Boxer tyres

Good day Robert,

Indeed, your tires are way too old. Perhaps contact Coker and see if they can replace these with newer ones, as I heard the life span to be 7 years or so.

As for the out-of-production part... If you contacted the standard division of Michelin then this info may not be entirely correct. It is true that the Michelin that we all see in the tire stores no longer make these vintage tires, their vintage tire division still does (or it did). Unless someone is quite learned at Michelin, they may not be aware of their vintage tire division (France?). I was told that the vintage tire division does a limited vintage tire production run approximately every two years. As a follow up you may wish to contact some other vintage Michelin vendors to verify this information... such as http://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/

Let us know what you find.

Cheers,

Sam

 

Robert,

Michelin USA will say that they are out of production because they do not make them, they are still produced by Michelin France and are made in limited #'s. If you are not happy with them I would call Coker and have them swap them for newer tires.

 

Demand a full refund from Coker Robert and buy them from Longstone. Give them a call and they will give you the production date of their stock.. Also the dollar is strong against Sterling now so its a good time to buy.
Steve

 

the size you cite is not a metric trx tire...you said 15" diameter. did you mean 390?

 

I think he has just typed the aspect ratio of the tyre wrongly Peter.

 

I just replaced mine as part of a round of work being done, and received production (molded on the sidewall) of 14th week of this year. Jerry ("mini ferrari" here on FChat) was there at the time, and confirmed the production dates before shipping. You should be able to get the most recent production, and should expect that - especially considering the price.
They should be glad to replace them.

 

I replaced mine a couple months ago, and Coker gave me manufacture dates over the phone prior to purchase. They were all made ealier this year.

 

Robert,

Did Coker swap the tires out for you?

Jerry

 

I had an old tire issue from Yokohama. I was told 4 years is the lifespan of a tire for track use. After that, they handle really weird. I bought my Yok's on sale, and learned the hard way that they were on sale from a tire store for a reason. They were 6+ years old when they were mounted. The car at Laguna handled treacherously. Then came the first hand education on old tires. Yok took care of me, but not until many phone calls back and forth between the tire store, and Yok. If youy bought new tires from Coker, and they are stale, I'd push for newer ones.

Best of luck.

 

Despite what they may say, Coker does not supply Longstone. Michelin does. Keep emailing and calling until you get an answer.

 

Good day Robert,

Indeed, when I needed some XWX's for my BB, I went with Longstone. At that time (2 years ago), Longstone was $600 cheaper (in total) than Coker and my tires arrived in 5 days. I was really impressed with Longstone's service!

Cheers,

Sam

 

When I was getting my XWX's, I was told that Michelin still owns the tire molds and does a vintage tire production run about once every two years. Intetersting I, too, have heard from others that stated that Coker told them that they own the molds... which did not make a lot of sense to me, unless Coker owns or has access to a tire manufacturing plant.

Cheers,

Sam

 

Good day Robert,

Why don't you send a PM to David (fastradio), as he might know about the castor angle.

Cheers,

Sam

 

More or less:

This can be done in the "home garage" if you have wheel turning plates, so that you can read the actual "degrees" of turn in and turn out. Any shop with an alignment machine can do this for you with great ease...

For caster you turn the wheel the recommended degrees (20) and then take you camber measurement. Turn the wheel the opposite direction the same amount and take the second reading.

1. If both measurements are negative, then
Subtract the small number from the larger number and Multiply by 1.432

2. One negative and one positive, then
Add the numbers together and Multiply by 1.432

3. If both are positive, then
Subtract the smaller number from the larger number and Multiply by 1.432

On a BB, any variety, you should have between 4.0 and 4.25 degrees of caster, with right side being posssible greater to compensate for road crown (LHD vehicles). Typically, I set the shim pack "equal" on the lower ball joints...and move shims foward or back on the upper ball joint. If I can't get enough caster, I'll move one of the lower shims to the rear of the ball joint. This angle rarely needs adjustment...though.

David

 

That really is uncalled for, they should be able to look your info right up and see where it is at. I'd call and speak to a manager.

 

The Michelin department that continues making old profiles is called "Michelin Collection"

You can contact :

[email protected]

The TRX they still make are (1st code is their ref. number) :

TRX

021275 190/55 VR 340 TRX TL Disponible (Disponible = available)
074005 220/55 VR 365 TRX TL Disponible en Mai
074000 190/65 HR 390 TRX TL Disponible
074067 200/60 VR 390 TRX TL Disponible
047033 210/55 VR 390 TRX TL Disponible
074001 220/55 VR 390 TRX TL Disponible
074002 240/55 VR 390 TRX TL Disponible
074101 240/55 VR 415 TRX TL Disponible
137562 240/45 VR 415 TRX GT TL Disponible
074250 280/45 VR 415 TRX TL Disponible

They also make (for 50's, 60's and 70's cars) :

XWX - XDX - MXW

052541 185/70 VR 13 XDX TL Disponible
052542 205/70 VR 13 XDX TL Disponible
002450 205 VR 14 XWX TL Pas disponible
055752 205/70 VR 14 XWX TL Disponible
055801 215/70 VR 14 XWX TL Disponible
056202 185/70 VR 15 XWX TL Disponible
056402 205/70 VR 15 XWX TL Disponible
056502 215/70 VR 15 XWX TL Disponible
056504 225/70 VR 15 XWX TL Disponible
108241 255/45 VR 15 MXW TL Disponible
137952 225/50 ZR 16 92 Y Pilot Sport TL Disponible
845632 255/50 ZR 16 100 Y Pilot Sport TL Disponible

If anybody needs any help, please do not hesitate.

Besides, a friend of mine has got a very large company selling tyres and wheels in France and can provide these reproductions for less more than you will ever find in the US, even including the cost of shipping.

But it's true that sometimes you have to wait for getting them. But no 6 years old tyres.

I've waited 3 months for my BB XWX rear tyres. Made at the end of 2007.

 

I also have a phone number in France at Michelin's dedicated to this product line :

00 33 (0)4 73 41 75 00

From abroad, don't dial the "0" before the 4 between ().

 

Robert instead of buying wheel turning plates order 4 pieces of flat steel, two at each corner, and put a lump of grease between the plates then lower the wheels on the plates. They will turn easy enough to set your caster or toe.

 

Are the European Michelin's basically the same thing you'd get from Coker? I wonder how the price compares?

 

They are the same tire. Michelin still produced them for everyone. Longstone in the UK is generally cheaper and have newer production.