Lane's Beck Super Coupe #3

I bought some XAS tires for my Speedster some time after I started building it in 1983.  Unfortunately,  they got too old to use before I finished it.

Got the SporTrac 5s in 195/60R15.  Whew!

Lane: H or V speed rating?

I spoke with Stephanie at Apollo-Vredestein USA in Atlanta this morning. They have plenty of 195/60R15 in worldwide inventory. The problem is, we Spyder folks NEED 185/65R15 for the front unless we have wider wheels, which we don't. And there aren't any 185/65 or 205/60 in inventory anywhere. Quatracs no problem, Sportrac zero.

I spoke to a gentleman at Tirerack.com, he's going to talk to a purchasing agent about ordering some 185/65 in V speed rating for Chris, Lenny, and I. I'm going for 205/60VR15 for the rear as they fit the revised Vintage clamshell. I believe Lenny and Chris will get 195/60 rear tires.

Wish me luck, because I believe that the factory needs to make them first.

I'd be willing to bet that if the tires become available, the buyers will come, just like Field of Dreams. Maybe the Rack will carry them from now on.......

Mine are "H" rated. If I exceed 130 mph in the speedster, the tires are the least of my concerns.

@Lane Anderson posted:

Got the SporTrac 5s in 195/60R15.  Whew!

Excellent. Really, really excellent.

I'm sure they're H rated, Danny.  I won't exceed 130 in the Coupe unless I'm just crazy.  Oh wait...

You exceed 130 and you will have to spring for new underwear. 

It's funny how the perception of speed is relative.  80 in traffic seems brisk but not crazy unless traffic is heavy.  120 on the track seems comfy until you get to the braking markers.  Heck, in the right car with someone else driving 160+ feels unremarkable until near the end of the straightaway.  Then all of a sudden it seems...  YAAAAAHHHH!!!! 

The speed rating isn't for the speed. V-rated tires usually have a somewhat stiffer sidewall than H-rated. I've never been over 125, and don't plan to become an airplane.

The stiffer sidewall is what I'm going for against all you H-rated slackers.

I'll take any advantage I can get, "handicapped" by my front beam, worm-gear steering, and swingaxle, not to mention my less-than-optimized 4 speed, including the extreme lack of 5th gear. My car is truly of "the great unwashed" and is clearly not worthy.

Maybe I'll slide a little less into, through, and out of the corners........

I do admit it was extreme, giggling fun trail-braking the car into rotation, getting about a foot off Stan's bumper mid-corner, then drifting out of the corners with a bit of opposite lock! North Carolina ROCKS!

@Stan Galat posted:

Mine are "H" rated. If I exceed 130 mph in the speedster, the tires are the least of my concerns.

Your Wright, Flight is more of a worry at that speed

@Ron Mullis posted:

You exceed 130 and you will have to spring for new underwear. 

Sure glad you wear that special underwear when you fly Ron  

You can go more than 130 with H rated tires on your speedy/coupe.  There's no rolling friction at that high a speed, cause you aren't touching the ground anymore.

I'll take the softer sidewall given the weight of the car. 

@DannyP posted:

Lane: H or V speed rating?

I spoke with Stephanie at Apollo-Vredestein USA in Atlanta this morning. They have plenty of 195/60R15 in worldwide inventory. The problem is, we Spyder folks NEED 185/65R15 for the front unless we have wider wheels, which we don't. And there aren't any 185/65 or 205/60 in inventory anywhere. Quatracs no problem, Sportrac zero.

I spoke to a gentleman at Tirerack.com, he's going to talk to a purchasing agent about ordering some 185/65 in V speed rating for Chris, Lenny, and I. I'm going for 205/60VR15 for the rear as they fit the revised Vintage clamshell. I believe Lenny and Chris will get 195/60 rear tires.

Wish me luck, because I believe that the factory needs to make them first.

I'd be willing to bet that if the tires become available, the buyers will come, just like Field of Dreams. Maybe the Rack will carry them from now on.......

