TRX tires

I kept the TRX's on my car. I think the car looks best with the originals wheels and tire size.
I have had two Mondial's and both had TRX tires. My 2 ¢ is they perform well and grip the road very well in the corners. I am a fast and "spirited" driver but I'm not insane nor do I delude myself into thinking I'm an off duty F1 driver...I've never lost control of the car on these tires so draw your own conclusions.
The argument for switching, which others who've done it can speak to more fully, is that you have a much greater selection of tire options, many of which grip better than the TRX and cost less. This may be true but to me the car just doesn't look right without the OEM wheels and tires, and the TRX do just fine for me. If you do opt to switch I'd vote for the lookalike non metric chromodora wheels and tires that are as close as possible to OEM size. You can get them both through Superformance.
The one caveat would be if you're going to track the car or do lots of burnouts or something else that eats tires. Then I might switch. Or better still, buy a set of non metric wheels and tires for the track, and keep the OEM wheels/tires for road use.

 

Last checked proper TRX tires were about 2k for 4. No idea today. Keep in mind too for most of us the tires age out before the tread. So depending how long you keep the car it could really add up compared to 16" or 17"
348, 355 fit fine with just new bolts. 360 need the back trimmed to fit best.

 

Hi Kevin, See attached photo of my car which I have not long ago taken the original TRX Wheels & tyres off and bought and fitted the Superformance re-pro wheels 16” and covered in modern Pirelli rubber, in my eyes they look original & new/shiny (they do weigh more than the original wheels but not going to bother most) and you have a great choice of modern rubber to be able to fit plus you can go to any tyre outlet as well. J

And the car handles so much better on the New rubber compared to the in my case 8 year old TRX’s.

Gives you an idea.
R.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I think this ageing of tires is another bogus ploy to separate you from the fruits of your labor. Like the 3 year belt change. Reality, in the USA you are doing 80 max and then only briefly when you think nobody's looking. Most of the time you are cruising at 60-70. Same with RPM. Who drives their car near the redline? I bet most of us keep the RPM in the mid range 95% of the time. So to apply "race track" service intervals to these pasture cars is overkill.

 

Given the expense of TRXs, and the fact that I don't push her too hard (the car, not the wife), I prefer standard sized 16" wheels and tires.

I still have all 5 original TRX wheels, with tires (THANKS!!! to the previous owner). However, she is shod with 16" tires/wheels now. I do keep a TRX wheel and tire as the spare -- mostly for to show off at car shows.

Last time I replaced the tires, I paid about $150/corner -- about $800 total (with mounting, etc.). A big savings over $2K.

If the Mondials ever become truely valuable collector cars, I'll remount the TRXs for shows. But for now, for my Sunday driving and local car shows -- Discount Tire is the way to go for me.

Sid

 

The tyres do go off and most noteable on the front, i had plenty of tread but they were older than i care to admit during my 20 years of ownership- understeers very badly but they were OLD to be fair.

 

To some extent, I agree with you. We really don't need race-performance type tires for our 30+ year old cars. How many of us actually track our Mondials?

On the other hand, I do drive at 80 mph often. Very often. All the free-ways around here are 70 mph speed limits. No one drives under 75. Some of the local car shows I attend have me cruising at 75/80 for 30-45 minutes. (Ever driven from Plano to Ft Worth on 121? On a Sat/Sun morning you can go 80 the entire way) Even just cruising at 75+ on old tires made me uncomfortable. It wasn't the grip that I worried about, it was dry rot, or something else that would cause a tire to shred at 75. Given that our cars wouldn't fare too well in a 75 mph collision, I felt like it was safer to purchase new tires. Having said that, I didn't purchase high-performance tires. If I'm really honest, I cared more about the look of the tread pattern, than the performance. As long as they are name-brand, with good reputation (and user reviews), and can safely do 110 mph, they were good for me.

As for longevity - I'll probably replace them at 5 years, regardless of mileage.

Sid

 

The normal recommendation seems to be to replace car tyres after 5-7 years regardless of mileage.
In the UK a set of TRX tyres for a Mondial currently retails at £1510 including tax but plus fitting etc. Assuming recommended replacement times this equates to between £216 - £300 per year just for tyres.

If you were unfortunate to be involved in an accident with tyres much older than that recommended I wonder what view an insurance company or the police would take.

For these reasons I purchased a set of 348 wheels plus required bolts, had them reconditioned and fitted with new quality tyres for less than a set of TRX tyres would cost. And I've retained the original wheels in case I wish to revert in the future.