Yokohama vs Michelin?

Depends on which series of each brand is involved....  Yokahama makes some very good "rain tires"....

Leon, the 185 x 65 Yokahamas are AVIA's with about 200miles of dry driving on them so I have no idea how they do in the rain.

I believe Avias are "passenger car" tires....   Usable and decent....  Check the Yokohama web site for a detailed list of whats available....  Michelin site too as a comparison...

You will find the answers---including customer comments---on www.tirerack.com.

I'd go with the 185 or the 165/175.

Here's a page showing a 185/65-15 comparison.  Unfortunately, each year there are fewer and fewer performance tires offered in the sizes that fit our cars.

One tire I would recommend that is not sold by the TireRack is the Falken ZE-912.

 

"I've picked up four nearly new Michelin ZX"  I haven't seen those for 15 years! Assume you bought the newly produced reproductions.  If you bought used be sure to check DOT manf date - tires much past 8 years old (some say 6 and others 10) are dangerous for street use.

Good point, Wolfgang. New tires should not be bought if the dates are greater than 6 months old. Tell the seller that tires will not be accepted if they are not fresh; tires over a year old are not "fresh." I wouldn't say tires are "dangerous" if they are over 6-8 years old, but---hey---is your life worth more than the price of a new set of tires? Tire age is proportional to risk of failure. Also, just because the tread looks good and there are no cracks on the sidewalls, it doesn't mean that the tires are entirely safe. Tires break down internally from age, whether or not they have been "driven." For motorcycles, tire age is especially important. Just sayin'

Another fine tire that deserves consideration is the Verderstein which is a Dutch import.  They offer different tread patterns including a "classic" one which I got after seeing a post by Lane talking about them. Not cheap but a good looking tire that took almost no weights to balance them so they were quite round---a quality that all tires can't claim! I have ablut 1,600 miles on them and the ride is excellent . I'd buy this brand again.

 

Google Verdestein tires.

Carl, I run Yokohama AVS ES100 195 60s.  They look very nice (very cool tread pattern) and are very good in the rain.  Some reviews say noisy but I don't notice that in a convertible.  Which Yoks do you have?  On my Porsche Boxster I tried some less expensive Korean tire and was disappointed.  I went back to Michelin Pilot PS2 sports(OEM) reccomened and was happy.  Those tires were 245 so there is a lot of rubber on the ground and tires brands made a big difference.  I don't notice that as much in our replicas.  

 

My car was originally specked to have 195 55s but the car got delivered with the 60s and I like the ride so did not make a big deal about it.  

 

Jack what size verdersteins do you or Lane run?

I'm still running the Goodyear Eagles that came on the car, but will go Vredestein when I replace them.  The correct size is 165/75-15, I believe.  I'm currently running 185/60-15s, which introduce a bit of speedo error, and I've never been able to get them properly balanced.

Seems Vredesten makes at least two decent summer tires in our sizes:

Hi Trac2

Sport Trac 3

I personally prefer a summer tire, because I don't drive my car in the wet/cold seasons.

Marty---for over 34,000 Speedster miles I have stayed with the same size tire the original Speedster used and that's the 165/15.  There are very few makers opf that size any more and I've tried the Korean and Japanese brands but will stick with the Dutch Vredestein brand that I just put on my car. Frankly I prefer just about anything that is European and not from the Orient. That goes for parts as well as tires.

   

I've ridden in some other Speedsters and some of the ones that had larger tires  scraped because the tires were  too large for the car.  Going straight they're fine but tight turns were challenge for some cars.

 

 

I'm using Vredestein 175/70 - 15 which is  close to same diameter as the original 165/80 or 165/78.

Thats what I suspected.  I think the classic design Vredersteins all come with higher side-walls.  Post some pics if you guys have time.   I would like to see them.   

Here are a few pics of my IM Roadster with Vredestein Sprint Classics I put on this summer. They have a vintage look that always draws compliments. The ride is good too. Here is a link for where I bought them. Al 4 tires for $500 including shipping.

 

http://www.vulcantire.com/vredesteintires

 

Dan Zimmerman

Beaver, PA

I just put Hankook Ventus v12's on my Boxster and thrilled with looks and performance. In my speedster being built will have Pirelli's...

I've thought about going with 16" wheels and running a 50 series tire, but I suspect the ride would be worse, when compared to a 60/65 series tire.