I'll pass on my Vredestein Sportrac5 experience once again for all you SOC knuckleheads:

Last year I spent MANY hours on the phone and computer speaking with EVERY tire dealer in the USA (actually + one in Canada) that advertised Vredestein, searching for these tires in both 185 & 190. I finally spoke with the US VP in charge of distribution for Vred USA (Atlanta) and he was the one that directed me to the ONLY tire dealer in the country with access to their tires in ALL sizes. So-o-o, if you're REALLY interested in putting Sportrac5's on your Speedster or Spyder, you should stop wasting your time doing over what I did last year. Call or email the gentleman and tell him what you want. Trust me, and other knuckleheads now riding on Vred rubber, He's the "Real Deal." He actually imports Vred's in his own ocean-containers from Denmark to Florida. To top it off, you can get a full set (4 tires) delivered for less than $400. That was cheap enough for me that I bought #5 as a spare (please Lord, never let me need it)! 

Michael Gromadzki, President of 305Tires.com in North Miami, FL.                                                        Cell: 561-260-7020                                                                                                                            michael@305tires.com 

 

That's fine Paul, except there are none to be had at this time EXCEPT for 195/60R15, the factory just restarted in the Netherlands. The only reason I started making calls is due to Carey/Lane's comments that Michael was not reachable.

@JMM (Michael) I wanted the stiffer sidewall, my car rides VERY smooth so I figured a little sharper can't hurt.

Actually Carey finally got a hold of Michael and that is where the tires are coming from - I think.

Find out. Would be great to know.

Carey tells me he's very confident about the car being ready before Carlisle, but the tires are 6 weeks out, so it'll be close.  I hope I am able to get it licensed in time.

I registered mine with just the MSO and proof of insurance. In theory, if you had that next day'd on final payment........

 

Hey Lane I would love to see all the build pics you have in one post. Any chance of that? I love pictures. I have tired of tires at this point LoL...

Chris: Yeah but this is S.C., where it took me a couple of months to get plates on the Speedster.  Hopefully I can navigate the DMV more efficiently this time.

Jimmy: I’m sure I can arrange that.

@Lane Anderson posted:

Carey tells me he's very confident about the car being ready before Carlisle, but the tires are 6 weeks out, so it'll be close.  I hope I am able to get it licensed in time.

Can't wait to see everyone in our extended family in  August !

Congrats Lane!

 

Ok, here are all of the pictures, with duplicates and near-duplicates omitted.  Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Part 5:

Part 6:

Part 7:

Part 7:

That’s a beauty!

Looks like our cars are about on pace with each other’s.  Mine is always right next to yours.  Looking good!

Thanks, Lane! That was fun!

Very cool, Lane, very cool!

Hey Lane, why the roll bar ? You gonna track this thing, or maybe a way to dry your laundry ?

Yes, maybe. 🤣

Ok, real answers. I might track it once or twice (or three times).  The laundry though, probably not.  After the Speedster wreck I wanted an extra measure of safety, and it goes with the outlaw vibe.

@Napa Paul posted:

He actually imports Vred's in his own ocean-containers from Denmark to Florida.

 

Paul, you made the same mistake I did. Since the 1970's, I assumed Vredestein was a Scandanavian company, based on how great Sprints were in the snow. I actually looked it up the other day and Vredestein is a Dutch company. They've made tires in their factory in Holland since the 20's. After a brief stint in a merger with BF Goodrich (?) they were bought by an Indian company, who also owns Cooper, which explains why they are so good. 

When my $40 Walmart Solar 4XS* wear out, I'll definitely be giving Michael a call for some Sportracs. I just put some Quatracs on my Smart car and I love them.  

 

 * Did a lot of reading before I lowered my expectations and bought "no name" tires from Walmart. They were the only ones I could find with BOTH sizes Carey recommends.  Turns out they are made in the same factory in Indonesia that makes Dunlop SPs for Dunlop.  And they're winter tires, like I like.

I was REALLY sold on Sportrac 5's because they're DRY tires. My speedie has never, and will NEVER, run in the rain...not even "damp," so that was the way I had to go. So far, after only 400 miles, I'm very pleased with their "grab", cornering, quietness, and, of course, looks! At $80 each, including delivery to me cross country, they WERE a deal I couldn't pass up! 

Just remember to have another set of tires if you get Sportracs. Or 4 jackstands. I already have another set so I'm covered. I'll store the Sportracs inside in the winter, in my semi-heated basement, it never gets below 45F.

You need to never let them get below 40F if you're using them. If below 40, they CANNOT support the weight of the vehicle as they will crack. They are SUMMER only tires. If the tires do go below 40, they need 24 hours above 40 degrees before they can support any weight or roll down the road.

To me, it's not a negative, just something to be aware of before purchase. If you live in Cali, you don't need to care. But in the Northeast, it's something you need to prepare for.