Chinese Tyres

[BenzBoy]

The Michelin story is indeed very strange.
If you were to contact Michelin I am sure they would be most supportive - http://www.michelinman.com/contact/
Regards,
Benz-Boy

[Styria]

Hi Alabbasi, your story is an interesting one, yet also full of punch and 'mouth from the horse information". As most of you guys would know, 6.9s originally came with Michelin XWXs, 215.70.14 and some fastidious and 'must have originality' owners have paid huge bucks for new replacement XWXs - about $400.00 a pop.

Now, it just so happened that I had three of those tyres, brand new, on hand some little while ago. One was an original (not sure how old) XWX, and the other two were reproduction versions - in other words, from a batch of re-ordered and re-manufactured units, more than likely coming from France. What I discovered was interesting in so far as weight difference was concerned. Whilst I did not put them on a scale, there was no doubt that the remanufactured units were quite a bit lighter (to lift) and did not seem as sturdy in construction. Certainly, I do not know what significance should be placed on that, but you do have to ask yourself why they should have been different.

I must admit that, as a rule, the road traffic authority dictates that I need to dawdle along nowadays to keep within speed limits imposed, and there is certainly no way that I would lose Gleaming Beauty in adverse driving conditions. Even with rain, I have taught myself to stay well clear of cars in front of me, and unless someone else commits a stupid breach or action, there is no way that I'd ever be involved in a collision. The last accident I had with my Rover 3500S was caused by a 'P' plater coming out right in front of me and no matter what brand tyres were used, the collision could not have been avoided. Regards Styria

[alabbasi]

Styra

That was also something that I noticed, the Michelins had really soft sidewalls. I had to pump up those tires to more then 45psi for them to sit properly. I suspected that they may have been designed for much smaller cars even though I ordered them specifically for a 450SL (they did not list the 500slc).

I had a set of Toyos on my 6.9 that I eventually replaced because they were dry rotted. I suspect that they were very old. They also needed to be pumped up 45psi.

Neighbor again sold me a set of Hurcules tires for the 6.9 for $280 out of the door in 215/70/14 and they have worked out just fine.

The tire shop that i dealt with did call the Michelin rep who made the manager ask me questions such as "where do you park your car at night?" as they wanted to determine how my tires developed dry rot. They mentioned that it could have been caused by UV light!

As you can tell, I'm done with Michelin's but I'm still a huge fan of Goodyear tires which I will have no problems putting on a newer car. I'm in no way suggesting that these off brands are a better alternative to the brand names but choices for our cars are now very limited and I don't think that the brand name brands are supporting the tire size / load rating combo that we need.

As I have 12 cars, I seriously doubt that I could put 50,000 miles on each one in 3 years so it does not make any sense for me to spend more then double on a set that will more then likely dry rot before they wear out.

[John S]

There is an American brand, Cooper I think it is) that has been advertised for a couple of years, claiming extended mileage over other brands, has anyone tried them?

[BenzBoy]

Originally Posted by John S

There is an American brand, Cooper I think it is) that has been advertised for a couple of years, claiming extended mileage over other brands, has anyone tried them?

Cooper bought Avon to get the Avon technology and although the Avon factory runs seperately, Cooper also make a copy of the Avon called Mastercraft. Both Avon and Mastercraft have excellent reputations as does Cooper which is often the preferred tyre for serious off-road work. Cooper also give you a written warranty as to the mileage and I understand they stand by their word.
Regards,
Benz-Boy

[KenM]

Cooper's are the goods for four wheel drives, they do live up to the mileage promises and Cooper are pretty good about warranty claims as I understand. They are much quieter on the highway than tyres like the Goodrich TA and better in the wet as well, on tarmac anyhow. Avon of course have been around for years, I put Avon tyres on my last road bike and they stuck like poo to a blanket, but when they went off they went off big time, lost grip in a real short space of time. Expensive but worth it.

Cheers,