195/50-13 & 225/45-13 hi-perf. tires

rx1900

rx1900

1981 X1/9
Hi folks. As per forum rules, this is a semi-commercial post.

In one of my jobs, I am involved with the Canadian importer of a major manufacturer of rally tires. We import containers of mostly gravel rally tires and ice racing tires.

Almost all the rallies in North America are held on gravel roads (sometimes snow covered).

Elsewhere in the world - mostly in Europe - rallies are also held on paved roads (mostly called tarmac). Even at the highest level - the WRC rallyes. Flat out through closed twisty mountain roads in Italy, Portugal, and Ireland. The roads are paved but often strewn with broken tarmac and potholes. For these conditions, a special tarmac rally tire is used. Not much tread, but extreme levels of grip, and a stiff sidewall with a reinforced carcass for puncture resistance and a substantial lifespan.

Make no mistake - if you want to go really fast on real roads, a tarmac rally tire is the way to go.

We do not stock them here. There is really only one tarmac performance rally in North America. An event in New York State held on closed public roads, along with a couple of stages on Monticello race track. We special ordered in some of these tarmac rally tires for a local competitor this year. He won the event easily.

And why am I telling you all this ? Well...I've noticed a few of you folks out there complaining about a lack of suitable wide performance 13" tires. I know there are a bunch of you out there who still have some beautiful really wide 13" wheels. And flared fenders or a Dallara kit. And no decent tires to put on...

We are in the process of putting together another container order from the manufacturer overseas. They have also sent us a list of some overstock odd tires at special clearance prices. Being a real X1/9 guy, a couple of tires on the list got my attention. Yup, some tarmac tires in 195/50-13 and 225/45-13. Hmmm....just about the perfect size for a really hot X. And in a suitable compound....

The 195s require a 7"-8" wide rim. and the 225s require an 8" -10" rim. The quoted sizes are nominal. In reality they both have an OD of about 530mm (about 20.9"). For reference a 185/60-13 is usually about 552mm (21.7"). So would lower the car about 3/8".

How suitable are these tires for street use ? Well, you would have to be a little crazy actually. But if you have enough suspension, power, and fenders on your X to need these, well I think you are already a little crazy !! Tire performance ? Yup....Tire durability - yup, they would take anything you could through at it !! Tread life ? Not for a high-mileage daily driver ! Legality ? I dunno, but they are DOT and E certified.

If added to a container from the clearance list, the tires would end selling here in the vicinity of perhaps $150 Canadian (about $135 US). Normally these tires would sell here at well over double that....

So...IF there is any interest out there, please let me know. I can guarantee we WONT be bringing them in unless they are pre-sold.

There is a bunch of politics involved here. For one - by contract - we are not allowed to sell this brand of tire into the US market. Perhaps an exemption could be made in this case, or perhaps I could talk to the US importer (I know them well) to see if he is interested in doing the same kind of deal. For this reason you will have noticed I have not mentioned any brand names.

Please consider this a feeler of interest. The next container will probably be leaving in a couple of weeks. This is probably a one time only chance. Please post or PM if there is any serious interest.

Thanks for reading. Doug
 
Doug

got your email, count me in for a pair of each in medium compound T7 (assuming pricing is around where you expect)
 
Update

Hi folks. We are in the process of finalizing our container order. Everything is looking good.

For those of you who are seeing this for the first time, or for those that have expressed an interest, we now have some more details.

Firstly, here is a teaser pic of the tires;





The tire is the one on the left.

Both the 195/50-13 and the 225/45-13 have an OD of about 530mm (about 20.9"). The 195 has a section width (as near as I can find out) of 195-200 mm. The 225 is said to have a section width of 226mm.

Please read my previous post for recommended wheel width requirements. And need for fender clearance.

Let me be clear that these tires are not for everyone here. BUT...if you are looking for the ULTIMATE street or trackday tire, well in my opinion this is it !!! Proven at the highest levels of WRC competition.

Pricing will be: 195/50-13 $140 Canadian per tire (about $125 US)
225/45-13 $150 Canadian per tire (about $135 US)

Shipping will of course depend on your location. And will be high. But we have a special rate with UPS. To the USA will probably be in the region of $35 to $45 Canadian per tire. This will include all duties, taxes, fees, brokerage, etc.

Delivery would probably take about 2 months.

The above prices are for pre-ordered tires only. This is most likely a one-time only offer. We may bring in some extras, but they will be a higher price.

We would require a deposit of $25 per tire to pre-order.

I am still not at liberty to be able to give you here the brand name of the tires. The manufacturer, and US importer, would not be pleased to see us selling the tires so cheaply. Naming it here would show up in a google search world-wide. BUT..if you are serious...just PM me with your email address and I will gladly send you some links and more info. Just dont -for now- repeat the name on this forum please.

Thanks for your interest. Doug
 
Last chance...

Hi folks. We would like to finalize our container order by the end of the week.

I would need deposits by that time. Please PM me for Paypal address.

A deposit of $25 per tire would be required. Delivery would be about 2 months. I think you all know me well enough to trust me. Deposits would be non-refundable if you change your mind. But of course wil be refunded promptly if something goes amiss or the ship sinks.....

If you have serious interest or have any questions or concerns, please just PM.

Thanks, Doug
 
Reply

Hi Daniel. If by "treadwear number" you are refering to a number like 400 found on the UTQG label, then no I have no idea.

The UTGQ rating is a label attached to street tires for the N. American consumer market. By the way, these numbers are merely supplied by the manufacturer, and are not the results of official testing.

