Up next in 10
CORVETTE TODAY #182 - The Men From Michelin Talk About Z06 and E-Ray Tire Options
0 views
Jul 11, 2025
Lee Willard and Dr. Jeff Anderson from Michelin Tires are back on CORVETTE TODAY for their second appearance! Your CORVETTE TODAY host, Steve Garrett, talks with both men about tire options for the C8 Z06 and Z07 variant as well as tire options for the new E-Ray. If you're ordering either one of these C8's, this is a "must see" or "must listen to" show. Lee and Jeff outline what tires come with each Corvette, what they were designed for and what your best option is when ordering your Z06 or E-Ray. Make an educated tire decision when purchasing your new Corvette after you check out CORVETTE TODAY!
View Video Transcript
0:00
[Music]
0:04
Welcome to Corvette Today, the podcast
0:06
that talks about everything Corvette
0:08
with your host Steve Garrett, MC and DJ
0:11
at one of the largest Corvette weekends
0:12
in the country, Corvette Funfest,
0:15
president of the Corvette Club of Kansas
0:17
City, Missouri, and radio disc jockey at
0:19
the number one radio station in Kansas
0:21
City for over 40 years. Here's Steve
0:24
Garrett.
0:28
Thanks for listening and watching
0:30
Corvette Today, the show that talks
0:31
about everything Corvette and the only
0:34
current podcast dedicated to Corvette.
0:36
I'm your host, Steve Garrett. I
0:38
appreciate you tuning in. Corvette Today
0:40
is brought to you by Wheelcraft. Want to
0:42
dress up your Corvette with bright
0:43
chrome or black chrome wheels? Learn
0:45
about their advanced PVD chrome
0:47
finishing. They can refinish your wheels
0:49
or offer a wheel exchange for most
0:50
models, and it comes with a 5-year
0:53
warranty. Visit wheelcraft.com today or
0:56
call 833-639-4231.
0:59
You can listen to Corvette today on all
1:01
podcast platforms. You can also listen
1:03
on your smart device. Just say, "Hey
1:05
Google," or "Alexa, play the podcast
1:07
called Corvette today." And you're
1:08
connected. Be sure and visit the updated
1:10
Corvette Today website. It's
1:12
corvette.com.
1:14
You can also access everything there,
1:16
including the Corvette Today merchandise
1:17
store. You can also join the Corvette
1:19
today Facebook group there and sign up
1:22
for Corvette Today emails,
1:23
notifications, and updates at
1:25
corvette.k.page.
1:28
And if you like YouTube, you can
1:30
subscribe to the Corvette Today YouTube
1:31
channel. See all Corvette Today episodes
1:34
on YouTube. And be sure and patronize
1:36
our flagship sponsors of Corvette Today,
1:38
mid-enine corvette forum.com, the forum
1:41
that focuses on the new mid-enine C8
1:43
Corvette. Meet a lot of Corvette
1:45
enthusiasts like yourself at
1:46
mid-enginecvetforum.com.
1:49
And Soul Performance Products, developed
1:51
and manufactured in the United States,
1:53
the Soul Performance Products exhaust
1:54
portfolio has been tailored to elevate
1:56
the experience of the world's most
1:58
exciting sports cars, including the
2:00
latest generation of the Corvette. Soul
2:02
Performance Products at sulp.com.
2:06
The official performance exhaust of
2:07
Corvette today. Aerolari wheels, a true
2:10
forge wheel with over 20 different
2:12
unique styles to choose from for your C8
2:14
and widebody versions of the C7, C6, and
2:17
C5 Corvettes. It's an amazing value
2:20
starting at only 23.88 for a set of four
2:23
fully forged wheels. And use the promo
2:25
code CT111 and get $100 off your
2:28
purchase. Visit aerolari.com. That's a r
2:32
o l a r i.com. And use the promo code
2:36
ct111 for your $100 discount. And a
2:39
shout out to Corvette Forum and Canadian
2:41
Corvette Forum.com. Welcoming Corvette
2:43
enthusiasts from around the world. My
2:46
guests on Corvette today are return
2:47
guests. You heard them on episode number
2:50
118 in July of 2021. From Michelin, I
2:54
have with me engineer Lee Willard and
2:56
Dr. Jeff Anderson, the product
2:58
development engineer. Guys, it's great
3:01
to have you back on Corvette today.
3:03
Hey, Steve. It's great to be back here
3:04
with you, too. It was fun last time, and
3:06
we're going to make it fun again this
3:08
time. Can't wait.
