TIRES, Tires, tires, what boots ya got on... Options

[woobn8r]

Just thinking about tires for my 914 and thought I'd see what the "914 faithful" are runnung.

I considered doing a poll, but there are just too many options and combinations...

So what size/manufacturer/model boots do you have on your 914 and why. What application do you have? Street, CW, auto X, race....wheel size, stock fenders, GT flares , Sheridan wide body...

I'll start...

Current:
914-4 1.8 factory narrow body 205/50R15 "Champiro GT" on 15 x 7 aftermarket rims... good for rolling around the garage until resto is done.

Planning
914-6 3.2 steel GT flares 225/45R16 Yokohama Advan A048 on 16 x 8 Fuchs for limited street use with lapping day duties. 16 inch to clear brake upgrades, 45 series to keep overall diameter under 24", Yokohama as this is the only decent performance tire available in this size.

[horizontally-opposed]

I have tested a lot of tires. Too many to count.

I have traditionally been a big fan of Yokohama products. Had A008RS IIs long ago and they were AMAZING. Loved the AVS Intermediate and went through several sets on my Merkur XR4Ti back in the day. A switch to Nittos (in the 2000 time frame) literally killed the joy of driving that car after the AVS Inters....

Last year, I autocrossed and then raced W-2-W on A032s and loved them, and I also love the Advan Neova.

But the ES100s are junk. Had them on my WRX and have them on my 914 and while they offer *okay* grip, noise, and treadwear, the big problem is that they are greasy in the wet and ultimately unpredictable, probably due to the squared off shoulder design (no rounded transition from tread to sidewall, just an edge). I will NEVER buy these tires again... a rare mis-step for Yoko.

Maybe I'm being too harsh... but they're not great tires IMHO. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/barf.gif)

If someone wants a half-worn set for free (and isn't in a hurry), PM me. I'll be too all too happy to pass them on when I get the Vredesteins.

As for the Korean brands, I can't speak to the Hankooks, but the Kumhos impressed me years ago on a 993. Then I saw Mueller's thread on how a Kumho sidewall failed and nearly killed his wife and him and ended up wreaking havoc on their 964. BIG damage. I was ready to chalk it up to chance.. until just one week later an co-worker had a freeway-speed sidewall failure with the same tires that looked IDENTICAL to the pics in Mueller's post -- as if someone had taken a razor blade all the way around the tire where the sidewall meets the tread.

I guess someone can tell me that this is vivid example instead of statistics all day long, but the fact that many of these Korean tires use a single-ply sidewall (even Yoko's cheapie ES100 has a two-ply sidewall...) is enough for me.


Finally, my dear friend Pat, Vredestein is only obscure here in the U.S. In Europe, and Nordic countries in particular, Vredesteins are revered. Alois Ruf instantly knew about the Sprint Classics when I mentioned them last year...

After driving the 916 on 185/70 Sprint Classics, I fully undertand why. The fact the Vreds look period-correct and retain the correct overall diameter while being a modern tire in terms of compounding and grip AND cost 1/3 of the archaic Michelin XWX repros available through Coker make them all the more attractive to me....

Can't wait to try 'em! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/chowtime.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/chowtime.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/chowtime.gif)

pete

P.S. Oh yeah: Aaron, you're still my hero, even if you like ES100s... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)