[elegant]

The Z06 comes with two different sets of tires, the Michelin Pilot Sport tires on the entry level and on that level with the optional "aero package," and the different Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires only found on the Z07 package. The tread wear on the Pilot Sport Cup tires has a UTQG 80 rating, is primarily for track use (pictured below).

Here's a quote from GM's original press release:

"To deliver the levels of grip needed for the Z06's performance targets, the Z06 was fitted with larger Michelin tires (Pilot Sport tires for the Z06; Sport Cup tires with the Z07 package). The P285/30ZR19 front tires are 1.5 inches wider than the tires on the Stingray, while the 335/25ZR20 rear tires are two inches wider."

Tire Rack describes the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires as:

"The Pilot Sport Cup 2 is Michelin’s Streetable Track & Competition tire originally developed for Original Equipment use on the Ferrari 458 Speciale, Mercedes SLS AMG Coupé Black Series and Porsche 918 Spyder hybrid super sports car. Designed to provide faster circuit times and consistent performance lap after lap, the Pilot Sport Cup 2 allows these supercars to achieve their full potential in dry conditions. Like all summer tires they are not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through slush, snow or on ice."

Took this picture on the Z06 "cutaway" car at NAIAS; picture of right rear tire.

Lest one think that "this can't be, that the tread is so worn down that this can not possibly be what comes on a Z07 package car, here's a picture, thanks to Tire Rack, of this tire in its "virgin state."

Here, also thanks to TireRack, is a comparison picture and specs of a representative Michelin Pilot Sports tires found on the non-Z07 package Z06 (though the actual tire picture and specs below are of the right rear tire found on a 2014 Z-51 StingRay). Note its 300 UTQG tread wear rating.

 

[LT1xL82]

Is there a way to order everything in the Z07 package with the exception of the cup tires?

Imagine doing a museum delivery and driving the car with cup tires 1000 miles back home! Get caught in the rain and it could get down right ugly!

Hopefully people ordering a car with Cup tires know what they are signing up for!

 

[elegant]

Sorry, no there is not. The Z07 is an inseparable package. Conversely, one can not optionally order the Z07's carbon-ceramic brakes and add those to the Stage 2 "aero package" Z06.

 

[LT1xL82]

Sorry, no there is not. The Z07 is an inseparable package. Conversely, one can not optionally order the Z07's carbon-ceramic brakes and add those to the Stage 2 "aero package" Z06.

Thank you for the reply. You confirmed what I was afraid of.

It is a bit of an issue for me...my car will see significantly more street than track, so the Cup tires are not ideal. But I don't want to give up the CCBs both for the street and the track. Some knowledgeable folks will even argue that the CCBs are a better fit for street than they are for track. But the opposite is true for the Cup tires! Also, I'm seriously considering museum delivery...the 800+ mile trip home seems like a waste of a great tire. Here's hoping the roads are dry!

So...from my (some what biased) point of view, I think this decision is not a particularly good one.

 

[mjw930]

Thank you for the reply. You confirmed what I was afraid of.

It is a bit of an issue for me...my car will see significantly more street than track, so the Cup tires are not ideal. But I don't want to give up the CCBs both for the street and the track. Some knowledgeable folks will even argue that the CCBs are a better fit for street than they are for track. But the opposite is true for the Cup tires! Also, I'm seriously considering museum delivery...the 800+ mile trip home seems like a waste of a great tire. Here's hoping the roads are dry!

So...from my (some what biased) point of view, I think this decision is not a particularly good one.

If I were you I would contact a tire dealer local to BG and arrange to have a set of PSS tires available either through their channels or through Tirerack. Have the dealer swap out the tires and ship the cup tires home.

If you are going to track the car the a set of track wheels with the cup tires mounted should be in your future anyway. This just gets you half way there.


Sent from my iPad using Corvette Stingray Forum

 

[LT1xL82]

Are you reading my mind mjw9330?

