Re: 164 tires

["Nizam Zambri" <nizam@domain.elided>]

Seems like the tire wear numbers you guys are reporting are 
about normal.

I get 20-24K miles per set.  The car came with Pirelli P6000 Sport 
Veloces when I bought it.  It was OK, but was quite the squealer 
around the twisties.  Yes, the 164 is a big heavy car but rather than 
drive slower, I replaced them with "stickier" tires when the P6000's 
wore out.

Next came the Bridgestone RE71's.  They were awful.  They 
probably would work for a lighter car (Spider, Milano/75) but not for 
the 164, especially with the softer suspension.  The ride was poor, 
they were noisy, but did have some grip.  Wet traction was so-so.  
They would make a good autocross tire since they take so long to 
wear.  They didn't make it to the end of their life before I replaced 
them, however, and no, I wouldn't buy them again.

Then I bought 16" wheels for the car (off a 1997 Spider), and those 
came with Michelin Pilot MXX3's.  Wowzers.  Now that's a sticky 
set!  Made the 164LS (Super outside the US) feel super nimble, 
uncanny for its weight and character.  They were GREAT in the dry 
and were decent in the wet. 

When those wore out, I put on Dunlop SP8000's.  Since they have 
been superceded by the SP9000's two years ago, they are pretty 
cheap ($90-$95) and they are by far the best suited tires for this 
car.  Very quiet, good grip, not squealy around the twisties and 
works very well in the wet.  Not quite Michelin Pilots but for less 
than $100, you have yourself a high performance tire.  Now that 
they're worn out (after 20K miles) and I have a new set of tires 
waiting in the garage.

Yup, I'm back to Michelin Pilots.   No, they aren't cheap.  But I 
spend a lot of time behind the wheel of my Alfas, and I couldn't 
bear cursing some factor of the car for the next two years.  I might 
as well be happy.

BTW - I don't know why one would want tires that last for 4-5 years.  
The compound gets hard over time, and they don't perform as well 
at all - and are more prone to failure.  I guess it depends on the 
application but if it were for my Lincoln Continental, I suppose I 
wouldn't mind.  Keeping the rubber fresh on cars (tires, bushings, 
hoses etc) is always a good practice.

Nizam
88 75 3.0V6 - Toyo Proxes T1-S -- highly recommended!
94 164Super 3.0V6 24v - Dunlop SP8000 -- highly recommended!
97 155V6 2.5 - Goodyear Eagle F-1 -- noisy, grippy, good in rain

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