Tires, Choices Options

[sithot]

My car has 205/50/15's on it which make it squirt out of a turn from low speeds. OTOH, the ride isn't the finest but I can live with it because I have cars that ride nice.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)

I've come down with some choices mostly based on dry grip and not so much about ride quality. Sizes are limited.

Dunlop Direzza in 205/55/15 to add some height (although a 50 series is fun!)

G-FORCE SPORT COMP-2 - SIZE: 195/55R15 because that's all they make

Pirelli P6000 185/70/15

Avon in either 175/70/15 or 185/70/15

I'm familiar with the Avon from friends who run them on early 911's. There's a guy who uses them on 4.5 Fuchs in the 175 size and they say he's not easy to get away from on a back road.

Opinions welcome.

[horizontally-opposed]

My car has 205/50/15's on it which make it squirt out of a turn from low speeds. OTOH, the ride isn't the finest but I can live with it because I have cars that ride nice.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)

I've come down with some choices mostly based on dry grip and not so much about ride quality. Sizes are limited.

Dunlop Direzza in 205/55/15 to add some height (although a 50 series is fun!)

G-FORCE SPORT COMP-2 - SIZE: 195/55R15 because that's all they make

Pirelli P6000 185/70/15

Avon in either 175/70/15 or 185/70/15

I'm familiar with the Avon from friends who run them on early 911's. There's a guy who uses them on 4.5 Fuchs in the 175 size and they say he's not easy to get away from on a back road.

Opinions welcome.

From this thread:
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...39516&st=20


I'll leave the 14s and the CW tires to Coker Tire (where you can also buy Model T tires) and stick to what appealed to me as period-correct (or at least not "period WRONG") and still sporting options for a narrow 914 after a ton of personal research, phone calls, internet surfing, etc.

Coker Tire/Michelin XWX 185/70R15 (the hot tire of the day, standard equipment on the 911S and the +0 upgrade for 914s)
Notes: Can't get my head around $348 each for a tire this small, with such dated technology. Too concours/show & tell-oriented for me, and way too expensive to boot.
Find them here: https://www.cokertire.com/tires/michelin-xwx.html

Vredestein Sprint Classic 185/70R15 (the reasonably priced tire if you want period looks and decent performance)
Notes: Period tread pattern and sidewalls, probably better than the Coker Michelin XWX and a LOT less expensive at $140 each; nice steering response, nice ride, not so great in terms of ultimate grip. Bought a set 8-10 years ago. Just weren't for me, but a lot of people like them.
Find them here: http://www.vulcantire.com/cgi-bin/tiresear...t_classic_t.cst

Avon CR6ZZ 185/70R15 (just bought a set, will mount them shortly...)
Notes: We'll see about ride and handling, but everyone raves about them; definitely have the period look, with tall, plain sidewalls. Available in three compounds, with 29 being the hardest and 31 being the softest (you want 29s for the street). Narrower than I wanted, but I am told even the hardest version has a LOT more grip than any street-spec 195 or 205. Roger Kraus Racing carries them for $280/tire. Not cheap—unless you compare them to Coker XWXs. They do seem like good value against a modern N-spec Porsche tire, given their specialty nature—though they won't last as long. You can also get CR6ZZs in 215/60R15.
Find them here: http://rogerkrausracing.com/pages/pricing.html

Dunlop SP Sport 195/65R15 (a good middle of the road, affordable tire with reasonable grip by modern standards and a sidewall and tread pattern that don't look completely alien on a 1970s car)
Notes: Sidewall too modern for me, but better than most. A favored tire of Rod and Gary Emory for street-oriented 356 hot rods where Hoosiers won't work. Grip okay, ride okay, but distinctly not sporting—even if they are probably superior to the best tires of the 1970s. Bought a set, but am taking them off after 1,000~ miles. Just not for me. But: $65~ each is a bargain for what you get.
Find them here: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?gc...0160211172230:s

Michelin Pilot Sport All-Season 3 205/55R16 (what a great street tire!)
Notes: I almost moved on to 16-inch wheels just to mount a set of these. I put a set of them on our 2013 Abarth at $129~/tire and it may be my new favorite street tire. It's AVS Intermediate good, and maybe better. Crazy grip (better than many summer tires, apparently), very quiet, and carries a tread wear rating of 500. I'm not expecting that long a life given the grip, but will be fun finding out if it's hogwash. If the Avons don't work out, this may be my next plan.
Find them here: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...romCompare1=yes

Michelin TB & TB15 (perfection, at a price)
If I was running a GT-flared 914 on 15-inch wheels, and perhaps one day I might be, the choice would be a lot simpler. I'd run Michelin TB15 tires (vintage race/tarmac rally tire) on 15x7&9-inch Fuchs. They have wonderful grip, REALLY nice steering response, and killer good looks. Jeff Zwart is running them on his yellow 914-6, and I was blown away by them. The fronts are 215/55R15, the rears are racing sizes but not all that hard to figure out for the back of a 914 (the same size as the front of a RSR 2.8).
Find them here: http://www.summitracing.com/search/product...elin-tb15-tires

Hope this is helpful for someone else!


Will say, with hindsight, I would have done the soft-compound CR6ZZ over the hardest. They wear better than expected, and I wouldn't mind something softer.

I'd also take a hard look at the P6000 N2 in 195/65R15 (might be a better street tire, and the 195's bulge looks great on a 5.5- or 6.0-inch wheel), the Yoko A-048 in 205/60R15 (may rub a bit, depending on your 914's rear fenders), and the Direzza in 205/55R15 (ran 205/55s for years, and liked them, but have wanted a taller sidewall lately). It's really too bad the Michelin AS/3 isn't available in 195/65R15...would be the perfect 914 tire. Simple sidewall, timeless tread, great handling in any weather, etc.