| Author |
Message |
Bill Sebestyen (Bill308)
Member
Username: Bill308
Post Number: 253
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, June 10, 2002 - 7:02 pm: | |
I think a number of us have been down this road. My car came with the TRX wheels and 2-good and 2-poor tires. I lucked out in getting two new tires on ebay, still had the stickers on them.
I knew getting replacement tires in the future was going to be a pain in the butt and the choices would be limited, so I ordered a set of repro wheels from Superformance. They were about $1520 delivered plus 3.5% duty. These wheels are very nice and the tire choices are much better. It's nice having an extra set of wheels. |
stu cordova (Balataboy)
Junior Member
Username: Balataboy
Post Number: 221
Registered: 4-2001
| | Posted on Monday, June 10, 2002 - 4:50 pm: | |
I faced the same delema and decided on the 16" repo's and Michelin Pilot tires. It was an expensive decision, but worth it. My car is a Euro and came with the 390's from the factory, so I was a little concerned with the "orignal" aspect. But the difference in both looks and performance of the 16's was enough for me to let go of the OEM concern.
I ended up selling the 390's (wheels and tires) to a F-chat member and got enough to cover the cost of the new Michelin's, so I was out only the cost of the wheels. I'm happy with the decision. |
stephen r chong (Ethans_dad)
New member
Username: Ethans_dad
Post Number: 17
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Monday, June 10, 2002 - 4:38 pm: | |
Thanks for the info Collin,
I'll check out tirerack. At that price, it becomes much more acceptable, especially to keep the car as OEM as possible. Will keep you posted.
Steve |
Collin Hays (Chaysintexas)
New member
Username: Chaysintexas
Post Number: 15
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Monday, June 10, 2002 - 2:56 pm: | |
Well, guess I will weigh in my "two cents" here. I just went through this entire exercise (TRX's versus new 16" wheels).
First off, I JUST PURCHASED new TRX's from Tirerack.com for about $190 a piece delivered to my front door. I put them on and they are wonderful tires - no problems or complaints.
I looked into spending $2K +or- on "reproduction" (knock-off) wheels that were supposedly identical to OEM. Fine, but then I have "fake" wheels to replace my OEM ones, plus I haven't even bought new tires yet! So if I go with a Michelin tire on the new 16" wheel, there I am at $3K +, and for what? A more "modern" tire design? Oh please.
The other option is find used QV rims somewhere but QV rims would technically only be OEM on a QV.
So I thought...I will sell my 390mm wheels to offset the expense, but then again, it will be my luck and the next prospective buyer of my car will be ticked off because the car isn't "original".
Now given, I am not a racer, and I am not asking my 308 to whip through any slaloms, etc. It's a pleasure car for puttering around. That said, once I found the TRX's at Tirerack for under $200 each, I looked for every possible way to rationalize getting the 16 inch wheels, blah blah blah, and just couldn't do it.
Best of luck. I will be interested to hear what you decide and how you like it. |
stephen r chong (Ethans_dad)
New member
Username: Ethans_dad
Post Number: 15
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, June 06, 2002 - 3:44 pm: | |
Thanks for the great information. Frank makes a very good point that Coker does clealy state that the Michelin Vintage Racing Division is producing exact section/profile/tread TRX, but with modern compounds. This is still a two decade old design though isn't it?
I agree with Greg that the price is the biggest drawback with the TRX. It just seems that for almost $300 per tire, they probably are not as sticky in dry or wet than a modern performance tire. For under $150/tire, one could get Bridgestone SO3's. That seems like a much better tire/technology for the money. Greg, do the 16" wheel/tire combination look drastically different than the metric 390 setup? Is it all in sidewall height? I'd like to take you up on the offer for the images, if it isn't too much of a bother. Perhaps we could post them here to share with others too?
Seems like the 16" might be the better course. Since it was a factory option, it could still be considered OEM too I suppose...
Steve
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Greg Rodgers (Joechristmas)
Member
Username: Joechristmas
Post Number: 337
Registered: 3-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, June 06, 2002 - 3:04 pm: | |
I have a both on my 308s. My 78' has TRXs and my 83' has 16 in. wheels. The tread pattern is "vintage" on the TRX tires. It is rather plain. Personally I like the way the 16 in. wheels look on the QV. My biggest complaint with about the TRXs is the price for a new tire. I am pleased with the handling on my 78' with TRXs. The steering is easier on the 78' but the appearance from the rear and sides look better to me with the QV. I can take some pics of a 16 in. wheel for you if you would like to see the diffs. between it and a TRX. |
Frank Parker (Parkerfe)
Member
Username: Parkerfe
Post Number: 929
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, June 06, 2002 - 2:53 pm: | |
It's my understanding from Coker that the new TRXs they sell are made with modern rubber compounds. Unlike some performance upgrades, I like to keep a Ferrari stock in appearance myself. |
Steve Magnusson (91tr)
Member
Username: 91tr
Post Number: 764
Registered: 1-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, June 06, 2002 - 2:37 pm: | |
Steve -- IMO, it's a no brainer to go to the reproduction 16" Aluminum 308QV wheels for $1.5K~$2K -- they'll be an asset rather than the liabilty. My (foggy) recollection is that the XWX tires had some special clever benefit in the tire sidewall roll geometry (which required the special wheel beads) -- but I think history has proven that it was a good idea that really wasn't worth the extra hassle. The other thing I like about the 16" wheel set is the front/rear wheel width and tire size differences -- I like it visually on both 308GTB/S and 308GT4 coachwork to have beefier rears than fronts. |
Ric Rainbolt (Ricrain)
Junior Member
Username: Ricrain
Post Number: 125
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, June 06, 2002 - 2:34 pm: | |
Go with the 16's. I've done it twice on two different 308's and had ZERO regrets. The TRXs can't even come close to a good modern tire. The handling is drastically better. no kidding, no doubts.
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stephen r chong (Ethans_dad)
New member
Username: Ethans_dad
Post Number: 14
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, June 06, 2002 - 1:09 pm: | |
I was wondering what the members think about swaping out the OEM 390mm TRX wheels for modern 16" QV wheels and tires on my 82 GTSi. I have followed several threads regarding getting vintage TRX tires from Coker and such, but at the premium price they command, I'm beginning to think that the more conventional 16" wheels might be a better investment.
Also, I am curious about is the so called "tuned" suspension to the TRX package. Do these 308's handle better with the TRX tire over a modern 50 series tire? I've read that many of the 75~79 owners do favor the vintage XWX over their modern equivalents. If anyone could shed some light on this, I would be most appreciative.
Happy and Safe Motoring
Steve |