Group Buy? XWX 205/70 VR 14 (Dino + others)

Good day,

You may wish to check out the other XWX distributor called Longstonetyres in the UK. Their web site is http://www.longstonetyres.co.uk. I just purchased some tires from them and found them to be extremely helpful. In fact they are also enthusiasts as well and my initial respone e-mail included pictures of the owner (Dougal Cawley) driving some old racers as speed! Amazing!

Currently, they have a sale on the XWXs including the 205/70VR14s. For these 205's their site lists a price of $336.69 USD and includes free shipping (3-5 day air).

Cheers,

Sam

 

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showpost.php?p=134684038&postcount=10

Contact Jerry at Coker, see what he'll do.

DM

 

I read it as $419 for the 205VR14 - and $398 for the 20570VR14.
A bit of a difference in your favor......if the 70 series are correct for the Dino?

Unfortunately I need the expensive ones for my GTC!




James

 

I would be interested if we can get a discount--my tires are old too.

 

205/70-14 is correct for the Dino.

Sumitomo makes a nice tire in that size, one speed rating lower than the XWX. I had them on my car prior to my XWX purchase and they worked very well. They are about $40 each.

My mechanic claimed he felt a slight improvement with the XWX, but my untrained butt didn't notice it.

DM

 

I was just thinking the other day about getting another group buy going for you guys. I came in here to post it up and found this. Last year we did the group buy for just certain Michelins, but I am opening it to the whole line that we carry. For the 205/70VR14 XWX's are regularly $398.00 each and the 205VR14 XWX's are $419.00 each. If we can get 25 tires ordered (sure it won't be a problem) we can get the 205/70VR14 XWX for $354.18 each and the 205VR14 XWX for $372.86. Another alternative would be the 205/70VR14 XDX, which has been discontinued normally go for $236.00, the group buy cost would be $210.26, we only have 8 of these left. Any other prices you guys need let me know either by posting, private message, email, or give me a call. The phone# here is 1-800-251-6336 ext. 256, make sure you speak to me because none of the other guys here are involved in the group buy. Hope to hear from you all soon.

PS Dave, hope the tires are working out well for you, your car was a big hit here at the office.

Jerry

 

I noticed!!

The ad ran quite a few more places than was originally anticipated.

Saw it in three or four magazines maybe, over a few months.

Dave

 

I'm interested in a group buy as well. I need tires for my Boxer, I can't recall the exact sizes at the moment.

 

DON'T FORGET TO ADD IN IMPORT DUTIES. I don't know what they would be, but it could easily add 10% to the price.

UPS can calculate it for you.

DM

 

For Canadian residents, there is no duty charge on the tires if the tires are for vehicles greater that 25 years of age, otherwise the duty tax is 7%. I spoke with Canadian Customs and you prove the age of the car with the vehicle registration.

As for other taxes, there is the GST at 7% and your Provincial tax.

Remember that these taxes will be the same whether you order the tires from Coker or Longstone.

Another thing to keep in mind is the brokerage fee. Depending upon the shipper, this fee can be pricey. UPS (Ground) has an escalating fee based upon the value of the goods plus other criteria. Fed Ex has a flat rate of $7, however Fed Ex Ground will vary... min $25 (Fed Ex Ground is a separate company from Fed Ex). Canada Post charges $5.00.

As for dealing with Longstone, they were great. I ordered my tires (512BB) last week and they arrived the other day...Basically 6 days from the time I ordered the tires... Amazing! I can't get a letter sent across Canada in 7 days, and yet I can get 4 tires from another Continent sooner... Anyway, the tires were sent air freight and were utimately delivered by Canada Post. Sadly, Canada Post mistakedly charged me duty which will be refunded once I provide the documents to Canada Customs.

All in all in total by ordering from Longstone I saved about $370 CAN as compared to Coker.

Cheers,

Sam

 

Jerry, does Coker still sell 225/70 VR 15's XWX (rear tires for Daytona 9")? If so, how much with the discount?

Thanks!

-steve

 

Do any of the suppliers really have them in stock and ready to ship?

When I last ordered my 205/70VR14 XWXs from Coker, it took them about 19 MONTHS to fill the order (and countless phone calls from me), which is a heck of a long time to wait for tires. If they are in stock, I'd be a little concerned about how old they are -- tires go off just sitting around in a warehouse. Don't get me wrong - Coker seems not to have been at fault - Michelin treats their vintage and historic tire lines like stepchildren since the volumes are so low. They produce them in batches only when lines are available, and shift the production sites from plant to plant. I was told that mine were originally to be made in France but were then supposedly to be made in Spain. I haven't bothered to check the sidewall markings to verify. (I admit getting a little upset about seeing Pirelli and Michelin sponsoring various vintage events when they don't seem to care enough about actually making the vintage tires).

Also, I am confused about how the XWXs are now manufactured. I seem to recall seeing in one Coker catalog that the XWXs are made using original molds, but with current modern materials (new chemistry?) and modern manufacturing processes, yet when I called Michelin USA and Coker they were unable to confirm what this really means, and I never got a response to emails sent to Michelin France.