The tires I am selling are a COMPETITION tire intended mostly for the European market. Thus they have no UTQG ratings.

If you are looking for a high-mileage tire for commuting, these are NOT them. If you are entering the Mille Miglia, or looking for the quickest way through those canyon roads, then do consider these.

But thanks for asking. Doug
 
Treadwear

Hi Doug,

Even competition tires have treadwear rating in North America. But maybe not in Europe. I'm running Toyo Proxes Ra1 on the street and even occasionnally Hoosier RS6. So I tend to like my tires "sticky" and a real low treadwear translate into a stickier tires with a short lifespan. But that's OK for me. Since competition tires are not created equal and since we can't have any reviews about an "unknown" tire,the treadwear could have give me an indication.

Daniel
 
FYI guys, WIKI says, UTQG means...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UTQG

... and that there is a STANDARD way of measuring tread "quality"... but even if they were all federally tested... "quality" could mean TRACTION or WEAR.

Not necessarily synonymous, but usually pretty close. I usually can find this rating even on track tires that are "DOT RATED" but not meant for street use. (HUH?)

Anyway... have fun you guys! Now I wonder what the hell "WIKI"
means?

OK... here it is, I hadta look it up...

"The name "Wikipedia" is a portmanteau of the words wiki (a technology for creating collaborative websites, from the Hawaiian word wiki, meaning "quick") and encyclopedia.

It's indeed quite fitting IMHO...

I guess "portmanteau" must mean a "forced combination" of sounds and words... like smoke and fog, or smog... Geez, If it ever rains here in SoCal I could sit here forever and look this stuff up...

Always learnin'...
 
Reply

Hi Daniel. Valid points, mon ami. But the Toyo RA1 (not sure about the Hoosier) is actually still considered a consumer street tire. But, I dont think I'd want to put them on grandma's minivan....

I agree, the treadware rating can perhaps be an indicator - or hint - of grip level. And would have been nice to know.

But perhaps a better clue can be found by actual usage. Tarmac rallies are held on real roads (closed for the event of course). The whole objective is to get to the other end in the quickest time. Those that want to win choose....a tarmac rally tire.

If you want to learn more, just PM me with your email. I would be happy to send you links to this particular tire. A bit of googling would tell you lots more.

Thanks, Doug
 
rx

you never sent an e mail on the deposit and what the total would be. do let me know where to send the money and how soon you need it to make sure I get a set
thanks in advance
mikemo90*aol.com
 
Reply

Hi Mike. I sent you an email back on Oct 4 and haven't heard from you since. I gave you deposit payment options. Obviously, a cheque wouldn't work. You cant write a cheque in Canadian dollars, and I cant cash a cheque in US $. And besides, a mailed cheque wouldn't have reached me in time anyways. I gave you other options, but never heard from you after that. Truly sorry if you mis-understood or an email got lost.

I received a lot of interest in the tires. But most folks went strangely silent when asked to send a deposit. Guess I figured you were just another one.....

These tires- although very cool - are also very specialized - and are not an item we can take a chance of ordering for stock.

The container order was sent in last week, and is being processed overseas. We have been told that these tarmac tires were still available, and have been allocated to us. So that is great news for those who sent in a deposit.

I suppose it is possible that we could try to make a last minute addition to the container, so Mike - or anyone else out there - please contact me quickly if you still want some.

Thanks folks, Doug
 
tires

sorry our wires got crossed on this. if you have extra coming, I still want 4 of the 225's.
e mail me with a phone number and I will call with a credit card for the full amount.
mikemo90*aol.com
 
Container has arrived

Good morning folks. Our container of tires arrived yesterday, and has been unloaded.

The tires look way better in person than in the pics. I'm sure they will look awesome on an X1/9, and will perform great. I checked every tire, and the production dates were all in the spring of 2014, so they are quite fresh.



We ended up with enough to supply everyone who sent me deposits. And 4 extra of each size. These extras are now available to anyone out there on a first-come, first-served basis. When they are sold, we have no plans to bring in any more. It is possible, but these were bought from a special overstock clearance deal from overseas.

So we currently have 4 extra of the 195/50-13, and 4 extra of the 225/45-13. The 195s will be $150 Canadian each, and the 225s will be $160 Canadian each. Plus shipping of course. Our Canadian $ is currently very weak against the US $, so it now works out to about $130 and $140 US $.

I think the best set-up on an X1/9 will be to run the 195s on the front, and the 225s on the rear. We cant take the risk of ending up with only 2 tires left, so for now we will only sell the extra tires in sets of 2 195s and 2 225s. So if someone wants to buy say only 4 of the 225s, we cant do that unless someone else wants to buy 4 of the 195s. Okay ?

In the next couple of days, I will email those of you who sent in deposits last month. With shipping arrangements and such.

If you are interest in buying some of the extra tires, just post here with dibs, or PM me with your zip code for a shipping quote.

Thanks for looking and for your support. Cheers, Doug











 
Reply

Hi Rick. Shipping would be about $28 (Canadian $ which is about $25 US ) per tire to a commercial or business address. Add $2 for a residential address. This would include all duties and brokerage fees. That is to the zip code given. The cost will be different to other parts of the US.

If you are serious and would like more info on the tires, just PM me with your email address.

By the way folks, the pics in my previous post are the actual tires. In the 3rd pic, that's the 195/50-13 on the left and the 225/45-13 on the right. Perhaps not as much of a visual difference as you would have expected.

Thanks for your interest. Doug
 
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