Tires on a 16" TR Rim....very little choice

fastradio,
thanks for your posting,that's what I was looking for.All I was getting was uneducated knee-jerk babble.Thanks for taking the time.

robbie,
as far as getting 130k out of a single set of Gatorbacks...who said anything about getting 130k out of one set? My post was quite clear-each set of tires went approx. 20k miles and I went through alot of sets of tires trying different manufaturers.The Gatorbacks were the best.

to those that responded harshly to my asian tire jabs....you guys really should consider cutting back on your coffee intake...

best to all- raptr

 

I made the switch over to 16 inch wheels and new rubber about 3 years ago. I still have the metric wheels with original 1986 Michelin metric tires stored away. For the 16 inch wheels I went with the Kuhmo's and have no complaints. They are quiet and fit and inexpensive. I have them inflated with Nitrogen and that seems to keep the pressures constant. I have the wheels removed from the spline and cleaned and coated with copper grease every year and then torqued back down to propper spec. I only have about 3,000 miles on these tires now and they still look new. I will probably replace them in another year or two just to keep fresh rubber on the car. By the way, the 16 inch wheels that I bought from Rutlands came with original Eagle GT tires with less than 2,000 miles on them and I threw those away due to age. Keep em fresh!

 

I know that we are many years away from the TR being a "classic" and happily it will be awhile before the TR's will be relagated to being "trailer queens"...BUT.....someday someone would have paid you alot of money for those original Goodyears(for show purposes)since they will probably never be made again.The car with the Goodyears will win over the car with the Ja....sorry,Asian tire.

Maybe the thing to do is what you did-change to a different rim.Perhaps the 512TR rim or something like that,that way I could retain the proper package and store them away as you have done.

Thanks!-raptr

 

Dear Ferraristi,


Fastradio,

Fantastic write up! +100


raptr,

I don't consider my post "uneducated knee-jerk babble. We were all concerned for your safety.....ok, really the safety of the TR

It is just a known fact in sports car circles that you don't run with such old tires. It really is dangerous. We really are all here to keep each other informed.

BTW, if the need warrants, I'm sure the moulds will be sold and the gaterbacks will be done in small batches as like tires are now done for the 308, Boxer, Countach and other vintage cars.

The "Jap" comment......well.....you know better.


Shamile

Freeze...Miami Vice !

 

FREEZE.....JUST THE FACTS M'AM! Not interested in what your local tire salesman told you.And by the way,thanks for caring about my safety...sorry...my cars' well being.It warms my heart to know how much you care.Also,don't bet on Goodyear selling or leasing their molds.It won't happen.

-raptr

 

When I went to 16 in rims on my boxer I did a lot of research. Went with the BFG tires. Maybe not the best in the wet but great grip and very predictable breakaway which is key to driving these cars at the limits.

 

....really not what a salesman told me, just reasearch and information over the years.....like what fastradio posted.

.....honestly, just trying to help.


Shamile

Freeze...Miami Vice !

 

I am done with this thread. Do what you want with those tires, be safe and have fun.

R

 

Eventually the insurance industry will adapt safety checks as they do in Europe and Performance cars with 20 year old tires on the road will be a thing of the past. Those are now so hard one might get another 30K miles out of them and still hold air.

Look into the DOT, full tread depth, hard compound Autocross tires for the TR. I have a number of owners that have now gone that way. A serious hoot in the dry, marginal in the wet, cheap as heck, available in the proper sizes and seem to last a good 3 seasons. A well maintained and inspected suspension is a must with these but on a good car they are fun and economical for street use under the proper conditions.

The Asian tire manufactures are now giving fits to the big 4 as they do offer an excellent value for a very good product.

Dave

 

and like Shamile i researched the subject when i replaced mine. Like you i did'nt relish putting on Kumhos, so i phoned Goodyear UK and they told me the shelf life of 5-6 years. AS my tyres were 13 years old when i bought the car although they had only done 3,300 miles i changed them for a matching set of the latest Goodyears importing them from Tirerack. I still have them in my garage so if any Concours exhibiter wants them i'm open to offers or they'll go with the car I must ad that the difference was amazing, at high speeds the front felt very light and scary with the old hard rubber, with the new rubber they felt great again and i have topped 160