3:09
Absolutely. It's an honor to be here,
3:11
buddy. Yeah, it's great to have both of
3:12
you here. Two years is too long to be
3:14
away from the show. But what we're going
3:16
to do is talk about tires for the Z06
3:18
and the -ray because they're all brand
3:20
new. Now, guys, we have two new tires
3:23
available for the C8 Z06. We've got the
3:26
Michelin Pilot Sport 4S and also the
3:29
Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tires. Let's
3:32
outline both of those tires and talk
3:34
about the differences and this way we
3:36
can inform potential owners and they'll
3:38
know what they want to get depending on
3:40
what they order for their Z06.
3:42
Yes, Steve, this is a great question and
3:44
a great chance to talk about the new
3:46
tires that we're pulling out for the Z06
3:47
and Z07 track package. They're two great
3:50
tires with a lot of race technology and
3:52
transfer from track to street in these
3:54
tires and taking everything that we did
3:56
on the C8 development on the base and
3:58
Z-51 and really cranking that up to a
4:01
big level. Both of them have compounds
4:04
inspired from our technology on the
4:06
racetrack and things we do there. And
4:08
the PS4S is more tailored toward an
4:11
all-around experience. You can bring it
4:12
to a racetrack, get great lap times,
4:15
drive it around on the street, bring it
4:17
out in the wet. It's a great all-around
4:18
tire. It'll wear good. It won't be too
4:21
noisy. It makes for a great driving
4:23
experience. You want to get more tuned
4:25
into track only type of work, the Cup 2
4:28
is the tire for you. It's ultimately
4:30
just focused on lap time and grip. It
4:32
delivers in a big way. We think it's
4:34
really the ultimate experience on track.
4:36
It definitely will deliver tons of grip
4:38
and a big smile on your face. It's a lot
4:40
of fun for sure. Oh, yeah. the testing
4:42
that we've done with GM over the years,
4:44
we found that, you know, it's really
4:46
close to the race car. Basically, if you
4:48
talk to some of the drivers, Tommy
4:50
Milner, etc. that have driven the PS Cup
4:52
2s, they get more and more of that race
4:54
car feel. Each of these tires both share
4:57
four principal technologies that are
5:00
first used with Corvette. Our wavy belt
5:02
package, so we have profile belts that
5:05
allow the ribs to be more rigid, deliver
5:07
better cornering force. As Jeff said, we
5:10
mentioned, we have multiple tread
5:11
compounds on there. So, we have the
5:13
right tread compound in the right place
5:14
to give the best overall performance on
5:16
the focus for the particular tire track
5:19
or track and street. They are run flat
5:21
both well with asymmetric sidewalls and
5:24
we also have a very special caply with
5:27
tension tuning in it.
5:28
Guys, I find all this technology so
5:30
fascinating. Tell me when did you start
5:33
working with Chevrolet on the
5:34
development of these two tires? What
5:36
were the guidelines that they set forth
5:38
for this car and this tire?
5:39
First of all, we started working on
5:41
these tires over a decade ago is right
5:44
when the C7 came out, we were already
5:47
thinking about and working on the C8
5:49
because of the huge change in
5:51
configuration going from a front engine
5:53
to a mid-enine car. So, Jeff, you were
5:55
back in middle school back then or no,
5:58
Jeff was working on his PhD back then
6:01
and in between doing his homework sets
6:02
and writing his thesis, he was already
6:05
working on that. So you're talking about
6:06
2012 when we started to work on this and
6:09
we had extremely ambitious stretch
6:11
goals. We wanted to really knock this
6:13
out of the ballpark in in every realm of
6:15
performance and not only hit a home run
6:18
but bases loaded home run on everything.
6:20
And the big thing back in the early days
6:22
was making sure we get the right tire
6:23
sizes for this vehicle and what would
6:25
work great on this mid-enine supercar
6:27
that Chevrolet has brought us. We spent
6:29
a lot of time, a ton of computer
6:30
simulations, looking at different sizes
6:32
and trying to find what would work the
6:34
best. When it comes to this car, we kind
6:36
of look at the bookends and we're
6:38
starting to talk Z06, Z07 here. How far
6:40
can we push the envelope and get great
6:42
performance out of? So, it's a lot of
6:43
that work that kind of led to these
6:45
tires that we're talking about today.
