What type & size of tires to use / what fits? / "best" tire?

[Jon Schmid]

Walmart sell the Nexen tire for less than $60 each. I would guess that they would work as well as anything that was available when your car was new.

I don't understand this logic. Why wouldn't you want the best tire possible (within reasonable price limits)? Don't you want better braking distances, better road holding, better wet weather performance? Maybe to save your life?

When you go see a physician, do you want medical knowledge and techniques from the '60s or 2015?

Maybe I don't understand your logic. First, what on earth does medical knowledge have to do with tires? Second, have you ever used Nexens (or Kumhos for that matter) or are you hung up on this whole "if it's European, it must be better" syndrome? Shell out your coin for the Vredesteins if you want--I've used them--great tires. But so are Nexens. And for the number of miles and the level of driving you're likely to do, I don't understand the logic of buying overpriced European tires. Prove to us that your "best" tires have the characteristics you claim.

[Edwin Ek]

Jon, my reference to medicine was an analogy. Second, why wouldn't you want the best tires possible, within reason wrt price? I have heard people say good things about Nexen tires. I am taking issue with David's logic that they are better than tires from 50 years ago. I say again, how is that a relevant standard?

[Ron LaDow]

Second, why wouldn't you want the best tires possible, within reason wrt price?

What is the "best tire"?
For instance, I'd look for least weight, but I'm sure you have some criteria in mind.

[Jon Schmid]

I guess we can default to the tire sticky above. All I am saying is that, yes, Vredestien makes a great tire. I have used them so I know from experience. I also have a lot of miles on "Asian" tires and they are more than adequate for both of my cars' needs. Peace out.

[Edwin Ek]

Second, why wouldn't you want the best tires possible, within reason wrt price?

What is the "best tire"?
For instance, I'd look for least weight, but I'm sure you have some criteria in mind.

Low weight is right at the top of my list. My car has been off the road for a couple of decades, but I am eager to experience the difference low unsprung weight makes. I have heard it can be remarkable.

[Tom Coughlin]

Actual experience is very important, much more so to me than logic or even emotion.

For those willing to expend the effort I propose the following:

In order to learn which of the tire brands and sizes works best:

1) Hold a meeting where several 356 cars with various tire combos get together.
2) Select two "test cars", one will be a drum brake car and another a disc brake car.
3) All four wheels mounted with tires will be taken from each car and mounted on the "test car" for a driving test.
4) "Test car" drivers will issue a report that grades tire combos as A) Great, B)Good, C) OK, D) Don't try this.

I hereby invite comments. This idea may be too complicated or I may be NUTS, but I for one would love to see the results, and I may even be willing to participate if these tests are held near Boston. KTF, TLC

[David Jones]

Unless you have some idea of the dynamics of suspension operation it is better to listen than to comment. I am far from an expert but I have been driving cars competitively since the early 60's and in a wide variety of disciplines so I feel I can contribute to this discussion. It is not about any one factor. Just putting the lightest most expensive set of wheels/tires on the car will not make it handle better. Suspension tuning and the capability of the driver has as much to do with it as anything. Ask Vic, or CJ or Ron about set up and you will receive 3 different answers. It is subjective. My comment about modern tires and tread design being better than anything that was available back in the 60's is very valid because there are some tires being sold with a tread pattern identical to the one being sold then. Modern tire tread design is dictated by the materials used, the use to which it is put and the climate it is to be used in. If you want the best performance from your tires you need to have multiple sets for use in cold, warm, wet or maybe unmade road conditions. Just changing tire pressures can have a more dramatic effect than the unsprung weight. Unless the suspension is changed for a lighter wheel you could actually degrade the handling so please do some reading about tires and handling before spending more money than is necessary to achieve a goal that is ultimately unachievable. Pick up a copy of Mark Donohues book "The unfair advantage" and gain some albeit dated but very interesting insights into the development of race cars. There is also lots of historical Porsche content as an added bonus. There are pros and cons for all combinations and the one that works for you may not work for the next person. Stability from wider tires can translate into a loss of nimble handling and heavy steering when parking. If your 356 has power steering not a problem. Also rolling resistance comes into play with wider tires and if the car is not heavy enough to utilize the tread footprint your braking distance may be extended. Read about it and educate yourself. There is no substitute for knowledge and much as I like Tom's suggestion of subjective tire tests unless carried out on one car it will not reveal very much as each tire set will alter the dynamics on that particular car thereby invalidating the test. Sounds like a fun way to spend a day though.
I will add one anecdote from my racing days, in the late 80's early 90's I drove a F Vee with some free radial slick experimental tires from Firestone which at Heartland Park Topeka were about as bad as a tire can be. I persevered with testing using tire pressures between 20 psig and 45 psig and at one track in particular I was 1/100th of a second off the lap record. Unfortunately this was the only track I could get the tires to work properly on perhaps because it was a temporary road course laid out through a park and the road surface was very lightly used other than this one race weekend. Just one example of the huge variety of conditions affecting tire choice.

