini jack?"
or... "have a spare set of tires at home in case of emergency?"

$400 bucks!

Don

[N4C5S]

My surprise is that Lou charged you $400 bucks for a tire. That's robbery.

JC

[don527]

i knew they were expensive but didn't think THAT expensive ... but when you're car is at a Walmart and the rear is sitting on jack stands... their is not much you can do but just bend over and take it

It's tough because a regular tire store will most likely not have the tire in stock which makes quick emergency tire changes almost impossible and not too many people keep a spare set at home in case of emergency.

Does anyone know if there is a skinny spare that works with the Z?

Worst case scenario... NEXT TIME keep a skinny spare at home and at least make the trek home to get and use the spare while buying a replacement online and save some $$$.

[Rapid Transit]

Sorry about your mishap, Shit happens to good people! I just went to discounttire.com and checked out some prices for the rear tires. They don't have Supercar tires. Just the following:

Yoko AVS $328
BFG GForce TA KD $376

As you can see, the prices are not THAT much cheaper. The $400 appears to be worth it considering that you needed it immediately. I then went to tirerack.com and was very surprised! They do have supercar tire.

SC $279!
Pirelli P Zero $286!
Wow!

Conclusion: Lou and discount tire both are rip-off.
Tirerack is cool!

[ROSSO Z]

A skinny spare at home. Why didn't I think of that?

What would be inexpensive and work for a few miles????

Advice please.

Thanks,

[Vetteless]

Try Kumho Ecsta 712, something like that. I am pretty sure they are available for a Z, atleast for the front......I think they are like $115

Oh yeah at Tirerack.com

[Loadtoad]

Does anyone know if the spare tire from a C4 would work as a safe temp fix?

[N4C5S]

<selfless plug>

And people, don't forget, if you click the ad to the left and buy tires that way, the site gets 5%!

</selfless plug>



JC

[Kat]

After reading this thread I'm glad I have the track tires for back up in case something like this happens

[don527]

Originally posted by ROSSO Z
A skinny spare at home. Why didn't I think of that?

What would be inexpensive and work for a few miles????

Advice please.

Thanks,

i've come to learn that inspiration usually comes AFTER a lot of perspiration if you know what I mean

I definitely wanna look into seeing if it's viable in getting some sort of skinny spare in case of emergency. wish i could have back ups like 12-second-momma but i'm not budgeted for that.

Rapid Transit... $279 sounds good (compared to 400)... i'm gonna look at posting a WTB ad on the forums for a used tread to save this new tire if i can but if i can't, even the wife agreed, i might as well get a second for $279 to even out the rears and keep the good one for emergencies.

Vettless... thanks for the suggestions... I was actually gonna look into alternatives for future tire swaps before this blow out. but because of circumstances... gonna have to go with GY again at least on the rears.

loadtoad... if you find the answer about the C4 spare, lemme know.

JC... ok, ok... if i buy from tirerack, I'll remember to hit the link from this site.

[corvette184]

i say buy one more rear and have it mounted and keep yor 50%tread for a spare....then when the front gets a flat do the same...see you get new tires because you have to and the wife is ok with it because you cant drive her car....sneaky sneaky

[Dragon]

I try not to think about having a flat tire on the Z but I know it can happen. I have 4 extra 17" T/O wheels with Goodyear Eagle F1 tires mounted and ready to go if I have a flat fairly close to home but that's not always the case. $400 seems like a lot to pay considering a whole set can be bought from Tirerack for just over $1,000 but it beats leaving your car in a Walmart parking lot overnight.

[don527]

Originally posted by corvette184
i say buy one more rear and have it mounted and keep yor 50%tread for a spare....then when the front gets a flat do the same...see you get new tires because you have to and the wife is ok with it because you cant drive her car....sneaky sneaky

if i don't find a deal on a used one, that does look like what i'm gonna do. either way i'm gonna make sure i have one spare in case it happens again.

i'd still like to find if there is a skinny spare that will work that you can just go home and get in case of emergency or something skinny that you can toss in the back trunk with a mini mercedes jack in case you're far away from home and stuck out in bum-f.

cause i'm just lucky i was 2-3 miles away from home and another 2-3 from the chevy dealer and it took me 4 hours of my time... i can't imagine if i was stuck in the middle of florida on 60 going from coast to coast or took a trip from florida to bowling green and stuck in the boonies.

btw... is there finally a part number for the tire goo? i remember frank had a problem with getting his replaced and wonder if they corrected that by now?

don

[Scary Fast]

Don,
Try Maroone in Pembroke Pines I think they might have a couple of used F1 Supercar tires 18" rear, check with the body shop.

[chrisj]

I know you said you didn't have the budget for a spare set of wheels in the garage, but here is an interesting solution.
See if you can find a swap meet, really good junkyard, or a vette show witha lot of old parts for sale.
Pick up a vette rim that is big enough to clear your brakes - an old C5 rim or some/most(?) rims from the C4 (I know the ZR1 rims work) and have it mounted with a used tire - F bodies and old vettes run some tires in those sizes. Find one at a tire shop, or someone who is going to throw theirs away.
Then you can keep that one wheel in the garage for incidents around town.
Not much you can do if you are out in BFE, but might be cheaper than a second set of rims.

I went with chrome wheels and kept the originals (with tires) in the garage for race days, etc.
This could get you a new set of wheels!!!

chris