It really is a shame that this amount of hassle is required. Forcing someone to take Cup tires just to get the CCBs strikes me as a poor marketing decision. Or maybe it is some sort of a homologation program?

I'll bet I'm not the only person that is less than pleased with this. Maybe Corvette marketing will get enough feedback that they will reconsider. Hey, I can dream.

 

[mjw930]

Are you reading my mind mjw9330?

It really is a shame that this amount of hassle is required. Forcing someone to take Cup tires just to get the CCBs strikes me as a poor marketing decision. Or maybe it is some sort of a homologation program?

I'll bet I'm not the only person that is less than pleased with this. Maybe Corvette marketing will get enough feedback that they will reconsider. Hey, I can dream.

At a minimum they should let you choose which tire! Jeep did this with the SRT but it was insane, $895 to swap out the 4 season tires with the 3 season tires. Not to get 2 sets, just $895 to swap tires with the exact same retail price.

Perhaps Chevy has made a purchase commitment to Michelin and if they don't force the cup tires on you their per unit price skyrockets? That's the excuse SRT gave when pushed on this, Who knows.....

 

[elegant]

There are a couple of things that had me debating whether to get a Z07. When I learned that you have to get Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2's, and as I will be driving home just under 3,000 miles from Museum Delivery in the winter, that was the "deal breaker," e.g., no Z07 for me.

Wish that were otherwise. And also wish that I could consequently get my Stage 2 and add, as a separate option, the carbon-ceramic brakes. No luck there either. However, standing back and looking at what the Stage 2 Z06 will have, still blown away with what the car will be, and how lucky we all are that there is this new Z06!!! It is a monster, a highly capable, comfortable, almost-race car for the street, to which I can legally add a license plate. Wow!

 

[rdslon01]

I love the body style of the Z06 including the flares over the wheels, and the front air intake for the radiator.

I would like to have a Stage 1 version of this, but I am not sure if it will be practical for a daily driver due to the clearance for the front nose, and it probably would have serious problems trying to get in my driveway. Nevertheless, in the coming months I look forward to seeing pictures comparing the three different stages.

 

[Soho]

I love the body style of the Z06 including the flares over the wheels, and the front air intake for the radiator.

I would like to have a Stage 1 version of this, but I am not sure if it will be practical for a daily driver due to the clearance for the front nose, and it probably would have serious problems trying to get in my driveway. Nevertheless, in the coming months I look forward to seeing pictures comparing the three different stages.

Ground clearance is the same as a Stingray...looks lower because it is wider!

 

[LT1xL82]

There are really different issues here. 1) Safety in using the tires and 2) Damage by storing and/or using the tires.

Personally, I can live with the limitation of only using the tires only in warmer temps for safety considerations. It's not ideal, but that's the sacrifice that comes with seriously high performance tires. And for most, it is a warm weather car anyway.

The restrictions on storage of use to avoid permanent damage to the tires is a much bigger deal to me. Storing the car for the winter with the tires in a heated space is going to be a major hassle. Having a second set of tires without the storage limitations might be an acceptable work-around for some. But how the heck do you take delivery of the vehicle in the cold months. Heck, how will GM transport the car in the cold months? Not being able to move the car for fear of damaging the tires is going to be a major logistical hassle.

Making the Cup tires in the Z07 package optional is one solution. Having the option to get a second set of non Cup tires and wheels is another solution. Offering CCBs as a standalone option for aero 1 and aero 2 buyers is yet another solution that many may find acceptable. There are many approached that can be taken.

HELLO? CORVETTE CUSTOMER SERVICES FOLKS? PLEASE MAKE THIS ISSUE VISIBLE TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE.

 

[rdslon01]

From what I have heard, storage is okay, as long as you don't deform/bend/roll the tire while it is below 40 degrees (actually not until after it has been above 40 degrees for 24 hours). That does not seem like a big hassle. Just take the wheels off your car (or put it on jack stands) and don't touch them until they have been above 40 degrees for at least 24 hours.