[Pascal Giai]

JD,
I can recommend the Michelin XAS 165x65x15 on stock wheels 4.5" wide.
I drive my 356 everyday and like the handling very much. Nice period correct look and once you learn how to use it, the XASs are excellent in the turns.
Last week-end I drove 1000 miles from San Diego to Death Valley and back on a new set with my 58 A Coupe and really enjoyed it, thanks Michelin !
You can order then online at cokertire.com
https://www.cokertire.com/tires/brands/ ... n-xas.html

[Edwin Ek]

That attitude is interesting and certainly fails any test of logic. Why wouldn't you want improved tire performance? The lowly 356 in the 1950's and 1960's could easily exceed the limits of its tires. That is still true today. It's true of essentially every car. Why wouldn't you want better tires-- as good as you can get?

[Martin Benade]

On dry road conditions, tire tread pattern is essentially just styling, as long as the tread blocks are supported well enough to not squirm. Everything else about a tire construction and materials is quite important to how it works. David, I have never heard of wider tires lengthening the stopping distances, does that actually happen?

[David Jones]

Martin,
With increased weight comes greater friction. With less contact area one effectively has greater weight on the contact patch. Of course the tire compound has a huge effect on this and the tire tread design as well. No tread means maximum contact patch in the dry for excellent traction and braking. Slick tires in the wet mens you slide forever. On some tracks I would use narrower tires on the front for qualifying because they gave me faster cornering speed until they overheated then lap times increased unacceptably. It did not matter because I had a better grid position. Tread design is a compromise to move as much water as possible without compromising dry weather handling. Ed, you are correct we all want better tires but I am not going to pay $250 for a tire that is marginally better than a $55 tire. I also doubt that many people could drive well enough to use the marginally extra performance especially when you consider that a Subaru BRZ on the same size tire can run circles around a 356 which I contend is down to suspension design not superior tires. There are limits to what a 70 year old suspension design can do no matter how expensive the tires.

[Edwin Ek]

What 165-78-15 356 tire costs $250? Nobody is talking about that as far as I can tell. Your point is that any tire made now is better than tires from the '60s, so buy anything and you will be ahead of any driver in the '60s.

Undeniably true, but you are driving with cars 50 years newer. Stopping distances matter. Especially with old cars and old drivers. You may think you are a great driver, but you are driving amongst bozos. Sometimes, maybe not often, you need every advantage you can get.

[David Jones]

Good points Edwin with which I cannot argue except that I do not consider myself a great driver. I was a competent race car driver with a reasonable number of decent finishes but on the street I have had my share of accidents. I also like to give myself all the advantages I can to safeguard myself. I have lap and shoulder inertial reel seat belts, wide angle mirrors and I regularly check my tires for pressure and damage. My cars get serviced regularly and brakes get attention when needed. The Michelin tire I quoted as an example of how ridiculous to me are the prices that people obviously must sometimes pay. I imagine tires such as these go on cars that are not driven much but are there for show and the status of being able to afford the car and the tires. Why else pay for something that does so little to enhance the handling over the cheap version. I replace my tires at about the 7 year mark and that gets expensive with 4 sets to buy but buying one set every two years makes it easier.

[patrick fisher]

Based on actual experience, I wouldn't run anything but vredestien or Michelin. I've had Asian tires and its night and day. No comparison.

[Dennis Doyle]

I am sorry if this has been asked and answered before. Since these rims were designed for tube-type tires, If I put tubeless tires on the car, do I still need to run tubes? It seems I read somewhere that a tubeless tire could come off the rim if it deflated suddenly.

Thanks, Dennis