| Author |
Message |
Lillo Morreale (Morcal)
New member
Username: Morcal
Post Number: 6
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Monday, October 06, 2003 - 1:03 pm: | |
There is in Europe the option of FULDA ( part of GoodYear ) which comes in 205/70-14 VR. I did see recently at SPA on a couple of German 308's. The price is about $100/each. Pirelli P4000 or GoodYear G800 would cost twice. |
Alan Leach (Speedy308)
Junior Member
Username: Speedy308
Post Number: 247
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Monday, October 06, 2003 - 10:44 am: | |
Did you see a spare in the Enzo???
You just call the Factory and they send help!LOL
At least that's what I tell folks when I break down. |
Alan Leach (Speedy308)
Junior Member
Username: Speedy308
Post Number: 246
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Monday, October 06, 2003 - 10:42 am: | |
Thanks Verell! I wasn't sure these guys were listening! My 16" rims with the Eagle F1's are great, and I'll track 'em against the competition any day!
Disclosure notice: Writer has long time race team sponsor relationship as well as stock ownership in companies discussed in this post.
Goodyear is #1 in Racing. |
Dave Meredith (Dave80gtsi)
New member
Username: Dave80gtsi
Post Number: 3
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Monday, October 06, 2003 - 10:21 am: | |
Thanks for all of the tir-ing answers. Can anyone who has 'been there, done that' address the related question in the earlier post:
The 16" swap idea does bring up a related side point - Does the 16" QV / 328 wheel and tire combo, especially the 8" rears, fit into the early model spare tire well in the front trunk? I can imagine a scenerio whereby one would swap to the 16" package, run over a nail, and be forced to leave the removed flat tire / wheel on the side of the road as it would not fit into the front well of the car! Is this a worry? Or, should I instead carry a half-dozen cans of Fix-A-Flat!
|
dave handa (Davehanda)
Intermediate Member
Username: Davehanda
Post Number: 1946
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, October 03, 2003 - 11:21 pm: | |
Dave,
I have seen a number of 308's with either the Pirelli P4000's or the Michelen MXV HR rated tires. I noticed the Michelen is no longer offerred....personally, the Sumitomo product looks like it might be a better choice than the Pirelli. |
Verell Boaen (Verell)
Intermediate Member
Username: Verell
Post Number: 1170
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, October 03, 2003 - 10:09 pm: | |
Dave,
The large raised white letters and/or whitewalls are on one side of a tire. It's not uncommon to get solid black tires by mounting them with the letters/whitewall to the inside.
If you're not going to track the car, I'm with Alan on Aquatred3s. Great all-weather tire.
|
Steve (Steve)
Member
Username: Steve
Post Number: 465
Registered: 2-2001
| | Posted on Friday, October 03, 2003 - 6:19 pm: | |
I struggled with this in the begining but the VR vs. HR rating is no big deal. So I went with Firestone Firehawks at 235-60-14 all the way around and they work good. I still am considering changing the rears to 245-60-14 just for the extra look. |
Alan Leach (Speedy308)
Junior Member
Username: Speedy308
Post Number: 243
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Friday, October 03, 2003 - 4:11 pm: | |
The 16"s mount a shorter sidewall. OA diameter is + or - 1/8". No Speedo error that way. |
Barry Wolinsky (308gtb)
Member
Username: 308gtb
Post Number: 701
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Friday, October 03, 2003 - 4:04 pm: | |
Hans,
I share your opinion. For my kind of driving, the XWXs are just fine. Esthetically, they look very "1970s" and fill the wheel wells nicely.
Barry |
Barry Wolinsky (308gtb)
Member
Username: 308gtb
Post Number: 700
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Friday, October 03, 2003 - 4:02 pm: | |
Dave,
The P-4000 is certainly good enough for a Ferrari. Check Pirelli's website. I'm pretty sure they're available in V rating in certain European markets. The website will lead you to overseas sales centers.
