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Wedge Triumph TR8 Tires

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PATR8

PATR8

Jedi Knight
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I was crawling around the 8, looking at the weak spot on the rear suspension and started to look at my tires. How long does everyone keep their tires?

I realize I probably put more miles on my 8 than most (3000 to 4000 a year) but my tires (yoko) still look good. But I have been reading about old tires and realized mine are 6 years old.

What is the opinion here? do you go by miles, do you consider age?
 
Keep it off the high oval at Pocono and you should be good for a little while longer. But, I would be thinking about it soon.
 
It's definately the time and not the mileage. I have pressed my luck on both my LBCs and been sorry. I guess I'm a slow learner. The guys that sold me my last set of tires told me not to go over six years. I was well over that in both cases, but only luck saved me from a more serious circumstance than just a blowout on the rear. The Michelin X radials on my J-H still had the mold tits on them when the right rear blew out at 60 mph. I have one of them up for a spare now, but that's all I will use it for. I am loath to consider replacing the tires on my 7, but I must soon as they are approaching the 6 year mark.
 
Let's see here. 6 years at about 3 to 4 thou a year. You should have around 20 thou on those babies. Considering they are on an 8, how do you have any tread left? It's time for new tires. Do you still have the stock rims? If not, you might want to consider going to 15 or 16's. Woody is finally coming around to my idea of redrilling the bolt pattern on the 8 to 4 by 100. He just sold his first set of redrilled hubs. Will cost about 100 to 150 to redrill and press in new studs, but that opens up a world of cheap wheels. I did it on my track car so that both the TR8 and the BMW 2002 track cars can share 15X7 race wheels. Same wheels that the Miata guys use by the way. I picked up three sets for around what I would have paid for wheels with the old pattern(4 X 95.25mm or 4 X 3.75") On my street car I went to a five lug pattern useing SD1 fronts and a Ford Explorer rear end. I bought 16X8 Einkei RPF1's and 225/45/16 tires for around the same price as just the Compo 15X7's that Woody sells. The wheels weigh in at 13 pounds for the 16's or 9.7 for the 15X7's that most people would run. Try finding that in a stock bolt pattern.
 
I went to 14 inch 10 years ago when I first bought the car thinking I was smart saving almost $50 a rim on Pannasports. Needless to say, 14's are almost impossible to find new tires for. I have been running Yoko's 205/60s and they have worn very well. Lots of rotations and very little tire smoking, majority of the miles were from here to DC and back. I would love to go to 16s for tire choice and rim option but alas,my son's Volvo had bit into my toy budget pretty significantly when it was new. Would you consider posting some pics of you 16s on your 8?
 
Yeah, the move to the larger sizes is regrettable for sure. Wonder what's going to happen when (if?) the fashion returns to smaller diameter... Kinda like the width of neckties!

As it is, cars with large rims look comical - very much to me like Mattel Hot Wheels!
 
PATR8 said:
What is the opinion here? do you go by miles, do you consider age?
Click to expand...
I consider 10 years to be absolute maximum. Older than that I would not keep, even for a spare, at least not to drive over 10 mph on. Maybe to keep the rims off the garage floor.

Otherwise, I don't even track mileage, just how much tread is left. I've even driven tires until the "air showed through", and never had the kind of problems I've seen with antique tires that had plenty of tread.
 
I had a set of Goodyear Eagle ST's that lasted 12 years. Yea, I was down ot the cords, but I couldn't find a decent 13" tire I liked so I just drove into the ground.

I put a set of Cooper's on. DO NOT DO THAT! These things are awful. The side walls are so soft I thought I had a flat the first corner I went around.

I need something new, but not just yet....BTW, I put around 4,000 a year on my TR8 during the sunny season.

Randy
 
When I bought my TR8 it had a set of 205/60R13 Goodyear Eagles. Through a local tire dealer I found some "Grand Am" tires, which are made by Goodyear, in 205/60R13 size. They have an all-season tread design. Decent handling in the dry, wet and snow/ice. They are not real performance tires but they have served me well. I saw them as a stop-gap between really old tires and eventually moving up to a larger wheel. At that point they might get a dedicated snow/all-season tire which would free up the larger wheels for a more specific high performance tire.

13" tires are still available but you will have a harder time finding them through national chains or sites like Tire Rack. You have to go to the small tire stores.

Back to the original question though... Miles or age?

Whichever comes first. I've been averaging about 9,000 miles/year on my TR8. Drive it most everyday, including snow and ice. So if I don't go to larger wheels and tires soon, I will probably wear these tires out before they come of age.
 
Sumitoko makes several tires in 13". I have a set of their HTR 200 on my Spitfire and really like they way the handle, especially in rain. I will probably put a set of these tires on my TR7 next summer.
 
I have htr 200 sumitomos 195/60x13 on my DHC and I they are ok. I liked the dunlops I had better, but alas, no longer made in 13" size.
 
All those who are giving exellant suggestions in 13", please note:

PATR8 said:
I went to 14 inch 10 years ago when I first bought the car thinking I was smart saving almost $50 a rim on Pannasports.
Click to expand...
 
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