Vredestine vs Michelin

[AUSMHLY]

I'm in need of replacing my Michelin X 175R15 tires.
I am considering the Vredestein sprint classic.

1. I've been told the Michelin is a harder tire, or gives a firmer ride. Any truth to this?

2. Is the Vredestein sprint classic a softer or about the same as the Michelin?

I'd like to get a set of Radial tires that are as as close to the original 165R15 Bias-Ply size as possible. So the speedometer will be accurate and the tire will fill the wheel well the same as the original.

Vredestein sprint classic offers:

165 HR 15 86 H
185 HR 15 91 H
175/70 HR 15 86 H
185/70 HR 15 89 H

Which size would be best?

What does the number before the H, stand for?
I think I'm looking for a 165 80 R 15?

Cheers,
Roger

 

[Superwrench]

Michelins are a hard tire. Be sure to check out Kumhos also. A lot of guys are running them on classics.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

I'm in need of replacing my Michelin X 175R15 tires.
I am considering the Vredestein sprint classic.

1. I've been told the Michelin is a harder tire, or gives a firmer ride. Any truth to this?

2. Is the Vredestein sprint classic a softer or about the same as the Michelin?

I'd like to get a set of Radial tires that are as as close to the original 165R15 Bias-Ply size as possible. So the speedometer will be accurate and the tire will fill the wheel well the same as the original.

Vredestein sprint classic offers:

165 HR 15 86 H
185 HR 15 91 H
175/70 HR 15 86 H
185/70 HR 15 89 H

Which size would be best?

What does the number before the H, stand for?
I think I'm looking for a 165 80 R 15?

Cheers,
Roger

Here's some good info:

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=46

You can do a search on each tire, and probably find the nominal height of each. The '*/70' sizes are considered low-profile, so they may be shorter than the original size (which is roughly 26" IIRC). A member of the mailing list installed the 185 HR 15s, I believe, because he found they were closest to the originals' ride height. He was happy with them.

I run the 185/70s and I like them. Good overall tire. However, the 185s and possibly the 175s should be run on a wider-than-stock rim (I have 72-spoke, 6-inch Daytons). If you run oversize radials on stock 60-spoke rims and corner at all hard you will likely break spokes.

I would call Allen at Hendrix Wire Wheel (he's on the forum, and may respond to this post). I haven't dealt with him, but he is reputable and I'll likely buy my next set of wheels/tires from him: https://www.hendrixwirewheel.com/

I wouldn't worry too much about the speedo--they're only accurate within a fairly narrow range anyway, so you'll likely only move the 'accurate' range a little one way or another. Plus, they can be calibrated fairly easily,

 

[bighealeysource]

Hey Roger,
Can't help with the tire choice question as don't have either. But you can go to the Moss website, look at wire wheels, and then Moss has a link to tire size info. They give you the sizes and the actual diameter compared to the original Healey bias ply tires. Very helpful. I had one set of Kumho tires but believe Tire rack no longer carries the size we need. Hope they bring them back as was very pleased with the look and ride.
Regards,
Mike

 

[John_Progess]

I am running the Vredestein sprint classic and they seem fine. I don't know if they are firmer than Michelin or not and it would be difficult to tell unless you could run a course with both in the same car. I was told by someone looking for Kumhos that they no longer make the 165hr15 tires. You may still be able to find a set at a dealer. Have a good day!

John

 

[AUSMHLY]

Hi guys,

My rims are 72 spoke, 5"
I prefer to keep the stock look with the tires, so I'm shooting for 165.
Cheers

 

[HEALEYJAG]

I have always had Michelins on my Healeys.. My 100 project came with new Vredesteins so I never changed them. Ride is fine..but I like the look and tread pattern of the Michelins better! Also like the 165 better in the wheel well.

Pete

 

[dezand]

I put the 165 Hr15 Sprint Classic on my 3000 about a year ago and they are a very nice riding tire. Didn't balance them at the time and have not noticed any vibration. They are made in Holland and have a nice sidewall look. In my opinion the Khumos have an ugly sidewall with very large lettering, also made in China.
Bought mine from Fairmount Tire in Los Angeles, best price I could find anywhere.

 

[Jerry]

I have the Vredestine on both my cars and they work fine. I tend to like them best when they have about 30 lbs of air in them. One topic that has not been discussed is the spray of dirt and mud onto your car. The wider tires keep the side of the car more dirty, but have more traction. I change my 100 6 from the 165 dunlops to the 185 Vredestine. Dirtier car but much more traction.