Mark

 

Excellent question!

Jerry,
Can you shed any light on this?
Are these Michelin tires produced using modern compounds, belts, and manufacturing techniques?
The old XWXs had a stiff side wall, so this could affect things.

 

I believ that saying you are a FCA member is worth 10 or 15% off I just recetly purchased a set for around 370.00 each from them. Also yes I would be interest in other sizes and if they received a "big" order maybe "size does count"

 

From Coker.com

15. How authentic are these tires and will they look just like the ones I remember from the past?
A: Our tires are built in the original molds to assure authenticity and to give you the correct look for your car. They are, however, built with modern materials which make them actually better tires than those you will remember from the past.

18. Do tires have a shelf life?
Excerpt from an article in Modern Tire Dealer,December 2002
A: Tires do not have expiration dates, based on my talks with tire manufacturers. The reason is simple: There is no way for tiremakers to control how their tires are stored or used.
" Tires are still manufactured with a percentage of natural rubber, which does deteriorate with age," says a Michelin spokesperson." Because of this, most tire manufacturers have a time limit on the warranty, which is typically six years."
Tire compounding is such that as long as you store your tires properly, they can last a long time without significant degradation. A tire starts to age the moment it leaves the curing press," a tire engineer friend told me. "All rubber components on the car, from the power transmission belts to the engine mounts to the tires, age. But in certain environments, they age a lot faster." Elements such as oxygen, ozone, and heat greatly affect tires, he adds.

DM

 

I got mine within a week when I ordered.

 

1. I've got a Coker catalog that says pretty much the same thing, but despite what Coker may say, MICHELIN never confirmed ANYTHING about construction or materials.

2. Michelin vintage production comes in batches. Unless things have changed, tires available now may have actually been built years ago. I guess the only way to tell is to check the production codes on the tires themselves.

3. Coker originally said I'd have my tires within 2 or 3 months, but, as I said, 19 months passed before they arrived -- but it wasn't Coker's fault (well, except for telling me several more times "just another month or two"). Michelin just kept moving the production date farther and farther out.

4. If it is true that the tires are made with different materials and construction techniques (but using the same molds), how is the V rating tested or verified? Are these REALLY V rated tires now?

 

Steve,

Yes we do carry the 225/70VR15 XWX, and they are currently in stock. The group buy cost is $304.65 per tire, plus shipping which is generally about $15.00 per tire.

 

As far as the compound goes most tire manufacturers are very hush hush including Michelin. What they will tell us is that the tires are made with the exact same compound as the originals, they are using the exact same recipe just new rubber and the machines they use are newer, but you will find these tires to be exactly the same as the original tires. As far as the speed rating goes they do have tests that they run (a high speed, and endurance test), to make sure that these are a V speed rated tire. Hopefully this answers your questions, let me know if you have any others I'll be glad to help.

Forgot to add this. It's not just Michelin that will push production back on us, all of our manufacturers have done it. We carry tires for a very small market and these manufacturers fit us into their schedule, but 19 months is quite a long time. Also I will go and check some of the dates on our Michelins to let you all know what the age of them are.

Jerry

 

This guy's a straight shooter. Thanks Jerry!

Mark

 

Hello XWX fans.

I've been selling XWX's in Australia for three years now and I can tell you:

1. Michelin usually do a run of the following sizes every two years:

205 VR14
205/70-14
215/70-15
225/70-15

If they are out of stock, don't blame the dealer, they can't make them for you. Michelin have an indifferent attitude to customer service, that's a fact.

The last time a run was done was in late 2004. The modern XWX are better than the originals. They are softer, the tread wear index is just 100....a P-Zero Giallo is 140 for example.

I don't belive the current XWX's are V rated any more. Yes, they carry the "V" on the sidewall but that's for aesthtics. My last batch carried a very small circle about 3cms in diameter and in that circle was stamped "89W" The 89 is load rating and I belive the "W" is the real speed rating.

The most hilarious things about this, is when I spoke to my Michelin rep in Australia, he didn't even know what an XWX was!!! All this information came from a friend who works at Michelin in France.

Finally, never use old tyres, about 7 years is it irrespective of how they have been stored, after that, you are on borrowed time. I assume you people all know how to date tyresif not, read the short article I wrote for our club magazine so you can tell yourself.


Regards,

Carl.
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Got some more information for you guys. First as far as the speed rating goes (ex. 205/70VR14 89W) These are a V speed rated tire, but are limited to 168mph. If they did not have that 89W there would not be a speed limit on the tire. Hope that makes sense.

Now onto the production dates. I went upstairs and check a tire on each rack to get a good idea of when about these tires were made. Here's what I found. (fyi the way to read the dates are week/year)

205VR14 -- 16/05 newest, 19/04 oldest

205/70VR14 -- 22/05 newest, 19/05 oldest

215/70VR15 -- 25/04 newest, 51/03 oldest

225/70VR15 -- 03/05 newest, 02/05 oldest

Keep in mind there may be some 1 or 2 weeks older or newer, I didn't check everysingle tire, but it gives you all a good idea. Hope this helps guys, let me know if there are anymore questions.

Jerry