Michelin Pilot Sport AS 3's 175/65 15 for Sale

Tempting.

Very, but I already have lower profile (185/65-15) than the speedo was designed for.  Otherwise I'd be all over this.

Marty, these tires, they come with those wheels, right? 

Sure just add a "0" and mutlipy it by two 

Just found out my tires are 185/60s, not 185/65s.  I wonder what the difference in height is.

Just under 3/4", Lane; the 185/65 is 24.46" and the 185/60 is 23.74" tall (info taken from tirerack). There is a little difference between brands, but not much. And Mary's 175/65's are 24" tall.

So Marty's are actually taller than what I have now, huh?  Hmmm...

The height difference between what you have now (the 185/60's at 23 3/4") and what Marty has (the 175/65's at 24") is so small (less than 1%) that unless you need tires, why throw out what you have now? The 175/65's, (being slightly taller and narrower) won't handle quite as well as the 185/60's either. Just something to think about.

PS- If there's room and your rims are 5 1/2 or 6" wide and you want something just a little taller, consider some 195/60's at replacement time. Stan runs that size.

Lane,

I'd jump all over these, if they were a good fit for me. My rims are 6", and I'd be losing over an inch of tread-width to go with them.

Even so-- it's tempting, strictly because they're an AA traction-rated tire made by Michelin. They've got a 500 tread-wear rating, which is unheard of in an AA tire. I can guarantee they're better than anything I've ever had on my car.

Another thing to consider in choosing tire diameter is not just stance, ride height, or clearance, but how it affects overall gearing.

A quarter inch difference isn't significant, but a half inch or more can be. You could be looking at dropping cruising speed rpm's by 200-300 or so with a larger diameter tire.

This gearing calculator (somebody here posted the link recently) lets you compare two different setups on one graph. Just plug in your tire sizes, r&p, and gearing - and walah!

http://tinyurl.com/ox8fn3y

Hmmmmm this is tempting, no shipping charge and with the gps speedo nothing to calibrate. Marty, Rich, Stan... or anyone think of drawbacks. I am currently running Kumho 165/80R15??

Joe,

I can't think of a single reason you shouldn't buy them.

If you don't buy them, I probably will. They are a very, very highly rated tire.

The only drawback is the cost of minting and balancing.

Joe- Being a little wider and 1- 1 1/4" shorter, they'll handle better, be slightly faster accelerating through the gears, but eat up the rpm's a little bit on the highway. At 3,000rpm in 4th gear you'll be running about 5mph slower with the 175/65's

http://www.teammfactory.com/gearcalculator.php?kmh=0&tirewidth=175&tireprofile=65&wheelsize=15&tirediameter1=23.96&maxrpm1=5000&finaldrive1=3.88&gearratio1=3.78&gearratio2=2.06&gearratio3=1.31&gearratio4=.89&gearratio5=0&gearratio6=0&trannytype=&tirewidth2=185&tireprofile2=70&wheelsize2=15&tirediameter2=25.2&maxrpm2=5000&finaldrive2=3.88&gearratioa=3.78&gearratiob=2.06&gearratioc=1.31&gearratiod=.89&gearratioe=0&gearratiof=0&trannytype=&tranny=Calculate+Transmission+1+%26+2

Thanks for the input everyone! 

Ted thanks for the compliment, as most guys on this site I wish it handled a bit better and had a few more HP. 

Okay Marty, I'll buy your tires, if you throw in those shiny wheels.....

We can fix that. I (and a couple other guys here) know a little bit about engines. How much money have you got?

Seriously- It is a nice looking car, Joe. What does it have for power?

Marty didn't respond to my question of the wheels coming with the tires either.

126hp (at 5500) is good, and killer torque! What is the engine?

Edit- I see it now; very nice!

Those are very nice numbers and a Jake Raby engine is a keeper. Raby 1915 putting out Suby 2.2 power straight from the box. 

Having cruised with Joe, I can confirm that his is a really nice Speedster and runs like the proverbial bat out of Hades. IMO.

I am thinking about it because my current tires are close to 9 years old.  They have plenty of tread and no signs of dry rot, but they are getting old.

Lane,

Joe bought them

Then, Lane, it's definitely tire replacement time! Too bad the Pilot Sport AS3 only comes in the 1 15" size. You mentioned earlier the car has 185/60's and I got the impression you might be looking for something a little taller- 185/65's are almost stock height (the speedo would almost be correct!), but you may or may not like the feel of a little taller tire (when I went from 10 1/2x31's to 33's on my 4Runner it was like learning to drive all over again, but in all fairness that was a pretty big jump). If you have the fender clearance, a number of companies make 195/60-15's

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResults.jsp?customSizeSearch=&performance=ALL&width=195%2F&ratio=60&diameter=15

Note that I eliminated the passenger and standard touring options from the list.

Ron has gone on about the Falken Ziex ZE-912 in other threads and I really think it's worth considering as well, as it's available in a number of sizes we're interested in. Although rated as an "ultra high performance all season" tire, reviewers fairly consistently called it "poor" in snow which leads me to believe that it's really more of a dry/wet summer tire (and exactly what we're looking for!). http://www.1010tires.com/Tires/Falken/Ziex+ZE-912

Ignore the prices and the available/sold out column, as it's a Canadian website.

Looks like I missed a good deal.  Tire Rack has them for $340 a set, plus $48 shipping to my zip code.

What size are you looking at?

Identical to Marty's - 175/65-15.  I have also looked at Vredestein Sprint Classics, but I don't remember the size.

I have two seasons on my Vreds---I am thrilled about these tires.  they show zero wear and seem to have a deeper tread than other tires.   Great looking and they are actually round.  What a concept.

They're quite a bit more expensive than the Michelins.  that's a surprise.

Anyone have the Vredestein T-Trac's?  I found them for $78.  There is very little to no info on performance between those and Sprint Classics.  I even chatted with Coker and they had no real data or opinion.

Lane my Dutch tires (Vreds) cost $116 each and are "H" rated .  Surely Michelins are more than that?   Tell ya whay---I have had Michelins and like them a lot in fact I spec'd them for my new Genesis but for the Speedster I'll stick with the Vreds ---unless Michelins are a better value.

Seriously, Lane: 9 years old?

And you drive many miles to Carlisle each year. Please get new tires asap. You might be 3-4 years over due.

Stalker, I mean Lurker 

I am pretty sure you want the Sprint Classics.  Coker calls them Wide Tread.  

http://www.cokertire.com/brand...-sprint-classic.html

http://www.tires-easy.com/cgi-...ern&typ=R-149386

Jack, Tirerack has Marty's Michelins for $85 each.  A set is $340 plus $8 shipping.  Ed, I've been holding off because I've been toying with the idea of selling and getting another toy.  At this point I should probably bite the bullet and get some tires.