6:47
I find it truly amazing that you started
6:49
development of these tires maybe 10, 11
6:52
years ago. How long does it take to
6:53
fully develop each of these tires? Well,
6:56
we have a philosophy working with our
6:58
teammates at GM that we go for the stars
7:01
and we keep on improving all the way to
7:03
the end. We had a full decade of pushing
7:05
the performances and you know is a
7:07
marriage of not only the tire design as
7:10
well as the vehicle design evolves and
7:12
performances change and improve on the
7:14
vehicle with the engine, the powertrain,
7:17
the system stability control, ABS
7:20
systems, all those systems integrated
7:22
together. We evolve the tire design. So
7:24
it's very much a marriage of development
7:26
of two products for one super product,
7:29
one super vehicle. We usually did about
7:31
four or five joint tests a year. And in
7:34
between every one of those joint tests
7:36
where we look at new tire designs, GM
7:38
would be pushing the performance of the
7:39
vehicle systems as well as us pushing
7:42
performance of the tire systems at our
7:44
home research offices.
7:46
Guys, both of these tires are run flat
7:48
or summer only tires. And correct me if
7:50
I'm wrong obviously, but that's of great
7:52
benefit for performance on the Z06,
7:54
isn't it?
7:55
Yes, it certainly is. What we do is over
7:58
the decades of run flat tire technology,
8:01
we've evolved different from our
8:03
competition, but we have really focused
8:05
on using the run flat design components
8:08
in our Corvette tires to improve
8:10
handling, to improve steering response,
8:12
to improve lap time. Those are
8:14
characteristics of tire performance that
8:16
you can use every day whether it's a
8:18
windy curvy road or coming to an
8:20
emergency stop because something runs in
8:22
front of you or going to a track like
8:25
Spring Mountain or VIR road Atlanta
8:27
wherever your local track is. So we
8:29
really focus on getting the benefits
8:31
that you can use all the time as well as
8:33
providing a little bit of safety and
8:35
security 50 mph in the event that you
8:38
have a flat tire. Another thing that we
8:40
did with our run flat tires with these
8:42
first widebody Corvettes is we've
8:44
incorporated air armid carcass. You
8:46
know, airid is the lightest, strongest
8:48
material that you can use textile
8:49
material. It's in bulletproof vests. We
8:51
now have hybrid air carcasses in our
8:54
Corvette run flat tires, which is unique
8:56
in the market. Never been done before.
8:58
So, you have even more resistance to
9:00
road hazard. If you accidentally hit a
9:02
pothole or a big joint in the pavement
9:04
or a curb, your very short sidewall
9:06
Corvette tire is going to be way more up
9:08
to 50% more resistant to carcass rupture
9:11
from some kind of big impact like that.
9:13
So, another usage of run flat to help in
9:16
general driving conditions.
9:17
That's really cool. I didn't know that.
9:19
That's good information. And it leads me
9:21
right into my next question, guys. I get
9:23
this question asked a lot. If a Z06
9:26
owner wants to go with non-run flats,
9:29
what Michelin tire do you recommend for
9:31
the Z06?
9:32
That's a good question and I think it
9:34
goes back to what Lee was kind of laying
9:35
out there. The run flat insert really
9:38
does a whole lot more than just run flat
9:40
and extended mobility for us. It brings
9:42
so much handling to the table, grip
9:44
opportunity, and just overall ride and
9:46
how the car is tuned. So, the dynamic
9:48
response of the shocks are tuned into
9:50
that. Mike Hurly at GM spends a lot of
9:52
time in the car on every iteration we do
9:54
on the tires making sure it's well
9:55
matched to what the tire is doing in
9:57
terms of stiffness and what we're able
9:58
to do. And like Lee mentioned that these
10:00
are asymmetric run flat sidewalls. So we
10:03
spend a lot of time tuning each sidewall
10:05
individually to still give comfort and
10:08
grip and be able to break that
10:09
compromise of really harsh ride that the
10:11
older run flats tended to have. I really
10:13
would highly recommend run flat tires
10:15
that are OE. And if you get a Michelin
10:17
run flat tire in these sizes, they're
10:19
made for the Corvette, including our new
10:21
allseason tire.
10:22
Very cool. Well, guys, let's take our
10:24
first break. When we come back, we're
10:25
going to talk more about Z06 tires, and
10:28
we're also going to talk about tires.
10:30
That's coming up next on Corvette Today.
10:32
We all know that wheels make the car.
10:35
Wheelcraft's PVD chrome finish in bright
10:37
chrome or black chrome will take your
10:39
Corvette to new levels, and it comes
10:41
with a 5-year warranty. Durability is
10:43
defining feature of the Wheelcraft
10:44
finish. Their PBD chrome is superior to
10:47
traditional chrome with a finish that is
10:49
brake dust resistant and cleans
10:50
effortlessly with soap and water.
