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Vredstein Sprint Classic Tires

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[h=2]I'm looking to buy new tires for my 100 and want to go with Verdstein Sprint Classic 165 HR 15's. After reading the discerption, the part about not exposing them to temperatures of 20 degrees or lower has me a little worried. I'm sure I won't be driving in 20 degree weather often but do I have to worry about cold weather in general? I usually don't drive once they salt the roads. Below is the description from Coker's site.

Vredstein Sprint Classic | Vredestein Sprint Classic Tires[/h]The Sprint Classic Narrow Tread from Vredestein completes the look of your classic European car. Vredestein Sprint Classic tires feature stylish sidewall markings and classic European tread designs. Don't be fooled, this classic exterior still contains advanced tire technology. The high-quality design ensures that the ā€˜Sprintā€™ element in the name is fully justified, with many sizes of the Vredestein Sprint Classic carrying an excellent speed rating. Please note that dimensions listed tread width, section width and overall diameter are non-scientific and based on an inflated tire, mounted on a wheel. Dimensions may vary due to rim width and inflation pressure. Note: Tires exposed to temperatures of 20 degrees F (-7 degrees C) or lower must be permitted to gradually return to temperatures of at least 40 degrees F (5 degrees C) for at least 24 hours before they are flexed in any manner, such as by adjusting inflation pressures, mounting them on wheels, or using them to support, roll or drive a vehicle. Flexing of the specialized rubber compounds used in Grand Touring Summer tires during cold-weather use can result in irreversible compound cracking. While compound cracking is not a warrantable condition because it occurs as the result of improper use or storage, tires exhibiting compound cracking must be replaced.
 
Wow, That is new info for me, never heard of such a thing before and I sure don't want any of those on my car. I wasn't aware of a tire that should not be driven below 40*F. I've been known to fetch the Christmas tree in the snow and I would be p***ed if I ruined a tire doing something so simple. Maybe this is a lot more common than I know....
Dave
 
I'm on my second second set of Vredesteins (ran out of years long before they ran out of tread) and the garage has never been heated. And I don't plan on driving at 20F (or -7C) with them, so it's a non issue for me. I suggest that the tire rack reference probably doesn't apply as it specifies "Extreme Performance Summer performance category tires feature constructions and compounds that have been tuned to maximize traction and performance within a range of warm-to-hot ambient temperatures extreme summer performance". The tread on the Vredestein's is more 'chunky' than the M+S I'm running this winter on our regular cars, and a long way from what I would consider an 'extreme summer performance tire'. Doug
 
Purchase from Summit Racing https://www.summitracing.com/parts/cok-579821 and enjoy lower price and free shipping (company of origin is Coker tire). Proper sized replacement tubes could be purchased from Summit as well. Did this earlier in the year and the tire have improved my BJ7's handling characteristics - compared to previous 15 year-old tires :eek:. No affiliation just helping a fellow Healey owner with savings. GONZO
 
Yep ! :
That is news to me too,However,excluding low temperature exposure. I have been
using this brand of tire for 15 or 20 years with no trouble whatsoever.:encouragement:
 
gonzo said:
Purchase from Summit Racing https://www.summitracing.com/parts/cok-579821 and enjoy lower price and free shipping (company of origin is Coker tire). Proper sized replacement tubes could be purchased from Summit as well. Did this earlier in the year and the tire have improved my BJ7's handling characteristics - compared to previous 15 year-old tires :eek:. No affiliation just helping a fellow Healey owner with savings. GONZO
Click to expand...

Thanks GONZO, Coker has them for the same price and are running a free shipping special right now. I don't need tubes, I run tubeless wire wheels.

https://www.cokertire.com/165hr15-vredestein-sprint-blackwall-tire.html
 
This is what Tire Rack says on their website about the tire.

