[Boxer]

Attached FYI in case anyone is interested in tire options for the Boxer.

 

[gma365]

I had a look at this when trying to decide on new tyres for my boxer about 12months ago. Most of the options run 60 series tyres which don't look quite right. Some boxers I've seen on lower profile rubber subsequently have unsightly gaps between the wheel arch and tyres. In the end, as I don't take my car to the track, I settled on new XWX's as per original. Car drives and feels great on these compared to what was there(15 year old XWX's!). I sourced mine through Lodestone tyres in the UK. They shipped them to Australia in a couple of weeks. Thoroughly recommend them

 

[Dr. Bob]

Do you have a website for them? I can't find it through google

 

[gma365]

Sorry, my fault. It is actually Longstone tyres. Web site address below

http://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/

 

[Boxer]

I had a look at this when trying to decide on new tyres for my boxer about 12months ago. Most of the options run 60 series tyres which don't look quite right. Some boxers I've seen on lower profile rubber subsequently have unsightly gaps between the wheel arch and tyres. In the end, as I don't take my car to the track, I settled on new XWX's as per original. Car drives and feels great on these compared to what was there(15 year old XWX's!). I sourced mine through Lodestone tyres in the UK. They shipped them to Australia in a couple of weeks. Thoroughly recommend them

I have two different types tires on on the Boxers. One has BF Goodrich 215/60/VR15 front and 255/60/VR 15 rear and the other Michelin XWX 215/70/VR15 front and 225/70/VR 15 rear. The gaps on the BF Goodrich tires in this case are not to bad and I have to admit the ride/handling is better.

Any guesses as to which tires are on which car ?

 

[gma365]

I love tests!. I think the bottom picture has the goodrich tyres. Rubber doesn't seem as thick and you're right, the wheel arch gap doesn't seem all that different.

Were the XWX's you had on old? Is it just fresh rubber that made a difference or is it more than that?

 

[Boxer]

Great eyes. Yes, the BF Goodrich tires are on the 365 BB (bottom picture).

On the XWX's, I am a bit embarrassed to answer, but I really am not quite sure how old they are. The prior owner thought that they were put on the car a year or two before he bought it which would make them 6-7 years old now. I can not find an invoice for the tires in the history file so it is a bit of a mystery. In any event I am planning on replacing them shortly as very small cracks (they look like surface scratches and are about 1-2mm deep) have appeared on the right front tire. It almost looks like someone took a pocket knife and ran it lightly over the surface of the tire a couple of times.

 

[gma365]

You can work out the age of your tyres by deciphering the code on the sidewall. I thought my tyres were 10 years old but they turned out to be 20! I found the following posted elsewhere helpful:

To determine a tire's age look on its sidewall (usually the back side) for the letters DOT followed by one or more ovals containing numbers. The last oval will have three or four digits. If there are three digits, the first two are the week of the year and the last digit is the year of manufacture (the digits 229, for example, would indicate the tire was manufactured in the 22nd week of 1999). To distinguish between the 80 and 90 decades, tires manufactured in the 90's will have a triangular mark to the right of the manufacture date. Beginning with the year 2000 there are four digits. The first two are the week of the year and the last two are the year of manufacture (2301 indicates the tire was manufactured in the 23rd week of 2001).

 

[Dr. Bob]

Sorry, my fault. It is actually Longstone tyres. Web site address below

http://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/

thanks

 

[Boxer]

You can work out the age of your tyres by deciphering the code on the sidewall. I thought my tyres were 10 years old but they turned out to be 20! I found the following posted elsewhere helpful:

To determine a tire's age look on its sidewall (usually the back side) for the letters DOT followed by one or more ovals containing numbers. The last oval will have three or four digits. If there are three digits, the first two are the week of the year and the last digit is the year of manufacture (the digits 229, for example, would indicate the tire was manufactured in the 22nd week of 1999). To distinguish between the 80 and 90 decades, tires manufactured in the 90's will have a triangular mark to the right of the manufacture date. Beginning with the year 2000 there are four digits. The first two are the week of the year and the last two are the year of manufacture (2301 indicates the tire was manufactured in the 23rd week of 2001).

Great piece of information which has resulted in my finding out that the front tires aren't 7 years old but 17 and the rears are 8. Yikes. Guess what the 512 BB is getting for Christmas. :-?

The surprising part is that the treads look almost new and other than the scratch marks on the right front tire, there really is no other indications of the age.

 

[gma365]

yes, my tyres looked new as well, but I knew something was wrong when on I my first trip home, coming around a slow corner, I was suddenly facing the wrong way!!!

 

[Magnum6464]

front tires aren't 7 years old but 17 and the rears are 8. Yikes. Guess what the 512 BB is getting for Christmas. :-?

The surprising part is that the treads look almost new and other than the scratch marks on the right front tire, there really is no other indications of the age.

Boxer, be careful driving at high speeds with cracked tires. The "cuts" expand as speed rises. Getting a blowout can be fatal ! When I went racing for fun at an open event on a track with my MR2, the officials checked all our tires, and ever prevented some people to go on the track because of that. An old Lotus Esprit right hand drive.

Just be careful

 

[Boxer]

I am considering two types of replacement tires for the 512 BB:

Michelin XWX

Pirelli P6000

it currently has Michelins on it and the handling is OK to good. The 365 BB has B F Goodrich Comp T/A's (no longer made) and I have to admit the handling is better. As I have no plans to track the 512 BB, the stress of the extra grip on the suspension is not a real concern.

The cost on the Michelins is significantly more than the Pirellis.

Recommendations ?

 

[Magnum6464]

I had Pirelli's on my MR2 and they were awesome, stuck to the ground like glue...it was almost scary....I went through 2 full sets, they wear a little faster but they saved my life when I drove back from the track when an 18 wheeler dropped his load of highrise glass on the highway. I was the only one without a flat tire, cars were parked on the side of the road for miles, some with 2 and 3 flats.....I entered the glass doing 160 Km, felt like driving on gravel.....

I would never try anything else. But...I never bought Michelin tires so I cant quote, but I was impressed by Pirelli's....

 

[Boxer]

magnum6464, Thanks for the advice. I think I will give the Pirellis a try. The Michelin XWX are the original Ferrari recommended tires but having seen the improvements in handling that the Goodrich Comp T/A provided on the 365 BB, I think giving the Pirellis a try is worth it.

 

[Boxer]

Well, the order is placed. After all the going back and forth I have ending up ordering the Michelin XWX's from Longstone Tyres in the UK.

I came close to going with the Pirellis but when I called the supplier, they were not available !

Thanks everyone for the help and advice.

 

[gma365]

Well done. I think you made the right choice. If you talk to the US guys, they try to talk you in to wider lower profile tyres, which I don't think suit the character of the car. Part of the problem of putting on "grippier" tyres is the extra load it puts on the diff/transmission which might cause problems down the track, particularly in a 365bb. Sure the xwx is an old design, but they are made with newer better compounds and probably better than xwx's made in the '70s. I will never explore the full potential of my car(the days of doing 160+mph along country roads in OZ are over), so xwx are more than adequate for me

 

[Boxer]

I fully agree, the XWX's really just look right on the Boxer. Interesting, it was the US crowd pushing for the lower profile rubber. Thanks.