10:52
Wheelcraft offers factory wheel exchange
10:54
for select C4 through C8 models. Or they
10:56
can apply the PBD finish to your current
10:58
wheels. No matter what generation you
11:00
own, Wheelcraft will transform the look
11:02
of your Corvette. With every Corvette
11:04
comes a unique story, and Wheelcraft has
11:06
embraced his idea. When you purchase
11:08
your new set of wheels, you receive a
11:10
lifetime membership to the Wheelcraft
11:11
pit crew, granting you access to your
11:13
own page on Wheelcraft's website, where
11:15
you can post pictures and tell your
11:17
Corvette story. Visit our website at
11:19
wheelcraft.com or call 833639-4231.
11:24
Arrive in style with Wheelcraft. Car
11:27
Capsule brings you the official
11:28
multi-awwardwinning Corvette SC1
11:31
showcase. It's the ultimate form of
11:33
protection, preservation, and
11:35
presentation for your Corvette. No dust,
11:37
mold, or mildew. This officially
11:39
licensed GM product features all eight
11:41
Corvette flag logos. Corvette branding
11:43
on the panels. A carbon fiber look and
11:45
feel and interior chip onboard lighting,
11:47
plus the Intella Charge battery charger
11:50
with the fan backup system. It takes
11:51
only 5 minutes to inflate and it won't
11:53
collapse when you open the doors or
11:55
during a power loss. It's a freestanding
11:57
drive-in driveout operation. See it at
12:00
carcapsule.com or call 219-9459493.
12:05
The Radiator Grill Store offers C8
12:07
Corvette A-pillar wind diffusers in
12:10
beautiful carbon fiber or OEM gloss
12:13
black that help reduce wind buffeting
12:14
when a window is open. Easy installation
12:16
and OEM fitment. Plus, get 10% off your
12:20
total purchase with the promo code CT10
12:22
at radiatorstore.com.
12:26
Are you ready to take your Corvette to
12:27
the next level? Look no further than
12:29
Classic Trim Customs. As the number one
12:31
supplier for American hydrocarbon, we've
12:33
manufactured some of the most impressive
12:35
Corvette parts on the market. From
12:37
engine bay panels to splitters and side
12:39
skirts. With over 30 years of experience
12:41
in hydrographics, we've perfected the
12:43
technique and use only state-of-the-art
12:45
materials and equipment to ensure the
12:46
highest quality and precision. Visit our
12:49
website at classiccrimcustoms.com
12:51
or give us a call at 3052583090
12:54
to learn more about our products and
12:56
services. Whether you want to create a
12:58
showstopping ride or just add a touch of
13:00
personalization, the sky is the limit
13:02
with classic trim customs. Let us help
13:04
you create the Corvette of your dreams.
13:09
And now back to the only current podcast
13:11
on Corvettes, Corvette Today with your
13:13
host, Steve Garrett. Hey, thanks for
13:16
checking out Corvette Today on podcast
13:18
and YouTube. It's the only current
13:20
podcast dedicated to Corvette. Corvette
13:23
Today is brought to you by Wheelcraft.
13:25
Car show season is here and you want
13:27
your Corvette looking its best. Dress it
13:29
up with bright chrome or black chrome
13:30
wheels. Visit wheelcraft.com and learn
13:33
about their advanced PVD chrome
13:35
finishing. They can refinish your wheels
13:37
or do a wheel exchange and you get a
13:39
5-year warranty. Visit wheelcraft.com
13:41
today or call them at 833639-4231.
13:46
I'm your host Steve Garrett. With me
13:48
from Michelin is engineer Lee Willard
13:50
and Dr. Jeff Anderson. In this second
13:53
segment, we're going to talk more about
13:54
tires for the Z06 and we're also going
13:56
to venture into tires for the - coming
13:58
up. Guys, these are really wide tires
14:01
for the Z06 and I love it because
14:03
they're getting into Lamborghini wide
14:04
tires. Let's talk about that width of
14:07
the tire and the hurdles you had to
14:08
overcome the development of this large
14:11
size tire.
