Jim and listers,
My 2c on tires.
I just replaced the Mich redlines on my TR6. I went through an exhaustive
analysis to figure out what to do.
First, my existing tires had about 3,000 miles on them, but they were 20
years old. They were hard as rocks, squeeled like pigs on any turn
(literally), I could not put more than 22 psi in them without a superball
effect, and the car did not handle. A flat (tube valve stem broke off)
coupled with death-defying horror stories about exploding old tires prompted
me to seek replacement.
I considered Mich redlines, Cokers, wider Cokers, and "aftermarket"
redlines. For the money, you can get 2 1/2 excellent modern tires for the
price of one awful redline. But then there's the "look," so, what to do?
(Note that non-North American cars did not have redlines (or trim rings, for
that matter)).
Diamondback sells Dunlop SP40s (low-end tire) with a redline they apply for
about $120 each. You can buy that tire for $50 from Tire Rack, so, you do
the math.
I ended up buying Dunlop D65Ts, 205-70/15, for $74 (including installation,
but not balancing) from a local dealer. I selected these because (1) very
good reviews, (2) British heritage (although they are now made in the US),
and (3) the tire diameter was within 1/10 inch of the redlines (26.4 v.
redlines 26.5), so my "look" and speedo accuracy (such as it is) would not
be affected. But, they did not have redlines :-{(.
I remembered that I met someone at TRF in 2002 (I think) who had "fake"
redlines, much like the old fake whitewalls, and they looked excellent. He
purchased them from Moss Europe (no one here had them). After a little
research, I did the same. They cost about $15 a piece (after shipping).
Their part no. for these is GLZ229RW. They had 14 in stock, and I bought
12. Hopefully, they'll get more .... They are a bit tricky to install
correctly, and I have not road tested them yet to see if they stay in place
at speed, but they sure do look great. If anyone is interested, let me know
and I'll tell you my installation lessons learned.
Lastly, I learned after the fact that British Wire Wheel will put a redline
on any tire you want, for a modest price. You can even send them the tires.
One of our club members bought Avons from them with redline, and they look
pretty convincing.
Hope this is useful. I'll report back after road test ...
Paul E.
Annandale, VA
71 TR6 Damson CC67060
80 TR8 Aqua TPVDV8AT210430
*****
Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2003 19:10:48 -0400
From: "Jim Davis" <jdavis344@bellsouth.net>
Subject: RE: Coker Classic Red Lines vs Michelin X Red Line (Coker)
Don,
Before you buy the Michelin Redlines I strongly recommend you test drive
someone's car that has modern tires, with or without the red line. The
Michelin redlines are very poor tires and take away from the handling
and comfort potential of our cars.
Jim
Hi Jim,
I don't recall yours being any brighter red than any of the others I
have seen. Could be you are correct, they are all bright when new, and
mine are 20 years old -- and maybe a little dirty. :-)
Don
Jim Davis wrote:
> Don,
> You're probably referring to my tires since you saw them at TRF summer
> Party. The Diamond Back tire's redline may stand a bit more because
> they remove all the raised lettering from the sidewall. The darkening
> of the redline is from using Amorall on them. The Michelins had bright
> red stripes when new, as do all the new redline tires.
>
> Jim Davis
> Fortson, GA
> CF38690UO
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