But you REALLY hit the nail on the head of the elephant in the room:

But how the heck do you take delivery of the vehicle in the cold months. Heck, how will GM transport the car in the cold months? Not being able to move the car for fear of damaging the tires is going to be a major logistical hassle.

 

[elegant]

Thanks NickJ for moving all the earlier "StingRay tire posts" into the following thread:

http://www.stingrayforums.com/forum...-tires-cold-weather-consequences-options.html

Returning this thread thread is to Z06 tire discussion only.

Toward that end, saw a couple of additional things today,, confirming what we previously read/believed, that the Stage 1 and Stage 2 Z06's will all come with Michelin Pilot Sport Tires and the Z07 packaged ones will all come with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2's -- with no option to substitute the "other tire" from the factory.

 

[LT1xL82]

...Stage 1 and Stage 2 Z06's will all come with Michelin Pilot Sport Tires and the Z07 packaged ones will all come with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2's -- with no option to substitute the "other tire" from the factory.

That is my understanding also.

I sent a message to GM customer service about the issue thinking there is a remote possibility it may get to the attention of a decision maker. If I get a reply, I will share it here.

 

[rdlykes]

I live in Birmingham Alabama and took delivery of my new 2015 Corvette Z06 with the Z07 performance package. it is currently 18° outside, I can hardly get enough traction to drive the car. Guess I'll have to wait until the temperature gets above 45 or 50° before I can really get a feel for the performance of the vehicle. May possibly have to wait until spring to the temperature gets in the 80s or 90s before I can get enough traction to realize the power of the 650 HP. Everything you read about the lack of traction with the sportcoat tires and cold weather is true. good thing I live in Birmingham where the temperature rarely gets below 50°

 

[jsvette]

Welcome to our forum rdlykes! Congrats on your Z07- besure and post some pics when you get a chance http://www.stingrayforums.com/forum/introductions-site-help/3046-how-post-pictures-your-stingray-our-forum.html

 

[greggshere]

I live in Birmingham Alabama and took delivery of my new 2015 Corvette Z06 with the Z07 performance package. it is currently 18° outside, I can hardly get enough traction to drive the car.

Don't temps below 20 degrees crack the tires if you roll on them? I hope you didn't screw your tires up trying to drive on them.

 

[jwood02]

Don't temps below 20 degrees crack the tires if you roll on them? I hope you didn't screw your tires up trying to drive on them.

I have driven true R compound race tires well below 32F and have not had issues with cracking. I am not recommending it but cracking typically can occur with older or aged tires that have released a significant amount of the plasticizer in them. I own a rubber manufacturing business so I deal with rubber durability issues every day.

Now if you drive very soft race tires in cold temps and hit potholes then they will crack. But driving conservatively in temps below 32F once in a while won't hurt them.

Again, I am not recommending it but we have no control over the weather and the itch or need to drive is always there......

 

[mjw930]

I see a number of people quoting 40 degrees then mentioning damage in the same sentence, that's wrong. Below 40F performance degrades rapidly, below 20F the compound loses enough elasticity to become brittle and damage could occur if used in these conditions (storing them in your garage, either mounted or unmounted but not on the car and moving them is unlikely to cause any damage).

Anecdotal evidence aside, these are the facts, use them as you see fit.

Personally, I would not have them mounted on my car during the months temps can fall to these levels. I would have a second set of wheels and tires that were on the car 95% of the time with the Cup2 tires only seeing the light of day when I was taking the car to the track or autocross, that's what their primary purpose is. If I can afford a $90K+ car I can afford another $6K in wheels and tires and if I were a dealer or GM accessories marketing person I would have sets of wheels with PSS tires pre-packaged and recommend them to every Z07 customer as part of the sale. Porsche has been doing this for DECADES!

 

[dpmdc]

Extra set of wheels and street tires is the way to go.