14:12
Yeah, the new allseason tire on the -ay
14:14
is the widest allseason tire that I know
14:16
of in existence. So, it's super exciting
14:18
to work on. balances a lot of things
14:20
from snow, noise. Gives you 1G of
14:23
handling. It's a pretty dang incredible
14:25
tire and I feel like we really pushed
14:26
the envelope on this thing. Just
14:28
remember working with all these great
14:29
drivers like Steve Padilla and Cody
14:31
Buckley that was on last week. Seeing
14:33
them as snow flurries driving the MRC
14:35
and coming back with big smiles on their
14:36
face. It was an awesome experience to
14:38
get to be a part of that and see what
14:40
these things are capable of, not just
14:41
out in the snow and on the roads, but on
14:43
the racetrack as well. It was really
14:45
cool. And when Jeff says driving with
14:47
snow flurries, they were driving real
14:49
fast. It was just like a summer track
14:52
day on allseason tires. There wasn't
14:54
snow on the track. It was just cold and
14:57
snow flurries and they were going fast.
14:59
That had to be amazing. I would have
15:00
loved to seen that. That would be
15:02
really, really cool. Now guys, explain
15:04
to us what Michelin tires do you get
15:06
when you order the Z06 and what tires do
15:08
you get when you order the Z06 with the
15:10
Z07 package? And tell us why they come
15:13
with different tires.
15:14
Sure. The regular Z06 is definitely
15:16
geared toward more of a grand touring.
15:18
It comes with the PS4S ZP. And like I
15:20
said in the beginning, it's just a great
15:22
all-around tire that'll deliver both
15:24
great ultimate grip, good handling, and
15:26
good road characteristics. If you step
15:28
up and get the Z07 track package, it is
15:31
laser focused on doing that very well.
15:33
And it comes with the PSU 2R ZPs and is
15:36
tailored toward giving you that ultimate
15:37
lap time experience.
15:39
Guys, that's fantastic. Is there any
15:40
final thoughts we want to talk about on
15:42
the Z06 tires before we get into?
15:45
Yeah, the Z06 was a heck of a fun car to
15:47
help develop and be a part of. Amazing
15:50
guys like Brian Wallace and Aaron Link
15:51
who really developed an ultimate machine
15:53
here and I think it really shows well,
15:55
you know, the track record at CTMP,
15:57
Canadian Tire Motorsports Park when Ron
15:59
Fellow set that and beat the Porsche
16:01
GT2. That was so exciting to be a part
16:03
of and such an amazing car to set a
16:05
great track record like that.
16:07
That's really cool. Let's get into the
16:09
-ray tires now guys. This is a brand new
16:11
tire for -ay. This is the Pilot Sport
16:13
allseason 4 plus tire. How long did it
16:16
take to develop this tire for the -ay
16:18
and what were the guidelines that
16:20
Chevrolet set forth for this tire for
16:22
the 4 plus?
16:23
This tire was in development for quite a
16:24
while. Like I mentioned in the last
16:26
segment, it was a lot of iterations.
16:27
Like Lee said, you know, the project's
16:29
never really done. It's just constant
16:31
iterations to keep working on different
16:32
performances. As the car evolves, so
16:35
does the tire. And we keep going back to
16:36
the drawing board and making slight
16:38
tweaks and iterations. Like I mentioned,
16:40
we concentrated on a few different
16:41
things. Compounds being bringing a lot
16:43
to the table. I mentioned in the last
16:45
segment, we had four specific compounds
16:47
on this tire. We have two dedicated to
16:49
allseason driving. We have one dedicated
16:51
to summer driving, which we derive a lot
16:53
of grip and handling from, and one drive
16:56
specifically for winter handling, which
16:57
gives us that little bit of snow that we
16:59
need for this tire to be acceptable in
17:01
that. where you put these on a tire is
17:03
very important and affects the handling
17:04
very very strongly. So we spent a lot of
17:06
time orienting these compounds in the
17:08
right places to deliver that great
17:10
performance. Yeah. Stiffness grip for
17:12
the particular temperature window the
17:14
tires were operating in. Whether it's
17:16
90° Fahrenheit in the heat of the summer
17:18
or 18° Fahrenheit in the cold of the
17:21
winter. Put the compounds in the right
17:23
place to work the best there. We were
17:25
looking at these tires almost at the
17:26
same time we were looking at the Z06 and
17:29
Z07 tires over a decade. And I will give
17:32
our young Corvette extraordinaire tire
17:34
designer Jeff some credit here. I did
17:36
the pilot sport all seasonason fors for
17:38
the standard Stingray and he beat me by
17:40
10% in snow traction.
17:43
Way to go Jeff. You show up the old man.
17:45
Oh man, I don't know about that.
17:46
Technology came in the right time.
