225/70R-15 100V Goodyear Eagle RS-A

[Duke W.]

I noticed on The Tire Rack Web site that this tire is listed as "closeout", so it is probably out of production with some remained warehouse stock.

It is the last H or above speed rated, nylon cap belted tire in this size.

With the demise of the 215/70ZR-15 Pirelli P4000 Super Touring, the days of being able to buy a high speed rated, nylon cap belted tire for a C1-C3 on OE wheels are about to end.

The very last holdout is the Avon CR6ZZ DOT legal racing tire. Suitable sizes are 205/70VR-15, 215/70VR-15, and 225/65VR-15. No revs per mile specs are listed, but all are 26.7" inflated OD, which should be about 775 revs/mile, and the wear rating is 80. The differences are section and tread width.

From the following link you can download a spec/pricing sheet pdf for the CR6ZZ from Roger Krause Racing in Castro Valley, CA:

http://rogerkrausracing.com/pages/pricing.html

Duke

[George J.]

Re: 225/70R-15 100V Goodyear Eagle RS-A

Duke,
what about the XWX Michelin tires as an alternative, if the Avon's go out of production?

George

[Duke W.]

Re: 225/70R-15 100V Goodyear Eagle RS-A

Yes, I forgot about the V-rated Michelin XWX. They are available in both 215/70VR-15 and 225/70VR-15. The former was OE on the late sixties Ferrari 365GTB/4 Daytona.

Coker is the exclusive US distributor for Michelin vintage tires, and they are EXPENSIVE - about 500 bucks each!

They had a reputation for excellent grip back in the day, but wore rapidly - like about 20K miles per set. Nowadays that would be considered good on a C6.

Duke

[Stuart F.]

Re: 225/70R-15 100V Goodyear Eagle RS-A

So what do you suppose one should do if, as in my case, I have a set with about 5k miles on my 63, but they are about 6 years old. Would it be wise to buy a new set to sort of stock up for the next change, realizing that they do have an age or shelf life??

Stu Fox

p.s. Thanks for the heads up Duke.

[Duke W.]

Re: 225/70R-15 100V Goodyear Eagle RS-A

If you currently have a set of nylon-cap-belted H or above speed rated tires installed and the car spends most of its time inside a garage protected from direct UV exposure, then I wouldn't be concerned with age issues until the tires are at least 15 years old, but you should thoroughly inspect them for any obvious deterioration, like sidewall cracks and cracks at the crown-sidewall interface at least annually.

As has been shown to Congress and I've said many times before, one cannot assign an arbitrary age limit to tires. A nylon-cap-belted H or above speed rated tire is built with better material and processes than a non-nylon-cap-belted, low speed-rated tire, and if the former spends most of its life inside a garage, tire life is really not a burning issue until well into the second decade of service.

IMO the life of a non-nylon-cap-belted, low speed-rated tire is ZERO years. I woundn't install such low quality tires on ANY car I own.

Given the above, your installed tires might be good for the "duration" so to speak, but buying a set of high-speed-rated tires and storing them for the next generation might be a good idea. A cool/dark place is best, and wrapping them in garbage bags should completely block out any reflected UV radiation.

Duke