tire time

Achilles Heel??

At least there is still a 185/60/13 option that is not a race tire and not pricey. It says $176.99 for 4 tires, shipped. That is a good deal as long as the tires are decent. Let us know how it works out Jeff.
 
JimD said:
At least there is still a 185/60/13 option that is not a race tire and not pricey. It says $176.99 for 4 tires, shipped. That is a good deal as long as the tires are decent. Let us know how it works out Jeff.
Click to expand...

That's what I was thinking. I'm scared of rain since the rears are done and the front's almost as bad. If I hit heavy rain at speed I know I will float right off the road! I'll probably bite.
 
And they are "all season"

I can get away with summer tires since I don't drive my cars daily anymore, but all season is a plus even if you just get caught in a heavy rain.
 
yep and a longer wearing tire is better for me too, these don't say UTQG but are probably better than a sport tire in any event
 
Achilles Tire

Jeff,

I ordered a set and they were delivered a few weeks ago. I had bought a set of iron cross wheels and took them to have them mounted and balanced at a reputable shop.

I bought for my current resto project 84 X which won't be on the road for a while so I've haven't driven on the yet. I think I will swap them onto my 86 (tron wheels) just to try them out and report back.

I was pleasantly surprised when I received them as they did not look quite as dorky as their picture.

The prior set of tires I got from tire-easy were suspect and partially out of round (Federal SS-595's). They are however, more aggressive/cooler looking than the Achilles (what a stupid name - it makes me think of "Achilles Heel"). Its taken over 5,000 miles for them flatten out.

My tire guy did not indicate that he saw any instability or "out of roundness" in the Achilles so perhaps, they are OK.

In any event, we don't have many choices and you sure can't the price! One tire for my NSX costs more than an entire set of these!

I'll keep you posted on my findings once I mount them.

Ed
 
Super.
I pulled the trigger, they're on the way. One good hard rain at speed and I'd be float'n. The Nexen's that are on there now did very well though.
 
Achilles Tire report

I just had the chance to test the Achilles tires on my '86.

I bought a set of CD-91 wheels to replace my Trons. The Trons have relatively new Federal 595's from tires-easy which arrived clearly out of round. I've probably got 4,000 miles on them and they seem to have quieted down a bit but not until today did I realize how bad they were!

I took my CD-91's and a new set of Achilles 185/60-13's to get mounted and balanced. The first attempt they balanced fine but they placed the wheel weights on the inside rim where they rubbed the calipers. Second time they repositioned the weights and rebalanced. They were a bit skeptical as they claimed a couple of the CD-91's were not hub-centric.

I just mounted them on the X and took them for a test drive. Here is what I found:

No wobble, no vibration, dead smooth and rock steady at 80 mph!

Less road noise than the Fed's

Slightly better "turn-in" than the Fed's

Handling seemed as good if not better. Remember, these are brand new and probably still a bit "greasy". I expect they will easily match or exceed the "stiction" of the Feds once broken in.

I never got to a place where I could break traction and slide so I can't report on their recoverability but they did seem quite linear up to the limit of traction.

Ride comfort was as good if not better. Everything seemed smooth and quiet and trauma free.

My only negative is that the tread patter looks rather pedestrian compared to the more aggressive look of the Federals. Not bad, just not sexy.

Maybe I got lucky and got a set that was round but since my sample size is one, I have to conclude that the Achilles tires are a much better alternative than are the Federal 595's. And for the price, you can't beat the deal!

If anyone wants pictures of the difference in tread patterns, PM me and I will be happy to post.

All-in-all, I am pretty happy with the swap!!!

Ed
 
Achilles

Let me know if you use them in the rain - and if so, how they perform. We don't get much rain in Austin!

Ed
 
PM sent

I'd like to see how they look.

I've been happy with the Sumitomo, but they are pretty worn out.

I liked the way the Sumi's could take highway entrance/exits pretty much flat out, and could be tossed around on windy roads with confidence.

Is that what you were inferring by :
"I never got to a place where I could break traction and slide so I can't report on their recoverability but they did seem quite linear up to the limit of traction."
 
Colltech said:
If anyone wants pictures of the difference in tread patterns
Click to expand...

SS595
ss595supersteel.jpg


Achilles 122
8_c2387ea3763b875ba0113a8ab4ee08ef.png
 
Summer vs All-Season

The Federal SS595 is a summer tire and the Achilles Heel (sorry, can't help myself) is an all season tire. So the Achilles fits Jeff's needs since his X is on the road in all seasons. I think there are only two seasons in Michigan, late fall and winter. ;)
 
Hmmm... I went & bought the Federals - closer to the Sumi's, and I have winter wheels & tires in the unlikely event I drive the X in the winter again...
 
Sorry Guys

That Achilles "Heel" is only an All Season Tire, South of the Mason-Dixon line. I'm right on the "Line" and even I have a set of "Studded" Snow Tires in the Shed.:grin::grin:
 
We had a fierce winter here last year and another predicted. I went off the road mid November and pretty much didn't drive the X again until April. I don't plan on much winter driving!
 
OK Jeff, my thermometer says its 74 degrees out...

Clear and sunny... Nail it up to 80 and let us know!

(Normal SUV speeds while texting in LA-LA-LAND and when not stuck in traffic...)
 
LA-LA-LAND drivers

My kids (young adults I guess, in their early 20s ) just got back from spending a week with their Aunt Margaret out in Burbank and all points north and south for Comic-Con, etc. They said they have never seen such crazy drivers. :)
 
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