spridgets
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: Sears Tires

To: ATSEIFERT@aol.com
Subject: Re: Sears Tires
Date: Sat, 02 Sep 2000 01:36:46 -0400
Cc: spridgets@autox.team.net
References: <12.1c5fc76.26e17d37@aol.com>
ATSEIFERT@aol.com wrote:
> 
> Listers,
> 
> I'm not sure if these are exactly the same ones mentioned in the Chicago ad,
> but I bought 145T13 Michelin Roadhandler Sport steel belted radials for 29.99
> each.

  I bought cheap cheap tires for my Midget. Just a pair of them. My
car had two good tires and two lousy ones. The lousy ones were starting
to scare me with sidewall cracks, but I wasn't really ready to spring
for a nice set yet, since the car is getting so much work on it now.

  So I figured, "what the hell" and got two cheapo tires put on. These
were 155R13s, the brand name I didn't remember. The total cost
was $27 CDN each installed. (just under $20US each)

  When I first started riding them, I was pleasantly surprised, they
actually felt pretty good. Lots of grip, decent feel, and so on.

  After a couple of months though, I take some of that back. I have
these tires in the rear, and every now and then in hard cornering
the car oversteers a little without tire slip then snaps back 
when I straighten out.

  I am pretty sure this is caused by having more sidewall flex
than I am used to, coupled with a little bit of unpredictability
in exactly when it flexes.

  It's disconcerting, because when it decides to "go" is random,
and when it does and I straighten it, it "undoes" the flex and
I find myself jerking back the other direction than I was
turning.

  I first learned this on a long fast right hander, and when 
I straightend out the wheel it behaved like the turn was
over briefly then kind of went "snap" and I was drifting
towards oncoming traffic. Eeeeeek!

  They are good enough to keep until I am ready for four nice
tires, and cheap enough that I don't intend on replacing them
anytime soon. But there is a downside towards being a cheapskate.

-- 
Trevor Boicey, P. Eng.
Ottawa, Canada, tboicey@brit.ca
ICQ #17432933 http://www.brit.ca/~tboicey/
"For lucky best wash, use Mr. Sparkle!"

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>