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Re: Tire questions - Turbosteel vs. XAS

To: Healey Lista <healeys@autox.team.net>
Subject: Re: Tire questions - Turbosteel vs. XAS
From: Magnus Karlsson <magnuskarlsson@bornet.net>
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2006 20:50:42 +0100
Andrew,

I have used both the 185/15 Avon turbosteel and the 180/15 XAS on my  
car. It4s like comparing the stoneage with the spaceage. The  
turbosteels are very hard and not very round giving poor grip, unsafe  
braking and an uncomfortable ride. When I changed to the Michelins it  
felt like the roadholding improved with about 50 percent, an  
incredible difference only due to the tires. It4s an easy choice!

Magnus Karlsson
SWEDEN
25 jan 2006 kl. 20.26 skrev Andrew K:

> Hello all!
>
> I have spent more than a few days reading though all the posts from
> the last few years related to tires for the Healey! Fascinating
> stuff, but I am still left with the need to post a question related
> to my own need, so any help would be appreciated:
>
> I have a nice BJ7 which I love, and would like to upgrade my tires to
> perform as well as possible, while staying as close to original size
> as possible and preserving the vintage look. (I don't believe in wide
> tires for various reasons concerning my personal aesthetic and ease
> of in-town driving and parking) So I have narrowed the search to the
> Avon Turbosteel or the Michelin XAS. My questions concern tire
> performance as much as size!
>
> Can anyone shed some light on these two tires when used for spirited
> winding road driving? Grip? Breaks free progressively or all at once?
> Side-wall flex during cornering? Rain performance? Etc?
>
> Also, there are two size possibilities for each, which I will compare
> to the original-size Dunlop 5.90 tire below:
>
> 5.90H15 Dunlop RS5              660 diam.       163 width
> 165HR15 Michelin XAS          646 diam.       167 width
> 165HR15 Avon Turbosteel     655 diam.       160 width
> 180HR15 Michelin XAS          680 diam.       175 width
> 185VR15 Avon Turbosteel     676 diam.       182 width
>
> These are the ones I am considering, and any info from those who are
> familiar with these tires would be gratefully appreciated, as neither
> of them is cheap, I wish to make the best choice I can for my needs.
>
> Thanks much!
>
> -- Andrew
>
> '63 BJ7




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