Classic Car Tyres - Time for a Review
Discussion
Isn't it about time one or other of the classic magazines did a meaningful review on tyres for "our" cars ?
We are fortunate that the choice of tyres for classic vehicles seems to be increasing year on year but try finding a professional judgement on the various offerings and you'll draw a blank.
Can a Michelin XWX really be worth twice as much as a Vredestein or Blockley ? If so why ?
What about Avon Turbosteel and Pirelli Cinturatos - almost nothing on the web to compare their merits.
The only reviews I can find are from private individuals, many of whom drive cars of modest performance and are commenting on one particular tyre in isolation. Not much help really.
Given that a set of classic tyres can cost well in excess of £1000, and also considering the increasing numbers of classics that are taking part in sporting events, it's time we had some professional help in apprising the various offerings.
We are fortunate that the choice of tyres for classic vehicles seems to be increasing year on year but try finding a professional judgement on the various offerings and you'll draw a blank.
Can a Michelin XWX really be worth twice as much as a Vredestein or Blockley ? If so why ?
What about Avon Turbosteel and Pirelli Cinturatos - almost nothing on the web to compare their merits.
The only reviews I can find are from private individuals, many of whom drive cars of modest performance and are commenting on one particular tyre in isolation. Not much help really.
Given that a set of classic tyres can cost well in excess of £1000, and also considering the increasing numbers of classics that are taking part in sporting events, it's time we had some professional help in apprising the various offerings.
Edited by mph on Monday 1st February 09:54
A classic car magazine here in the US did an piece a couple of years ago using an MGA for the test.
https://classicmotorsports.com/articles/retro-rubb...
https://classicmotorsports.com/articles/retro-rubb...
geeman237 said:
A classic car magazine here in the US did an piece a couple of years ago using an MGA for the test.
https://classicmotorsports.com/articles/retro-rubb...
Interesting that the Michelin came last but it's somewhat subjective although better than nothing.https://classicmotorsports.com/articles/retro-rubb...
I think one practical problem for one of the classic mags doing this is that they are too beholden to advertisers. When did you last see a critical article in Octane or C&SC? So would the manufactures be prepared to provide the tyres with the risk they might not do so well.
I guess they rely on being lent everything.
For a realistic tyre review they'd need to buy a set of each of the tyres and probably acquire a set of wheels to go with each. The tyres would then need to be bedded in. When I first had the Blockley crosspiles I took them on the track at XK60 with less then 100miles on them and they were horrid! Snatchy and certainly no fun. But once they'd done a few sessions they started to behave.
Once you'd got the tyres worn to an acceptable level then you can start testing in earnest. So what sort of tests?
Road driving, comfort, feel, noise, grip in the corners and under braking (which are very different). Wet & dry conditions, perhaps cold and warm days too?
Track driving, feel, grip, do they break away progressively or grip grip grip wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, do they go off after just a few laps? Again under a variety of conditions.
Things like longevity would be even more difficult to test. Organisations like Which? can get a feel for this by asking massive numbers of subscribers for real world feedback. This would be difficult for classic cars. Then again probably most classic owners don't do enough miles to worry unduly. A few will but lots of people are going to be do 3000 miles a year tops and so are just as likely to have ageing problems with the tyres as have issues with wear.
Then there is probably a situation that tyres which work well on 1 car might not work so well on another.
I guess they rely on being lent everything.
For a realistic tyre review they'd need to buy a set of each of the tyres and probably acquire a set of wheels to go with each. The tyres would then need to be bedded in. When I first had the Blockley crosspiles I took them on the track at XK60 with less then 100miles on them and they were horrid! Snatchy and certainly no fun. But once they'd done a few sessions they started to behave.
Once you'd got the tyres worn to an acceptable level then you can start testing in earnest. So what sort of tests?
Road driving, comfort, feel, noise, grip in the corners and under braking (which are very different). Wet & dry conditions, perhaps cold and warm days too?
Track driving, feel, grip, do they break away progressively or grip grip grip wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, do they go off after just a few laps? Again under a variety of conditions.
Things like longevity would be even more difficult to test. Organisations like Which? can get a feel for this by asking massive numbers of subscribers for real world feedback. This would be difficult for classic cars. Then again probably most classic owners don't do enough miles to worry unduly. A few will but lots of people are going to be do 3000 miles a year tops and so are just as likely to have ageing problems with the tyres as have issues with wear.
Then there is probably a situation that tyres which work well on 1 car might not work so well on another.
Perhaps it's time the classic magazines tackled something like this, I find product tests a useful tool.
A tyre test doesn't have to be brutally critical but wet and dry grip and noise levels would be a starting point.
The American magazine test quoted above isn't totally scientific, but I'd happily take notice of a professional driver doing a back to back comparison on a test route.
To put it simply, before I spend £1200 on a set of tyres I'd like some indication of how they'll perform. Is that asking too much ?
Surely anything is better than what we have now, which is basically the only two suppliers of classic tyres telling us what to buy, and it certainly won't be a product that they don't sell.
A tyre test doesn't have to be brutally critical but wet and dry grip and noise levels would be a starting point.
The American magazine test quoted above isn't totally scientific, but I'd happily take notice of a professional driver doing a back to back comparison on a test route.
To put it simply, before I spend £1200 on a set of tyres I'd like some indication of how they'll perform. Is that asking too much ?
Surely anything is better than what we have now, which is basically the only two suppliers of classic tyres telling us what to buy, and it certainly won't be a product that they don't sell.
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