Jay:
The following is an article I sent to the list back in
the spring of 1998. Since then my tires have gone
another two years and now have a total of 12,000 miles
on them. No problems.
Joe Merone
Date: Wed, 13 May 1998 07:36:27 -0700 (PDT)
From: Joe Merone@pop.mindspring.com
Subject: The dead horse rides again!
Tire seekers:
Just about a year ago I promised the list that I would
write a review of the red-line radials being
"re-manufactured" and sold by the Diamond Back Company
of South Carolina. Forgive my
tardiness but here goes:
Background: There's no doubt in my mind that nothing
looks better on a TR6 than a set of redline
tires. It's always been one of the most
distinguishable and unique features of the car. And
when
the redlines on "Trevor" were about to completely wear
out last year there was never any chance
that I'd consider having anything else on the car. But
there was a problem.
Problem: The rock hard, narrow profile, Michelins on
our cars rely on 35 year old technology
and the performance is not much better than the tires
on my bicycle. Cornering, stopping, and ride
quality on dry and wet (sometimes you're caught in it)
roads is greatly compromised when
compared to a modern tire of today.
Goal: Find a wider profile but same height, modern
tire with relatively good performance
features. They had to have a raised 3/8" wide, true
rubber redline built into the tire, not cut in and
painted later. And they had to be fairly reasonable in
price.
Solution: Diamond Back. They remanufacture wide white,
redline, and even gold line tires for
classic cars. No, these are not brand new tires but
they are not your father's old "recaps" either.
The technology has progressed far beyond those days.
Depending on the size you order you'll get either
Michelin XW4s or Goodyear Eagles as the
original casing. With my stock rims I decided to go
with size 205-70-15 tires (Michelins). They
match up as close to the original 185-15s as possible.
The other close fitting option is the
215-65-15 (Goodyears), but they're a little too wide
for my taste.
note: If you want brand new tires, they also carry a
minor brand name tire that goes through the
same process to add the redlines as the others. You
get new but you don't get Michelin or
Goodyear underneath.
Price: $79/each plus shipping ($60 UPS to my door).
Results: They look and ride great. What a difference!
The performance improvements were
evident immediately. Stopping distance decreased,
cornering was better, and I no longer grab the
wheel for dear life if I have to drive on wet
pavement. I put 3000 miles on my set last year and
can report no troubles at all. They're wearing nicely
and the redline looks good as new. And
they're a big hit at car shows, especially when people
see the original "Michelin" trademark on
the sidewall and wonder when the company started
making that size in a redline.
If you're faced with the prospect of buying new tires
and do not want to give up the redline look
this option may be for you.
Contact: Diamond Back; 707 North Murray Avenue,
Anderson, South Carolina 29625 for more
information. Telephone toll-free 888-922-1642. Their
web page is
www.widewhitewalltires.com. It's pretty primitive but
worth a look.
I'm sure they can tell you more and answer any
questions you may have.
Joe Merone
South Burlington, VT
CF 18928
=====
|