17:48
There you go. There you go. Well guys,
17:50
let's take our final break. When we come
17:52
back, we're going to talk more about the
17:54
tires, the Michelin Allseason 4 plus
17:56
tires. That's coming up next on Corvette
17:59
Today.
18:01
Are you ready for a better insurance
18:03
policy without the Corvette tax? With
18:05
agreed value protection, the value of
18:07
your collector vehicle will never
18:08
change. Plus, you'll save money. Get a
18:11
quick quote at ncm insurance.com.
18:14
When you want to buy a Corvette, or any
18:16
Chevrolet for that matter, get yours
18:18
from Hendrickk Chevrolet Shauny Mission
18:20
located in Kansas City. Hendrick
18:22
Chevrolet is the largest Corvette
18:23
dealership and showroom in the Midwest.
18:25
With a knowledgeable sales staff and
18:27
Corvette sales specialists on hand,
18:29
they'll help you build the Corvette of
18:30
your dreams. And they ship nationwide.
18:33
With Corvette certified master mechanics
18:34
on site and a huge parts department,
18:36
with over $24,000 parts and $2 million
18:39
in inventory, Hendrickk Chevrolet is
18:41
well equipped to take care of your every
18:43
need. From sales to service to collision
18:45
repair, Hendrickk Chevrolet has you
18:47
covered. Visit chevusa.com or call
18:49
91384-1550.
18:52
Vetfinders.com is the internet's
18:55
original Corvette classified ads website
18:57
with classified ads starting at just
18:59
$25. And every ad runs until your
19:03
Corvette is sold. If you're in the
19:05
market for a Corvette, vetfinders.com
19:07
has over 500 Corvettes for sale from all
19:09
around the USA and Canada and covering
19:12
all eight generations. Visit
19:14
vetfinders.com, the internet's
19:16
destination for buying and selling
19:18
Corvettes. That's vefinders.com.
19:23
Hey honey, are you awake?
19:25
I am now.
19:26
I can't sleep. Since turning 50, I keep
19:28
dreaming of a red door and a blue door.
19:30
Somehow knowing there are only choices
19:32
for retirement.
19:34
Okay.
19:35
Through the red door, we outlive our
19:36
money. We have to rely on our kids.
19:38
We're stuck on a fixed income. It's
19:40
terrifying.
19:41
Yeah, that would suck.
19:42
But through the blue door, our money
19:44
outlives us. We retire on our terms. Our
19:47
kids stay our kids, not our caretakers.
19:49
We make work optional. Yes, that's much
19:52
better. That's what I want, too. But
19:54
what do we do?
19:55
We call True Wealth and Company at
19:56
913-6538783.
19:59
They specialize in helping successful
20:01
people make work optional. They're our
20:03
fiduciary blue door personal wealth
20:05
managers.
20:06
Hey, where are you going? It's 3:00 a.m.
20:08
I can't sleep. I'm going to check out
20:10
True Wealth & Company online at
20:12
retirewithtr.com. That blue door is
20:14
going to be our retirement.
20:15
9136538783.
20:17
Visit us online at retirewithtr.com.
20:19
investment advice offered through True
20:20
We Up and Company LLC, a registered
20:22
investment adviser in the state of
20:23
Kansas.
20:25
And now back to Corvette Today with your
20:28
host and my husband, Steve Garrett.
20:32
Hey, thanks once again for listening and
20:34
watching Corvette Today, the show that
20:36
talks about everything Corvette.
20:37
Corvette Today is brought to you by
20:39
Wheelcraft. Car show season is here and
20:41
you want your Corvette looking its best.
20:43
Dress it up with bright chrome or black
20:45
chrome wheels. Visit wheelcraft.com and
20:48
learn about their advanced PVD chrome
20:50
finishing. They can refinish your wheels
20:51
or do a wheel exchange and you get a
20:54
5-year warranty. Visit wheelcraft.com
20:56
today or call them 833-639-4231.
21:01
I'm your host Steve Garrett. With me are
21:03
the guys from Michelin, engineer Lee
21:05
Willard and Dr. Jeff Anderson. In this
21:07
third and final segment, we're going to
21:09
finish up our thoughts on the new tire.
21:11
Guys, in the second segment, we talked
21:13
more about the time needed to develop
21:15
this tire. Outline for me some of the
21:17
groundbreaking design elements of the
21:19
tire, and this is really important. You
21:21
use some recycled rubber in the tire as
21:23
well. Isn't that correct?
