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Hi 

I have 185/70/15 hr Vredestien classics on wires. These performed well but have been on the car 8 plus years and have been stood stationary for some time.  I am relaxed with going back to 165/15.  
I have found some Galaxy 165/15 HR for £72.  They do say tubeless?  Longstone sell a whitewall version of this tyre, and they specialise in classic tyres

Also some 185/70/15 VR Radar tyres from Camskill for £62 

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated 

Smeggie

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Hi Smeggie

No experience of the 2 makes you listed but if you can fit tubeless on your wires, I can recommend Vredestein T Trac 2. I went with 165s (on steels) after running ancient low profile 185 pirellis. I much prefer the T Tracs combination of grip & ride. The consensus on the forum seems to be Michelins are the 'best' tyre but I couldn't justify the cost v miles. The T Trac come in at around £50-60 + fitting, a good balance between cost & performance.  

Alan

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24 minutes ago, super6al said:

Hi Smeggie

No experience of the 2 makes you listed but if you can fit tubeless on your wires, I can recommend Vredestein T Trac 2. I went with 165s (on steels) after running ancient low profile 185 pirellis. I much prefer the T Tracs combination of grip & ride. The consensus on the forum seems to be Michelins are the 'best' tyre but I couldn't justify the cost v miles. The T Trac come in at around £50-60 + fitting, a good balance between cost & performance.  

Alan

I fitted 4 of these last year, very pleased with them in all weathers, and noticeable quieter as well. 
 

Cameron

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Hi Smeggie

Another option is the Continental Contact CT22 165/80 R15 - similar price to the T-Tracs when I fitted mine.  I would definitely recommend going back to 165 from the 185 - one of the best "upgrades" I've done on the car!

Cheers

Steve

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Thank you all

Not the advice I was expecting ref going back to 165 vs 185.  I will seriously consider this change.  I am finding steering and low speed manoeuvres increasingly hard work, 165s might be the answer

The T-Tracs are rated to 118 mph, is that a concern insurance wise?

I had my wires balanced at Longstone.  The wheel was balanced static, flat, on a point.  Using air in a bubble to find the centre of balance.  It all looked a bit simple but the results were excellent and considering some of the wheels and tyres (£1000s) they were using the kit on it clearly works 

Before I go back and badger them does any recommend anyone else?  I am in Lincoln but work (usually) every other week in Bristol

Smeggie

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Hi

I fitted the 165 T-Tracs last year & very pleased. I also emailed my insurance company with details of the tyres fitted. Reply muted no concern.

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1 hour ago, Smeggie said:

Thank you all

Not the advice I was expecting ref going back to 165 vs 185.  I will seriously consider this change.  I am finding steering and low speed manoeuvres increasingly hard work, 165s might be the answer

The T-Tracs are rated to 118 mph, is that a concern insurance wise?

I had my wires balanced at Longstone.  The wheel was balanced static, flat, on a point.  Using air in a bubble to find the centre of balance.  It all looked a bit simple but the results were excellent and considering some of the wheels and tyres (£1000s) they were using the kit on it clearly works 

Before I go back and badger them does any recommend anyone else?  I am in Lincoln but work (usually) every other week in Bristol

Smeggie

Why ? what information or "stance" did you expect the forum to come up with ?

If you fit the 165 T-Tracs on the 5 1/2 j wheels you have you'll find the handling better than on your 185s. The 165s will keep the low speed steering easier and give you a chance of winning the wrestle with the steering wheel. The 185s are a nice size but not as good for handling, being more pointy squirty (comes with the tyre shape being a squarer profile) don't get mixed up, the 185s will give you better grip, refer to the parking tussle comment above (more tyre on the road than the 165), but the 165 especially on the 5 1/2 J which stiffens the side wall under "flexing" conditions, translates the driver inputs more directly to the road and gives better driver feedback as to what's happening at road level. Just my input on it.

Mick Richards

 

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If you replace 8 year old tires the new tires will steer lighter due to the less hardened rubbercompound.

Michelin XAS as often mentioned as “the best” but very expensive. Recently someone on here had bought tires that had the same profile, but very cheap. I plan to buy these.

Search for: Nankang RetroClassics 165/80-R15

Can anyone share experiences with this tire?

Waldi

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1 hour ago, Waldi said:

If you replace 8 year old tires the new tires will steer lighter due to the less hardened rubbercompound.

Michelin XAS as often mentioned as “the best” but very expensive. Recently someone on here had bought tires that had the same profile, but very cheap. I plan to buy these.

Search for: Nankang RetroClassics 165/80-R15

Can anyone share experiences with this tire?

Waldi

I've got these and they are very good, ride well and good grip, very similar to the XVS but much cheaper. They seem quite hard to get hold of at the moment.

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19 hours ago, Waldi said:

Thanks Daz,
they are on my wish list.
Waldi

I just got a set of those Nankangs and they had to come from Germany so that maybe where you need to look, I think they only make a small run to a time, whats even more surprising with them is they are "H" rated

Stuart

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57 minutes ago, stuart said:

I just got a set of those Nankangs and they had to come from Germany so that maybe where you need to look, I think they only make a small run to a time, whats even more surprising with them is they are "H" rated

Stuart

Yes I think they came from Germany when I got them originally. 

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I've got the Retro classic 165's, they look great and they work great too, couldn't believe the difference in comfort, ride and steering...then again I was going from ancient 205/60's! 

IMG_20200323_165533_038.thumb.jpg.d7b834c9d8f606273f3c5f7d4364c9e7.jpg

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Thank you all, I will go for the Nankangs then, but first need a very good set of std steel wheels.

Cheers,

Waldi

 

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