Steve Proctor wrote:Alec, to be frank, it was a shocker to me as well. Others can confirm or deny, but if I recall correctly, Coker bought the molds from Michelin and they make low quantity runs of these tires for which there is a relatively low demand. Therefore, they are amortizing their setup costs over
smaller production run, hence the higher prices. Good luck!!
Coker did not buy the Michelin molds and doesn't make any pneumatic tire branded Michelin. Can you imagine a multi-billion dollar multi-national tire manufacturer allowing its reputation to be in the hands of a tire store? Or to face liability for something it has no control over?
This is an oft repeated rumor which dismays Michelin employees. Employees at Coker Tire set the record straight also.
After much back and forth with myself, i settled on the Verdestein classic sprint (from Summit, no shipping cost). Max is correct, they are not asymmetrical, but they work for my driving. very happy so far.
mounted and balanced, now they get a long road trip to Helen GA.
Thanks to everyone on this thread for sharing their knowledge.
Dave, 185's will work for sure. I know some T-6 cars do run 195's on 5.5" rims, but don't know if the backspace has to be modified. I tend to doubt it.
Edwin, thanks for the details. I found a post on Pelican that said the 195's rub the body (on the inside) in lock to lock steering, but otherwise they work fine.
Dave, that sounds about right. On my car, when it goes back on the road shortly, after 21 years of storage, I am going to run 4.5's in the front and 5.5's in the rear. Motivations are: doesn't alter the steering feel (which I think is the best aspect of a 356), cuts down on oversteer (Porsche itself introduced a 1" difference when it figured out what was going on), no rubbing, reduces on-stilts look at the rear, and can be reversed in 10 minutes.
Tires will be Vredestein HR-rated Sprint Classics, 165-78 and 185-70. 175's and 195's sound appealing, but I can't find matching tires with right aspect ratios.
Last edited by Edwin Ek on Sat May 20, 2017 2:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Edwin, you make some good points. I infer from your post that the 165-78 and 185-70 match quite well in terms of rolling radius. I hadn't considered using 4 ½'s on front and 5 ½'s in the rear, now I will give it some serious thought. What led you to choose Vredestein over Michelin XAS/XWX?
The height of the 165/78 sidewall is 128.7 mm. The height of the 185/70 sidewall is 129.5. Difference in total wheel-tire diameter is 1.6 mm, pretty darn small.
Michelin doesn't make those two sizes in the same tire. I have thought about XAS's in the front and XWX's in the rear, but they are somewhat different tires. Some have advised that the combo would be OK, others say it wouldn't be good. XWX's are great tires; I have them on my early 911. I wish Michelin made a 165 XWX, but they never have.
The criticisms I have heard of XAS tires are that they are heavy, don't handle as well as Vredestein Sprint Classics, and require tubes. I have asked Michelin representatives at recent big Porsche events: Rennsport Reunion, Race Car Classics, and Historic Races at Laguna Seca, and called on the telephone to HQ. I can't get a straight answer whether you can run without tubes.
I have heard nothing but good things about Sprint Classics. They are an HR-rated tire and come in both sizes. On some level I prefer Michelins for these cars, but it just doesn't seem possible for the two-sizes approach.
Edwin Ek wrote:Michelin doesn't make those two sizes in the same tire. I have thought about XAS's in the front and XWX's in the rear, but they are somewhat different tires. Some have advised that the combo would be OK, others say it wouldn't be good. XWX's are great tires; I have them on my early 911. I wish Michelin made a 165 XWX, but they never have.
The combination of the two is what I was thinking. Did the advise you received against the combination have any explanation? I wouldn't have thought it would be a bad thing to have different tires front and rear, other than you can't rotate front to rear. The handling characteristics would be different than either tire by itself, but that doesn't necessarily mean it would be worse.
B Friedhaber wrote:I ran XAS 165s for years (several sets) without tubes. No problems.
Bruce, thanks for answering! Finally definitive information. That's what I thought the answer would be.
Dave, I didn't get any real detail about the undesirability of mixing kinds. Just as you say, one could imagine that it would be nice to have a stickier rear tire on the tail-happy 356. Breakaway front and rear would be different, but I ain't doing many 4-wheel drifts on public roads. Sliding the tail a little every once in a while is enough for me.
Please let us know if you try that combo. I still have a few months before I have to make a decision.
pascal giai wrote: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
I just think this picture is very cool and just what 356 driving should be about. May I enquire exactly where it was taken? I think I will plan a road trip to include.....nothing like it in England! 8)
I am going to throw monkey wrench into the post. I am over at the outlaw forum with the post after market wheels and on page 14 a member cj murray says he running 205/55x16. So he is running after market 16's but what kinda offset is he running to get wider tire in the wheel wells with out a lot rubbing. I pm him with no response so I was wondering what other members might know about this set up.
I live in Palm Springs, CA, and am looking for a new set of tires for my '59 Conv "D". It seems as if the big box stores no longer carry them. I'd appreciate any suggestions, along with the appropriate size tires to purchase. Thank you!