 

barabus,
BROTHER!!! I knew there had to be another sane individual out there!!!! Next time I'm in the UK we'll hoist one (or two) and create a toast for all those uptight caffeine addicts and wish them all well.No word of a lie, I know what you mean about the scary feel of 150 mph on old tires.You need to be sharp at that speed.I suspect you and I are some of the few,very few, that have been there.Based on your tip,I'll check with Tirerack but I don't think that they have had any Goodyears of our size in a long time.....I hope that they do.
I wonder if Goodyear would respond to our TR Nation and re-run the tires.Does anyone know of a contact there?Yes,I realize-especially after all the boring lectures recently posted on this thread-that there are other tires available out there but just for a second please put down your coffee cups(you know who I'm talking to)and consider this:If you owned a 275GTB would you want to drive around on a FREAKIN' KUMO!!!!! Why should our beloved TR's be considered any less of a car!! Why shouldn't we want to be on OEM rubber???!!! C'mon TR Nation........stand-up and be heard!!!
lighten-up--raptr

 

I could be wrong about this but when it comes to concourse judging, I don't think the manufacturer of consumable items, like tires, matters in the judging, just the specification of the part.

The original tires may elicit some "ooohs" and "ahhhs" and maybe some "hmmmms" from the crowd but it shouldn't make any difference to the concours judges and anyone who pays more money for the original tires is either not thinking straight or is planning to put the car in a museum. Note, I'm not referring to the size of the tire but the manufacturer.

I'm not sure about other places but this is how it is with FCA rules, if not explicitly stated it's implied in the wording of the rules. If you know otherwise please show me as I would love to learn more.

-F

 

Just saw this thread, and was going to post what fastradio did. If your tires are from 1989 they are barely safe at any speed, and I would recommend changing them ASAP. If you do end up deciding on the Michelins let me know, I work for Coker and give all the FChat guys a discount.

 

My back tires are at the wear bars and were made in June 2001. Seven years and 5,000 miles; they lived their useful life.The front tires, although they look great, were made in early 2002. Even still, they're coming up on seven years...so gone, as well.

I'm currently running Bridestone S-03 Pole Positions, but the rears are no longer made in the sizes I need. So, this time around it looks like I'll be running the Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires...

I just can't get comfortable about running Kuhmo or Nitto's on the car.


Of course, your mileage and opinion may vary...

Regards,
David
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I think raptr has about had it with 'knee-jerk babble' as right as we all are on this and especially coming from guy who sells tires

It took fastradio to hit him over the head with the article that states why his tires are junk and what people here have been trying to tell him for a couple of days is true.

 

Didn't you guys search,,, "Tire Rack"...?

Size: 225/50ZR16
Blackwall
N3 (Porsche)
ZR Speed Rated
Price: $169.00 (each)

Estimated Availability:
Fewer than 10

Edwardo
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Fronts are not the problem.

255x50x16's are the problem, find them for us

 

I gave up on raptr the minute I saw his "Jap"-laced post. Apparently, even know that Bridgestones, as a Japanese company, are good enough for the Ferrari F1 team and Ferrari road cars, but not good enough for him. Funny thing is, the OEM Goodyear Gatorbacks that came with the cars were all made in Germany, not US, assuming his reasons are purely patriotic and not something else.

 

+1..

Thank you

Raptr you are so out of line and I am not even Asian. I am an Italian American and respect all. Your comments and reasons are disrespectful.


R

 

Dunlop,,, German tires?

Size: 255/50ZR16
Blackwall
ZR Speed Rated
Price: $173.00 (each)

Estimated Availability:
In Stock
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Now the dunlop a tire that reall holds on and then bang lets go. I guess if you are used to 20 year old crap tires then you are not driving to the limit anyway so dunlops will be good.

My experience indicates that on these cars, certainly a boxer, and I imagine a tr is not too different you want as gradual a bereak as possible in the rear. The BFG tires can be comfortably slid, cant say the same about the original michelins.

Experiencing that giant hand lifting the rear of the car and trying to pull it around the front, in other words that high engine and crank suddenly lifting the rear and pulling it round towards the front is something very hard to catch and it needs a lot of room. The right tire gives you a clean gentle break easily stoppable with steering and easing the gas transforming the cars from evil to fun beasts.

 

Deez tiez is ezy to find.........................................try and get zum metrics, fahgetaboudit!

4 metric tires $2+k! Almost want to buy new rims to offset the cost of the tires.

 

Mine came from the factory with Goodyear Eagles. I live 40 minutes from the Goodyear factory, but it does me no good as they ceased production of TR sized tires (as a matching set) over 10 years ago from what I can tell.

 

In this case, front tires are the problem as Dunlop does not make them in 225/50/16. Most manufactures will have the front and the rear but in Dunlop's case, it is the other way around.

IIRC, I think Dunlop is also Japanese owned.

 

...what?...Dunlop Asian owned?....didn't India purchase Jaguar?....OUCH,that's got to hurt.what's next...DOGS LIVING WITH CATS!!!!??????

...step away from the coffee cup...
-raptr
PS.I'll let you know if I can get anywhere with Goodyear and the 255.