Your thoughts please on this tire

[DarkSideR]

Sadly my Vredestein Sportrac 3 is at the end of it's life as a really great handling D/S tire. I am shopping for a new tire and think I found a gem, but... we will get back to the 'but' later.

First off what did I find? It is the Michelin Primacy HP (available in 205/60R16). Initial research find that it has a "European handling profile, featuring a rounder shoulder".



Specs are a V Speed Rating, 91 Load Index, and UTQG Rating of 240-A-A.

So far so good right? Well I read a review and I found these tires come on the new Toyota GT86, which is known as a car that is easy to drift. Supposedly these are rock hard eco tires but doesn't a 240-A-A rate them as sticky? They also come standard tires on Mercedes.

Help me out here. I don't want to be drifting the Valkyrie.

[Redline +]

My thoughts? Probably a fine tire for a Mercedes or Toyota. Hope that helps Josh.

Redline

[Jess from VA]

Interesting reading.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=48

I didn't think a low UTQG meant sticky, so much as soft. (maybe the same thing, maybe not)

And with enough HP you can drift any tire.

I bet it would work fine, but not last too long.  Just guessing though.

Unfortunately for all of the money spent to test, brand and label the tires sold in the United States, the Uniform Tire Quality Grade Standards have not fully met their original goal of clearly informing consumers about the capabilities of their tires. Maybe it's because tires are so complex and their uses can be so varied, that the grades don't always reflect their actual performance in real world use.

[TJ]

See if you can find a Michelin Primacy Alpine PA3 ZP... You won't regret in....   

[DarkSideR]

My thoughts? Probably a fine tire for a Mercedes or Toyota. Hope that helps Josh.

Redline

I knew I should have passed you in one of those corners, with my big ol car tire thumbing it's nose at you as it went by. 

[DarkSideR]

See if you can find a Michelin Primacy Alpine PA3 ZP... You won't regret in....   

I know another rider using a Vredestein Winter Tire. I'm on the fence on getting a winter tire. Any benefits that you know of over a sticky summer tire?

[TJ]

If I remember right ,the winter tire is sticker...

[Tailgate Tommy]

Josh, the Austone doesn't interest you??

[mustang071965]

going to replace my general altimax this winter due to age 5 years. i am looking at the yokohama avid envigor its rated the same as my old tire. and i like the rounded shoulders and tread design.

[DarkSideR]

Josh, the Austone doesn't interest you??

It does but man is it a very boring tire to look at. When I hot rod my bike I need something eye catching sticking out back there.

[Tailgate Tommy]

No matter how hard I try I can't get my head far enough back there to see it 

[O-B-1]

[Unfortunately for all of the money spent to test, brand and label the tires sold in the United States, the Uniform Tire Quality Grade Standards have not fully met their original goal of clearly informing consumers about the capabilities of their tires. Maybe it's because tires are so complex and their uses can be so varied, that the grades don't always reflect their actual performance in real world use.
[/i]

I had heard somewhere that the grade only applies as a comparison WITHIN the manufacturer, that each manufacturer varies greatly from the other as to the value of each rating.