21:24
Yes. Thanks, Steve. We do use a recycled
21:26
rubber in this tire for one of the
21:28
compounds in it, and that was a big deal
21:30
for Michelin. Our vision going forward
21:32
and sustainability is something that we
21:33
take very seriously. And this is our
21:35
first into an ultra high performance
21:37
tire by putting recycled rubber in the
21:39
compound. Sometimes it has a connotation
21:41
of worst performance, but I'll let you
21:43
know, we shot out tens of different
21:45
compounds for this particular
21:46
performance. And the one that's in the
21:48
tire was hands down the best compound
21:50
for what we needed it to do. Wow.
21:52
So, not only did we get recycled rubber
21:54
in the tire, we got it while delivering
21:56
performance. So, it was a really cool
21:57
feature to have in this.
21:59
Very cool. Now, there are alternative
22:01
tires from Michelin for the -ay because
22:04
when you order the zer package, you get
22:06
a different tire. Isn't that correct,
22:08
guys?
22:08
Yeah, that's correct. The ZER package on
22:11
the -ray incorporates the summer tire
22:13
from the Z06. So what you find is you
22:16
get exactly the PS4SP that's on the Z06.
22:20
And it is the same tire on the Z06 as on
22:22
the -ray. Same design, same compound,
22:24
same performance benefits. The Z06 tire
22:27
worked really great with the -ray
22:29
because it was already designed for a
22:31
really powerful internal combustion
22:33
engine car capable of really high
22:35
braking and acceleration torque. So the
22:38
transfer or crossover of the summer
22:40
tires from the Z06 to the ZER package on
22:43
the -ray worked really well. I tell you,
22:45
Steve, the -ray has some very
22:47
sophisticated systems when you're
22:49
talking about the capability for regen
22:51
combined with stability control, ABS
22:54
systems, four-wheel drive, torque
22:56
vectoring. All these systems can be
22:58
synchronized together to give the
23:00
vehicle some very incredible handling
23:02
characteristics to help the race driver,
23:04
to help the sporty person, or even just
23:06
somebody that wants to have a better
23:08
feel for handling. And all these systems
23:10
are optimized and programmed to be
23:12
controlled around the tires. Either the
23:14
Pilot Sport All Season 4 Plus or the
23:17
Pilot Sport 4S Zps, they're all
23:19
optimized for that tire.
23:21
I can't wait to drive the car and I want
23:22
to try it in inclement weather. That
23:24
sounds like so much fun, guys. And also,
23:27
these are larger tires. It's 20 inches
23:29
in the front and 21 in the rear. What
23:31
prompted that upgrade in traditional
23:33
Corvette tire size? Because we're used
23:35
to 19s in the front and 20s in the rear.
23:38
Yeah, this goes way back to our early
23:40
sizing studies and looking at the
23:41
effects of dimension. One of the things
23:43
we studied very heavily was diameter and
23:45
its effect on grip and everything else.
23:47
And what you have is a larger OD tire.
23:49
It's able to roll into contact easier
23:51
than a smaller OD tire. more deformation
23:54
that it takes to go from a round tire
23:55
into that flat contact patch. So, that
23:57
brings a lot to the table for us in
23:59
terms of grip and how the car handles.
24:01
So, it definitely a win-win. And like I
24:03
mentioned, shooting out hundreds of
24:04
different dimensions trying to pick the
24:06
right one for this car and using a lot
24:08
of computer AED simulation to do that.
24:10
Jeff has some really nice 3D graphs to
24:12
explain all the physics of a tire
24:14
sizing. So, you have to look at a 3D
24:16
graph on a 2D computer screen just to
24:18
understand the physics going on here.
24:20
But, it's really interesting and great
24:21
work. I think is cutting edge of what we
24:23
do in the automotive industry.
24:25
Definitely. Now, the -ray is an
24:26
all-wheel drive car. How did that factor
24:29
into the development of these tires for
24:31
that car?
24:32
For sure. It's the first time we're
24:33
getting all-wheel drive capability on a
24:35
Corvette. It was exciting to see that
24:37
come into the picture because the real
24:38
early cars didn't have that. And as they
24:40
started coming in that content, it
24:41
started bringing so much performance to
24:43
the table. Basically, now the tires got
24:45
to drive, brake, and steer. So, there's
24:47
considerations in how you lay things out
24:49
to make sure that's optimized. And one
24:51
of the big things that are really
24:52
important to me is that 0 to 60 time was
24:55
incredible. And done on allseason tires.
24:57
Super exciting and it's a blast.
