The Official 356Talk Forum

not wanting to start a flame war, my current mechanic worked at McCreay tires in the 1990's .They manufactured the tires for Coker and others, The "Michelins" that Coker sells are made from a licensed mold , NO other Michelin outlet will provide the 165R15 vintage tires, it's all done via Coker. IMO their standards are not the same as MIchelin itself. My guy was on production floor so it's really from the horses mouth, a Michelin rep perhaps was referring to current line of tires alone

I just now spoke to a sales representative at Coker Tire. He confirmed what I thought: Michelin makes all the Michelin tires Coker sells, including the XZX.

I suppose the Michelin representative I spoke to at the Laguna Seca racetrack and the Coker sales representative could both be misinformed or dissembling, but that seems improbable.

Jeffrey, you can give a call to Coker or Michelin yourself, if you are unconvinced and care to pursue it.

There are a lot of dealers here in the US which sell XZX tires. Coker appears to have exclusive distribution rights for the vintage tires.

need suggestions on best tires for 356b...thank you

Michelin by Coker tire 165x15 https://www.cokertire.com/tires/brands/ ... n-xas.html

There are a whole lot of previous posts on this, even a 29 page Sticky: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=27101 . Also, here's an article you can find under the Resources tab: https://porsche356registry.org/article/162 .

The Michelin XAS 165 x 15 H-rated tire is excessive fo r our 356s, but the XZX S-rated tire may be more pricey the last time I heard. Of course, other tires are available.

I went with Vredestein Sprint Classics from Tire Rack. $120 each. 165x15

I have used many brand tires in the 30 years I have owned my 64 and honestly most tires I put on the car performed well. I have used top of the line to bottom. I now have Vredestein Sprint Classics on one set of wheels and goodyear on the other. I use 165 and 70 with nothing bigger.

I have run 195/15 Goodyear Eagles for at least 30 years on my '63 356B coupe and had never heard of Vredestein before reading this thread.
But I tried them and just picked up the car from the shop.
What a stunning difference the correct size tire makes!
There is no vagueness in the steering any more, the car corners like it is glued to the road and the tires are quiet.
It is amazing what one can learn about a car owned for 52 years.
Greg

Have new Michelin 165R15 here in Holland on standard 4.5J rims, '61 356B. They replaced the 20 year old Michelin 165SR15 tyres which had 3k kms on them. First (subjective) impression: sudden jerks at the steering wheel makes the car throw its rear more than with the old tyres. Other differences: new ones made in Serbia, old ones made in France. Could be running in issues but next time I'm going for the Vredesteins as on my '59 Beetle, the new ones I got last week were made in Holland btw. That said, the 25 year old Michelin 155SR15 tyres on the Beetle gave me a shock with an emergency brake at low speed - the car just wouldn't stop skidding. Lesson learned: renew your tyres in time even when the profile still looks good or the old ones look more authentic.

im building a 1959 356.
I have new Boyd Coddington 16x5.5 wheels for the car.

What size tire should i use for this hot rod build?

Vredestein also makes a 175/70 R15 in their Sprint Classic tire. Has anybody tried those? I'm wondering if that's a good compromise in size for a car with a big bore engine producing more power and torque Than the 165R15's.

And .. to add on to that question ... my spare is an ancient 165R15 Semprit that needs replacing .. and as we all know, the spare fit is tight as it is. Especially if you run an old style battery cover (box type). Is 165R15 the largest tire that will fit in the spare slot up front?

Jon Paul Phillips wrote: ↑Sun Jul 14, 2019 11:32 am And .. to add on to that question ... my spare is an ancient 165R15 Semprit that needs replacing .. and as we all know, the spare fit is tight as it is. Especially if you run an old style battery cover (box type). Is 165R15 the largest tire that will fit in the spare slot up front?

That is the common wisdom. True for my 1962 B also.

I see that Firestone has a new line of radials in 165r15 size , anyone tried them ?