Re: [DML] Tires

[William T Wilson <fluffy@xxxx>]

On Mon, 3 Apr 2000, Cliff Smith wrote:

> In my opinion, yokohama is an inferior tire when compared with
> Firestone, Goodyear, BFG,etc... I believe that the Delorean is very

BF Goodrich, now a subsidiary of Michelin, has been relegated to a low
cost and special-purpose producer. Firestone is now a subsidiary of
Bridgestone, upsetting a lot of people that used to love Firestone but
hate Bridgestone (and I think that, right now, Bridgestone now makes some
of the best tires you can get, but not in DeLorean sizes). I haven't
heard anything good about any kind of Goodyear tire in a few years. Like
so much in the automotive world... it ain't like it used to be.

Yokohama makes excellent tires, as do other far-East imports like Kumho
and Nitto that 20 years ago, no one would have even considered. The AVS
Intermediate is probably the best street tire you can get in a 14" size...
and it's one of the few street tires you can get in both of the DeLorean's
sizes. Stability and predictability are greatly improved by having the
same kind of tire at all 4 corners. This alone makes it worth getting
even if it were a mediocre tire - but it's not. It's horrible in snow,
but in dry and rain, it's great.

> deserving of something that will give it a little better performance
> and so what if it costs slightly more? I would pay 100 dollars more
> per tire if it would allow higher mileage, and roadhazard warranty. I

The AVS don't last forever, but mileage and performance are mutually
incompatible goals. I have about 10,000 miles on my current set of AVS
Intermediates - along with about fifty track laps and a dozen or so
autocross runs. There's about 1/3 of the tread left. This is fantastic
considering the load I subject them to - most street tires just fall apart
under those conditions. I can come in from a track session with the AVSi
and find that they are covered with pebbles - just like racing tires.

I wouldn't buy a tire based on a warranty, or lack thereof. Instead, I
would simply buy the tire from a place like Discount Tire, which offers
their own (superior) warranty and service plan.

> would really like the look of a firestone firehawk on a Delorean. 

The Firehawk isn't bad, but most versions are really all-season tires, the
AVSi is a pure performance tire. So the Firehawks may be better for some
drivers. As it happens, you can get the SS20 version in both appropriate
sizes (and the SH30 is close). But neither of these are top-of-the-line
models.