24:59
Yeah, that's a great point. 0 to 62.5
25:03
or something. Yeah. On allseason tire on
25:05
a four-wheel drive hybrid Corvette.
25:07
Pretty incredible.
25:08
That is incredible. Now guys, we talked
25:10
about this on our first Michelin show on
25:12
Corvette today a couple years ago, but
25:14
let's talk about it again. talk about
25:16
how the optional carbon fiber wheels
25:18
factored into the development of these
25:20
Michelin tires for the Z06 and the -ray.
25:23
Carbon fiber wheels have come a long
25:24
way. It's awesome to see what these
25:26
carbon revolution guys are doing as far
25:28
as getting such a great structure onto
25:29
the car. When you go to the carbon
25:31
wheel, you're saving a ton of weight.
25:33
It's all inertial weight. It's rotating
25:35
with the car.
25:36
You're also saving my back when I'm
25:38
loading mounted tire wheel systems. Oh
25:41
god. I I like the carbons a lot better
25:42
when we're doing tests. Oh yeah. You
25:45
notice it when you go to pick them up
25:46
for sure, but that translates all that
25:48
weight savings. Every time you're
25:49
accelerating and braking, you're not
25:51
having to spin up all that extra
25:52
inertia. So, right there, you end up
25:54
getting performance benefits for it. And
25:56
the other thing it really brings is
25:58
stiffness in the right places. These are
26:00
much stiffer wheels and telegraph what
26:02
the tire is doing back to the driver in
26:04
a more effective manner. So, it's
26:05
definitely seems like a win-win for
26:07
everybody.
26:07
That's cool. I picked up one of those
26:09
tires at the Z06 reveal. Taj Jer had me
26:12
pick one up and it was nothing. It
26:14
weighed nothing in my hand. It was truly
26:16
amazing. And I know it's 41 pounds of
26:18
unsprung weight when you put a set of
26:20
those on a Z06. So, that's really pretty
26:22
cool. Guys, any final thoughts on these
26:24
tires from Michelin for the Z06 and the
26:26
E-Ray?
26:27
I was just going to say lap time
26:29
analysis. If you go with Jeff and he's
26:31
got his computer out and you look at the
26:33
carbon fiber wheels with the PS Cup 2s,
26:36
every corner on the track, you see the
26:38
car going a little bit faster, a little
26:40
bit farther, and decreasing overall lap
26:42
time. So, it's a really demonstrative
26:44
graph to look at carbon fiber wheels
26:46
versus alloy wheels. You gain at any
26:49
moment that you're breaking or
26:50
accelerating.
26:51
That's cool. Lee Willard, Dr. Jeff
26:53
Anderson from Michelin, thank you so
26:55
much for being back on Corvette Today.
26:57
It's always fun having you guys on the
26:59
show.
27:00
Awesome. Thanks so much for having us,
27:01
Steve. Really enjoyed it, Steve.
27:03
Anytime.
27:04
Thanks for listening to Corvette Today,
27:05
and please be sure to tell your family,
27:07
friends, and other Corvette enthusiasts
27:09
about the Corvette Today podcast. And
27:11
thanks to our sponsors, Wheelcraft. Want
27:13
to dress up your Corvette with bright
27:15
chrome or black chrome wheels? Visit
27:16
wheelcraft.com to learn about their
27:18
advanced PVD chrome finishing. They can
27:20
refinish your wheels or offer a wheel
27:22
exchange for most models and it comes
27:24
with a 5-year warranty. Visit
27:26
wheelcraft.com today or call
27:28
833-840-5334.
27:31
Soul Performance Products at
27:33
soulppp.com.
27:34
The official exhaust of Corvette today.
27:36
True company at retirewithtr.com.
27:40
Also, Aerolari wheels. Get $100 off your
27:43
purchase with the new promo code CT111
27:46
at aerolari.com. And Hendrickk Chevrolet
27:48
in Kansas City at chevusa.com.
27:51
[Music]
27:53
You've been listening to Corvette Today
27:55
with Steve Garrett. If you'd like to
27:57
contact Steve with any thoughts on the
27:58
podcast or ideas for guests on Corvette
28:01
Today, you can email him at
28:03
stevegaredjmail.com.
28:06
That's Steve Garrett DJ@gmail.com.
28:10
Garrett has two Rs and two T's. Or
28:13
connect with Steve on social media on
28:15
Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram using @
28:18
stevegared dj. Thanks again for
28:20
listening to Corvette today.
28:25
[Music]
#Motor Vehicles (By Brand)