OEM on the C70 (17 in) is Michelin Pilot. I had poor wear and these tires are about the most expensive ($240 ea). I could swear that the Dealer I bought car from said that these tires were run flats. Tirerack.com said they are not. I would have thought since this vehicle doesn't have a spare (has air pump/seal kit) that it would make sence to spec vehicle w/RFT. Can anyone clarify if these tires are NOT RFT? Has anyone had success with another brand tire for this vehicle? I am not to sure if other tires that have same rating, size would be equal or better replacement. The Michelin Pilots have had terrible wear (30k miles, mostly HWY) and I was getting terrible inside wear on rear tires eventhough I rotate regularly, align and check psi. I would appreciate any feedback from other C70 owners.

 

My general advice is to go to The Tire Rack's web site to find out what tire brands and models are available in your size, and then look at their ratings to narrow things down to a few contenders. There are also user/buyer reviews, but I think you have to take these with several grains of salt.

My own 2007 C70 has the 18" wheels, and therefore came with Pirelli P-Zero Rosso tires, which are summer-only and will wear out even faster than your Michelin's. I like how the P-Zero Rosso's drive, however, and when they wear out I may decide to get P-Zero Nero M+S instead. These are all-season, and a bit lower in both performance and price. But for some reason the treadwear rating on them is much higher than for the Rosso's.

I think the issue of wearing out the inside shoulders on the rear tires is not really related to your tire brand, but is due to the C70's rear suspension design and set-up. I think there is a bit of negative camber designed-in at the rear, which is a bit worse when the roof is down (since more weight is shifted rear-ward).

It also seems to me that the current C70's rear suspension has a small amount of rear-wheel steering built in, which may contribute to rear tire wear. The sales brochures/booklets for my car briefly mentions this rear-wheel steering (it is probably just a degree or so, or even a fraction of a degree), although to be honest it is pretty vague about what may, or may not, be going on.

 

The Michelins arein fact awful. The C70 is very heavy and the tires cannot hold acceleration, so they've squealed all the time. I replaced them on my '08 with Bridgestone Potenzas and the squealing is gone, acceleration is better, and I don't have to worry about leaving all that tread on the ground.

 

iharry,

Which Bridgestone Potenza model/version did you get?