(what I really wanted to title this thread - bad a$$ tires for my ten holes)
My search for a very high performance summer tire in 225 60 15 has finally ended. One or two of you may have recalled this post:
http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthread.php?150740
where I suggested we stage a call in/write in campaign to encourage Dunlop to continue production of the G Force Sport in our size, possibly in the Comp 2 compound. Not much response, and reviews on the internet suggest that tire was poor in the rain and not that great in the dry. I even skipped a chance to by some NOS ones about a year and a half ago.
Why the intense search? Simply put, tires are the most critical safety system on these old cars. Imagine getting on the highway in your four eye, suddenly there's a pop up rain shower, and the inevitable happens and the cars all around you are braking as hard as they can. And well over half those cars have modern, sophisticated ABS systems, that bias braking forces to the rear much more than our old cars do. And there you or I would be, trying to haul down 3000 pounds plus of fox on outdated all season tires, possibly made in some country you would have a hard time picking out on a globe. These tires have hard rubber "high mileage" compounds (UTQG 400-600) that limit their dry and wet grip, and are often made soley with the intent of minimizing their manufacturing cost.
As I am about to restore my old Fox, it seemed like I would either have to abandon the 15 inch wheel size in favor of a larger diameter with more tire options, or go to a 205-65-15 size at best (Nokian V is an option there). These old chassis are lose enough without adding a 17 inch rim/short sidewall tire IMHO.
Turns out there is another group that wants sticky tires for small diameter wheels, the DeLorean crowd, and I am indebted to NightFlyer there for researching all the 14 and 15 options left on the plant, and especially for IDing the Vredestein option (see first link below). The reviews on the Vredestein Sportrac 5 (all in Europe) are stellar, this is a Netherlands manufactured, summer performance tire sold extensively in Europe. From the reviews it will work in a pinch in light snow but that is not its intent. They are imported in a limited amount into the U.S., where DOT ratings are Traction A, Temperature A with a treadwear of 300 (this data is not easy to find). Well over 80% who own the tire would buy the tire again, tires designed by Giugiaro (designer for Ferrari), top 5 summer tyre for 2015, etc. While most of the higher sidewall versions of this tire are H speed rated, in 225-60 15 they are V speed rated.
http://www.dmctoday.com/showthread.p...s-or-Fronts%29
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Vr...Sportrac-5.htm
So in April when my LTD LX came out of its heated winter storage I called up the Vredestein U.S. sales office in NJ and asked if there were any in stock (there were four the previous summer). They told me they were out of stock, but that they could be ordered and a new run would be made over in Netherlands. They had to be ordered through a distributor, I worked with Ed at Group A wheels in the northeast (there is also one in California, tireseasy or something).
It took about 6 weeks but finally in early June they arrived,. In my case they replaced half worn, but aged Dunlop Sport 5000s (UTQG 340), which at the time (eight or so years ago) were the highest performance tires available. Even when new, in the rain, when starting out around a corner, my LX AOD would grab second gear and the back tires would wash out. Also, the W speed rated sidewall was quite stiff, great for cornering stability but not great for ride quality.
The first pair went on the rear, and I immediately noticed a significant improvement in ride quality especially on southern New England's pot holed back roads. The other thing I noticed was that it was hard to spin these tires, even in the rain (something it was easy to do with from a standing start with the old 5000s). When I got all four on the combination of ride quality and cornering capability were outstanding. Have yet to reach their limit in the dry, but they feel a lot like the Continental DW summer tires I have on a similar weight sedan. It now requires full force on the brake pedal to get the front wheels to lock in the dry, and stopping distances in both wet and dry are way better than the several year old SP5000s.
Overall, I am very impressed with these tires. There is an internet rumor that Vredestein was considering making a few runs on 235-60-15 at the request of some Lotus owners (stock rear size on early Esprit). So maybe an additional option for the rear of a Fox. Finally, Vredestein has a UTOG 220 compound that they use on the Ultrac Sessanta model 17+ diameters only), be neat if they took that rubber compound combined with the 225-60-V15 carcass and mold to make some even stickier tires for us.
Disclaimer - I have no financial interest whatsoever in Vredestein or Group A, just grateful that a modern sticky summer tire with a comfortable ride is available.
zak
Connect With Us