Grand Touring Summer

You want a good blend of dry and wet street performance along with responsive handling and noise and ride comfort.
Not intended to be driven in snow or on ice, these tires are designed to blend a performance tire's appearance with a passenger tire's smooth, quiet ride. Grand Touring tires are often used as Original Equipment and place more emphasis on handling and high-speed capabilities than Standard Touring tires.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...m=6HR5SC&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes
 
The part that bothers me is not the 20*F number because I'm not likely to go for a drive when it's that cold. MY concern has to do with the warning about warming them'

"Note: Tires exposed to temperatures of 20 degrees F (-7 degrees C) or lower must be permitted to gradually return to temperatures of at least 40 degrees F (5 degrees C) for at least 24 hours before they are flexed in any manner, such as by adjusting inflation pressures, mounting them on wheels, or using them to support, roll or drive a vehicle."

To me that says anything below 40 is a problem - what if they only got down to 30*F? Would you need to warm then for at least 12 hours?, or 35*F, warm for 6hrs.?

I have been known to 'miss the point' and if I am doing that here, let me know. But I just don't like the idea that anything below 40 is possibly a safety issue.

So, you are taking a little trip in the cold months and you stop for a night at a motel - during the night it unexpectedly dips to 20*F and your car is sitting in the parking lot - just what are you supposed to do? Remove them and bring them into the room and book another nights stay?

Appears the trick is to stay away from "Summer Performance Tires". Not an issue for me right now (4 years into resto and probably 2 to go) but this is something I will be researching in depth before another tire purchase.
Dave
 
I don't need tubes, I run tubeless wire wheels.

Fella said this must be ah dreamer------:wink-new:
 
Keoke said:
I don't need tubes, I run tubeless wire wheels.

Fella said this must be ah dreamer------:wink-new:
Click to expand...

Why would I need to use a tube with these wheels????

31B26E6D-2EEB-4636-BF7B-16DA10327ABF.jpeg
 
Sure, this is lawyer-speak (Having been one I recognize it when I see it I'm in retirement recovery now, thanks for asking). Summer tires don't grip during the winter as well as the warm weather and maybe the sidewalls get cracked. And if they issue this warning, it's your fault and not theirs when it does. Don't come crying to me when your tires' sidewalls crack over the winter or your car slides off the road in 45-degree weather! How big a deal it is, who knows, but in the end, you are going to pay for it.
 
Rick

That sounds dreadfully harsh, but there again the winters over this side of the pond, and especially in the south, are mild, we don't get much below zero if at all. A lot of the guys put their car away for the winter, I drive right through when the weather obliges and the road salt has washed away, and I have had no trouble with grip with my Vredestein Classic Sprints. I must say that I do try and drive sensibly, especially in wintertime but a bit more spirited in the summer.

BTW my wires have had the treatment and I do not have tubes - works for me.

:cheers:

Bob
 
Bob,

I probably should have put some quotes around this sentence "Don't come crying to me when your tires' sidewalls crack over the winter or your car slides off the road in 45-degree weather! " as I meant it to illustrate the type of response one would probably get from the tire company as they had already issued a "warning" about driving in the cold. I tried to look online to see if Vredesteins that are sold in the UK and EEU come with the same kind of warning and couldn't come up with any examples. I'm wondering if this advisory is unique to the US and is a product of our proclivity of suing everyone in sight when things go wrong. The earliest reference I could find that perhaps explains the origin of the language is from a 2015 service bulletin from GM about tires on Corvettes and Camaros: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c6-corvette-general-discussion/3614046-gm-issues-warning-about-summer-tire-use-in-winter.html GM has scads of lawyers that try to limit the company's liability if something bad happens and they are going to be very conservative about the warnings that are printed. Tire litigation in the event of an accident is a big deal and it's instructive to see the kind of issues that come up when it hits the fan: https://www.moderntiredealer.com/ar...rself-when-installing-custom-tires-and-wheels. Probably an even better illustration is when Paul Walker was killed in his Porsche Carrera GT. His estate sued Porsche and Michelin, the tire maker. The car had nine-year-old Michelins on it and one thing that got Michelin off the hook was a statement in the owner's manual saying the tires should be replaced after four years: https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cu...-excessive-speed-caused-paul-walker-accident/
 
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