Jerry
100 6
Bj8

 

[tahoe healey]

Roger, I have 175 R Michelins on now and have enjoyed them. They are no longer made so I will be changing to what ever Hendrix recommends as I intend to send him my wheels to true and balance. I have heard nothing but the best about him and his work. I will be changing my tires out this fall only due to age. I have 75% of the tread and no crack on the side walls but they are almost 10 years old.
Roger have you decided on tube or tubeless?
TH

 

[AUSMHLY]

TH aka Rich,

We have the same tires and I think they are the same age, about 10 years old now. Mine have only 18,000 miles on them and look perfect. The discussion of when to replace has been covered here. So, I am replacing.

I will be running tubes. I don't want to chance a leak with spokes. I believe Hendrix recommends it too. For that's where my rim/tire set up came from 10 years ago.

Rich, what size is your tire and what air pressure do you run in the front/back?

Cheers,
Roger

 

[GregW]

Hey Roger,
One thing that hasn't been discussed regarding tire age is what kind of tire one starts off with. A theory of mine would be to buy a performance tire rated for fewer miles. They have a softer compound than the higher mileage tires, so the hardening process might take longer. Since most Healeys aren't logging many miles these days, a 30 thousand mile tire might last longer than a 70 thousand mile tire. Like I said, just a theory of mine.

Of course, finding any tire for these cars is becoming a challenge.

 

[AUSMHLY]

I totally agree Greg.
I'd be lucky to put 30,000 miles on it before the age limit creeps up.
I'd love to have a performance tire, as long as it's a 165 and does not have a modern aggressive tread pattern.

"Of course, finding any tire for these cars is becoming a challenge."

I was just informed that Vredestine was having problems, and was bought out by another company.

Speaking of modern tires, which run 30 and 40 sidewalls, I believe the Vredestine's have an 80. Wow, that's a big sidewall. No wonder tires squeal when pushed hard through the turns. That's a lot of side wall flexing.

Roger

 

[AUSMHLY]

I'm lucky to have Roger Kraus racing the next town over.
I spoke with Roger and he threw out a couple tire choices.

1. Vredestein Sprint Classic 165HR15 (first photo) $137.00
2. Michelin 165 15 XZX (second photo) $204.00

Both look period.
Anyone have the Michelin's on their car?
Heard anything about it's performance?

I think it's a bit stickier than the Vredestine, so maybe it'll provide a softer ride?

Cheers,
Roger

 

[Bob_Spidell]

I think it's a bit stickier than the Vredestine, so maybe it'll provide a softer ride?

I'm going to take a semi-educated guess and speculate the 'stickiness' probably has little or no effect on the ride. Performance-oriented tires are usually made of a softer compound of rubber in order to make them adhere to the road better--at the expense of durability--but the hardness or softness of the ride is mostly due to the construction of and materials used in the sidewall and tread belts. For example, in general a radial tire should have a softer/better ride than a bias ply tire with its stiffer sidewalls (the sidewall flexibility of radials is the main reason they generally hold the road better than bias ply tires because the sidewall flexes and allows a larger patch of rubber to maintain contact with the road).

For a softer ride, use lower air pressure--28-30 psi seems to work well for Big Healeys.

 

[wheelguy]

The Vredestine is a softer and stickery tire. It WILL handle better than the Michelins. Kumhos are no longer available. The 165/80/15 Vredestein is the best one out there as of today. Allen Hendrix

 

[wheelguy]

The H is the speed rating of 130mph for the tire. Allen

 

[EKlunder]

I use my Healey in classic rallies in Europe and tried the Vredestein Snowtrac's a few months ago in wet conditions. Normally I use the classic sprint which is a good average between looks and handling. But I decided that when these tires have to be replaced, I will change over to the Snowtracs the whole year around. They really stick on the tarmac when dry and perform very well in wet and cold conditions. The tire wear will be a bit higher during summer conditions, but who cares, considering the mileage we do with our classics.

 

[Keoke]

I was just informed that Vredestine was having problems, and was bought out by another company.

YEP!! Voronezh and Krasnoya of Russia bought them Roger.----Keoke- :frown:

 

[dougsmarkIII]

I found different information on Vredestine and Apollo tire companies.

https://vredestein.tiremedia.com/news/2023.html

Doug