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TR6 Looking for tire advice for TR6

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Brosky

Brosky

Great Pumpkin
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I'm about sick of the hard ride from my Michelin red stripes and after the car gets out of body shop, I want to replace the tires. I want to have a smoother ride with better handling and I have read various posts here and at 6-Pack over the past few months. It seems that the Bridgestone Turanza LS or BFG Traction T/A's series in a 205/70-15 are what I might want to go with.

Any opinions good or bad on these choices? Thanks!!
 
Paul,
My 2 cents. I now am running Michelin Hydroedge 205/70 R15
(riding on Panasports) and could not be happier. They have an aggressive, wide, flat tread pattern and fill the wheelwell nicely. They stick like crazy on wet pavement and can take a corner way better than I can at speed on dry pavement. They are unidirectional, and pricey. I wanted something that would grip in rain, got tired of losing it when the roads were wet, which is predictable down here.

Started out with Pirelli P4000 tires. Great on dry, horrible on wet. Lasted 6000 miles. I have 6000 miles on the Michelins and see no wear.

(I just changed the Michelins on my Tahoe, had 110,000 miles on them and they still had tread left. I am a really big fan of Michelin. The old Red Strips were very old technology in comfort and tread design.)


Bill
 
Hey Paul,

I think that in order to get better handling you will usually give up some ride comfort. New tires will generaly give you a better ride simply because of a deeper tread depth, some may be more absorbant because of radial overlaping designs but I'm not even sure that would be perseptable. By decreasing the sidewall ,you decrease tire deflection which helps in the handling dept but may increase road feel. If you want an increase in handling with out giving up too much try a 205/65 15 .This also keeps you within a few fractions of the original tire aspect ratio.

Also keep in mind the best way to increase braking performance is to increase tire width.
 
Bill:

I too am an old Michelin fan, as far back as the old "X's" on my R-10 Renault that went everywhere in the deep western PA snow. But back to the TR. I'll look at those and see what the price is on Tire Rack and at the local shop. I only drive a few thousand miles per year, so it's not like I need a tire for life. I just want to have a smoother ride and better handling as I turn into an old fogey. Price wasn't a real concern as these won't be bought every year.

Paul
 
205/70R15 is the common replacement size and very close in diameter. They are wider (more surface area/grip), but for the same pressure, the enclosed air volume (there's a term for it that escapes me) is considerably larger than the old 185R15 size. This (based on my highly scientific 'n of 1' empirical observation) translates to a more jiggly ride over bumps, and the steering is heavier too. I replaced my Michelin redlines with BFG 205/70 and had them on for a while, but later sold them. Have the Vredestein 185R15's on now - they're a quality tire in the original size - the looks and function are what I like, and the price was OK too (about $85 a corner when I got them, five years ago or so). Just throwing you another option! Pete
 
Back to the Hydroedge, the sidewalls are quite stiff with a full 6.75" tread width and tend to run about 1/4" shorter than most other tires in the same size. Because I have competition springs and my shocks (Koni front, Spax back) are set on the whiter shade of pale, I wouldn't know what a soft ride would feel like.
(That said, my seats are extremely comfortable and allow me to drive for hours without backpain. The original TR seats would kill me after on hour.)


Bill /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif
 
How about more confusion in the mix? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

The Sears web site has a tire selector where you can select the size you want and get a few options complete with specs. I found that by checking a few similar sizes there were many choices.

Would be nice if Michelin made a modern red line. Heeeeeey Michelin, You out there?!!!
 
What would be the closest tire size in both diameter and width to the originals? I'm really like the original look and want to try to keep it when I buy new tires (after I finish all of the other things I'm working on).
 
BFG Traction/TA's 205/70-15 really nice tire and the price was really right fro Tire Rack. The ride is great
 
That is the tire that seems to get the most comments, perhaps because of price and availability and it seems, most say the ride is great.

Back to Bill's comment, I still have the TR seats, albeit re-padded this summer by a great local shop, but they still get to you after a few hours, so I'm going for the smoother ride. Heck, I'm not doing any trips to raod America this summer, so I'm sure that they'll be fine for my limited use.

My Michelin redlines still have about 85% of the original tread, maybe more, but they really stink in the rain and over bumps. I replaced the originals about 18 years ago and only have about 2,500 miles on this set. They'll go in the garage with all of the other original parts that I've kept.

Here is the trust tire size comparitor:
https://miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

BTW, I won't need tubes with the replacements, or will I?

Thanks,
 
Those Goodyear's on the Sears site don't look too bad either.

Ah, the joys of owning an LBC. I dropped off the Overdrive badge at the body shop this afternoon and picked up my original exhaust manifold from the LBC shop that installed the headers last week. It is starting to look pretty good at this point, so the pain is getting bearable.

New tires coming in a few weeks after body shop. Keep the economy strong I always say.
 
Paul,

I replaced the ancient Michelin redlines on my TR6 with the Vredestein Sprint Classics, 185 HR15. I've had them for 4+ years and am very happy with them. They ride and handle well and, based on my very limited rain experience, seem decent in the wet. They do seem to be a bit on the soft side, but that is not a problem on a toy car. They also have a very 70's look which was important for me as I try to keep original but the Michelins are too expensive and I just couldn't stand redlines on a magenta car....

This is the second set of Vredesteins I put on a LBC and would buy them again.

Are you the same mimosa car from RI that parked next to my magenta TR6 at the last Day of Triumph @ the Lars Anderson MOT?
 
I believe that I am that lucky fellow and I'm looking forward to seeing you this year as well. The ladies had a good time chatting that day also. My car is detailed a bit better this year, so I won't be inclined to keep the hood down as much. Many new improvements over last year.
 
OK, I'm torn between the Goodyear and Michelin's, but that will be food for a later thought. I saw posts on this and other forums in the past stating that the sizes could either be 205/70/R15 or 215/65/R15 which is almost exactly the same size as the original. Tire mfrs. seem to want a 6" wheel for that size and I believe that my original steel wheels are 5.5". Anyone see a problem with that or any clearance issues with either of these sizes?

I have stock springs and no suspension modifications. Still using the original rear lever shocks too.

I will not be racing this car or doing anything other than driving for pleasure to club events, shows and an occasional picnic or two.
 
Got my answer. It will be the 205/75/15.

Thanks to all.
 
Another one to look for is Michelin X radial DT. It is only sold through certain warehouse clubs, BJ's, Costco and Sams. The price is right. I went with a more traditional higher profile 195/75/15. It seems to be available in the sizes I see most often listed on this forum. Go to the Michelinman Corporate web site and they compare their different tires by noise, ride wet and dry traction, etc. You can find this tire under the select specfic tire drop down. https://www.michelinman.com/catalog/tires/MichelinXRadial.html?source=TCHP
 
Hey, thanks for the tip. I have at least next week in the body shop so I have time to look. I received an email from an old friend with a TR6 who said that he recently installed 215/70/15 Michelin XGT4's but they may have been a clearance item. I have to check the chart on that size to see how it compares for speedo purposes. I hope that it would clear on mine as he has no problems with his.
 
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