Tires

Are you going stock size which is 165/80x15 on 5.5/15" rims?  4.5" rims would be same or 155x15".  Those tires are hard to come by.   In that size Vredestein tires are popular - check Tire Rack or Coker tire.

I think it depends on your intended usage of the car. This conversation has been had almost as often as the oil or gearing questions.

Do some searching Paul.

I currently have 185 65R 15’s. Will stay with that size. I have always been partial to Michelin,but not many choices.

Paul Isaac
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> On Jan 7, 2021, at 8:46 AM, SpeedsterOwners.com <alerts@crowdstack.com> wrote:
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Thanks

Paul Isaac
Sent from my iPad

> On Jan 7, 2021, at 8:52 AM, SpeedsterOwners.com <alerts@crowdstack.com> wrote:
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If a 185/60R15 will fit, Tire Rack has Vredestein Sportrac 5s in stock for $90 per. They're the best tire you'll ever run on a Speedster. 

Thanks Stan. I have just never heard of them

Paul ISAAC

@Phisaac posted:

Thanks Stan. I have just never heard of them

Paul ISAAC

I get it, Paul-- Vred is a Dutch company, and unknown to almost everybody outside of this little hobby.

The Sportracs are about the only summer tires available in 15" sizes. Once you run a summer tire, it's hard to be satisfied with an A/S again.

THANK YOU

THANK YOU

@Phisaac posted:

Any recommendations for tires for my JPS 356?

Stan is "spot on" with his assessment of the Vred Sportrac5. I've been running 185/65R15 Sportrac5's on my Speedy for over a year and they've been GREAT!             Take note, though, they're DRY tires but if you're like me that's not a big deal. I NEVER put those tires in the rain...and I even avoid puddles. I see you're in Florida, so you should get in touch with 301tires in No. Miami Beach: call Michael (cell: 561-260-7020) and tell him you're with the SOC and there's a chance of a "deal." Whatever happens, you should certainly be able to avoid shipping charges.

"Vred is a Dutch company, and unknown to almost everybody outside of this little hobby"

Unless, of course, you live in Europe.  Vredstein is the Goodyear of the Netherlands, been around for over 100 years and making everything from auto and truck tires, to heavy equipment and even bicycle and motorcycle tires.  Really good company making very good products.  It has been Indian owned (Apollo) since 2005 or so, but has been managed by the same Euro team as before the acquisition.

@Gordon Nichols posted:

"Vred is a Dutch company, and unknown to almost everybody outside of this little hobby"

Unless, of course, you live in Europe.  Vredstein is the Goodyear of the Netherlands, been around for over 100 years and making everything from auto and truck tires, to heavy equipment and even bicycle and motorcycle tires.  Really good company making very good products.  It has been Indian owned (Apollo) since 2005 or so, but has been managed by the same Euro team as before the acquisition.

You only know about it because they've always made killer bicycle tires, el Gordo.

Vred makes alot of oddball sizes the big boys dont have time to mess with..

"You only know about it because they've always made killer bicycle tires, el Gordo. "

es la verdad, señor.

As Gordon says, Vredstein is a well known company outside the U.S.   A lot goes on in the rest of the world that people don't know about. 

Recommendations can vary depending on what you want. Original stock tire size was 5.60-15 which is equivalent to 165-SR-15. Original rims were 4.5" deep and 5.5" were later used. My car came with 5.5" and I switched to 4.5" for a more vintage accurate look. The wheels seem to tuck in a little bit more.

Nice car

Paul Isaac
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> On Jan 7, 2021, at 11:27 PM, SpeedsterOwners.com <alerts@crowdstack.com> wrote:
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Great
Thank you.
I like most of don’t allow our cars to see the rain.

Paul Isaac
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> On Jan 7, 2021, at 11:16 AM, SpeedsterOwners.com <alerts@crowdstack.com> wrote:
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Thank you, sir. 😉

Paul, it's not like we want to drive around in the rain, rain just sometimes follows us around.  And hail.  Lots of hail.  

It helps to have a decent car cover for the end of the day to keep the cockpit from filling up with rain water.  That's my "Money is no object" blue tarp, below.

Funny 😄 I did spring for a cover for times like that

Paul ISAAC

Trust me......   The stories of water intrusion are almost endless.

Blue Painter's Tape can be your best friend, at times.

Works well on Porsche 996s, too!

Now that is great information. I will get a big roll for my tool kit.
Thank you

Paul ISAAC

I was going to order Vredstein 165/R15 for my speedster.  Was telling my buddy this last night.  He mentioned he prefers AVON on his Ferraris, Morgans and Healeys, specifically the AVON CR6ZZ, or the Michelin XZX.  

The AVON's appear quite expensive (right up a Ferrari owner's alley)  The Michelins are budget friendly.  

I didn't know if anyone has luck with either the AVON's or Michelins.  He made the AVON's to be the best thing since sliced bread.  

From the reviews I read on the AVON's, it is suggested these are superior on the track and far less superior on the road.

i had Avons on my BMW R1050 motorcycle. no problems..

The Avon tire your Ferrari guy likes have a treadwear rating in the 100 range. Not bad, should you desire to buy a $1500 set of tires every couple of months.

@Stan Galat posted:

The Avon tire your Ferrari guy likes have a treadwear rating in the 100 range. Not bad, should you desire to buy a $1500 set of tires every couple of months.

THIS!!! ^

I ran the Avons for a while on my Intermeccanica.  This is before I want to the Subaru turbo engine and wider tires.  They are absolutely the best thing since sliced bread.  There is a compound for the street you need to specify when you order.  They are ultra soft like stated above but if you're only driving 50 to 75mi or so a week they're still going to get 3-4 years out of them.  And, they look so freaking cool. 

Nice wheels

Anyone know what off set on a wheel will fit JPS speedster without rubbing. Or what the off set is on the steel wheels that come on the JPS speedster?

For what it’s worth I ended up replacing the Pirelli 185/15’s that came with my VS with the Vredestein Sprint Classic 165/15’s. This week was a “coming out party” of sorts for the new rubber......putting almost a 1000 miles on them in a week.
first impressions?  I like the 165’s. Steering is much easier. And the ride appears to be smoother. Running the car on the highway at 3,500-4,000 brought me higher speeds.
The downside was definitely cornering. I spent the past few days trying to find it’s breaking point. But that was a bit challenging, as two or the four days I had a passenger....and the car behaved much differently with the added weight of an adult passenger.

THIS^^^ Every bit of that last sentence! My wife is very small, there isn't a lot of difference between solo running and with my wife in the right seat. She isn't much over 100 pounds.

However, there is a big difference with an extra 100-150 pounds above my wife and I. I did a track day and my instructor was at least 250. It didn't affect the braking so much, and the inside ballast helped on all the righthanders at LRP(there is only one left: named The Left Hander). I could definitely feel the difference in acceleration.

250 pounds is almost 20% the weight of your car.  Yeah, I'd expect that would make a difference.

I just ordered  Vredstein's for Paul's car I'm building!

Kevin wrote: “the car behaved much differently with the added weight of an adult passenger.”

That was made acutely clear to me way back around 2005 or 2006 when We were heading to the Caddy Shack restaurant near Carlisle for dinner and I had Lane as a right seater.  Really seemed to wallow on those twistie turns with the added weight......   🤔

Exsqueeze me! 😱