Barry |
Hans E. Hansen (4re_gt4)
Intermediate Member
Username: 4re_gt4
Post Number: 1702
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Friday, October 03, 2003 - 2:56 pm: | |
I like my XWXs. Yes, I'm sure that I'm in a minority here. I used the 215 size in the rear, which has the side effect of correcting my speedometer. I think XWX is the only choice for pairing 205 and 215, but there are many others available if you go with either single size. Last time I looked at Tire Rack (last summer) there were quite a few options. |
Dave Meredith (Dave80gtsi)
New member
Username: Dave80gtsi
Post Number: 2
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Friday, October 03, 2003 - 2:27 pm: | |
Even if you expand the selection process to include 14" HR rated tires, it seems to me that you still have very few quality choices today. I can't find any Yokohamas in this size, or even in a wider 225/60 x 14, which offer even an HR rating (let alone a VR) on the market. Other than the aforementioned XWX, the next best 14" tire option seems to be a HR rated Pirelli P-4000. Not a bad tire, necessarily, and quite a bargain at 1/4 the cost of the XWX's, but it is "good enough" for a Ferrari?
By the way, I have noted that one has a nice selection of white wall all season winter radials in this 14" size. Hmmmmm ... a 308 with white walls! What a concept! Maybe I should start a trend!
For sure, the 16" QV / 328 wheel swap remains an option, but I have other 308 priorities which I wish to address first - thus the interest in making do with my existing wheels for the short term.
The 16" swap idea does bring up a related side point - Does the 16" QV / 328 wheel and tire combo, especially the 8" rears, fit into the early model spare tire well in the front trunk? I can imagine a scenerio whereby one would swap to the 16" package, run over a nail, and be forced to leave the removed flat tire / wheel on the side of the road as it would not fit into the front well of the car! Is this a worry? Or, should I instead carry a half-dozen cans of Fix-A-Flat!
Cheers - DM
|
Alan Leach (Speedy308)
Junior Member
Username: Speedy308
Post Number: 238
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Friday, October 03, 2003 - 1:27 pm: | |
Per my friends at Goodyear VR and 14" is no longer supported. I agree that the V rating is no big deal for normal street use. It is CYA for the maunfacturers to match ultimate top speed of car.
I run 16" rims now with the Eagle F1, but will reshod my 14" rims with either the Aquatread 3 or the Eagle GT series.
Goodyear is #1 in Racing. |
Jerry Fisher (Emtrey)
New member
Username: Emtrey
Post Number: 47
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Friday, October 03, 2003 - 12:47 pm: | |
I purchased V rated yokohamas (not sure of exact type but can dbl check if it would help you)about 3 years ago, They are fine and actually "stick" better than "XWXs".. They squeal a bit but not horrible.
Unfortunately, I no longer see them listed w/Tire
rack. Let me know if you want the model number
and I will look it up this weekend. |
dave handa (Davehanda)
Intermediate Member
Username: Davehanda
Post Number: 1944
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, October 03, 2003 - 12:42 pm: | |
Dave,
There really are no alternatives, other than going to an H rated tire, which really is not that big a deal. While rated to 130mph, surely short jaunts beyond that are not a problem...
The best alternative (what I did) is to buy a set of QV 16" rims and get more modern tires. |
Barry Wolinsky (308gtb)
Member
Username: 308gtb
Post Number: 699
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Friday, October 03, 2003 - 11:35 am: | |
Dave,
I have XWXs on my 1976 GTB. They are not "reproduction" tires. They're manufactured by Michelin's Vintage Tire Division in France. Coker is the North American distributor. I recently had to replace one of my tires. Coker had them backordered so I ordered them from Longstone Tyre in Great Britain.
They're quality Michelin tires and I've been pleased with their performance. It's not a high performance tire by today's standards, but was twenty five years ago. And the 308 was a high performance car, at that time. The XWX was OEM for the car and so is a good choice.
http://www.michelin.com/corporate/index.jsp?langue=EN
Barry |
Dave Meredith (Dave80gtsi)
New member
Username: Dave80gtsi
Post Number: 1
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Friday, October 03, 2003 - 11:07 am: | |
Greetings to all - Long time listener, first time caller.
The time has come to re-tire the 308, and (at least, for now) I'd like to stick with the original 14" wheels. However, there seem to be almost nothing to pick from in the way of VR speed rated tires in that ever-popular 205/70 x 14 size. Only option of any sort which I can find is the repo Michelin XWX's as offered by Coker, but spending over $1000 for a set of "old technology" tires seems a bit contrary to me.
So, a couple of questions for the masses:
1) Can anyone here speak to the quality of the repo XWX's? Are they indeed worth the long green?
2) Can anyone offer up any other choices in this size in VR rating? Places like The Tire Rack are without any - I've both checked their website and called.
Would be grateful for some feedback on the above.
Thanks and Cheers - DM |