Michelin XAS in the US...

[jogo48]

some things I should know, I don't. I'm going to write these things on a piece of paper & file them in a place that is easily accessed.
Because I can't, at this time, go in my garage to check what tires my Fulvia has; so I can't report what rubber is currently meeting the road, nor the wheel size; brand (original option wheels, I have been told).

As soon as it is returned (I hope not before spring = free winter parking) or I visit the lancia-fiat-showroom where it is now parked, I will look at tire brand / dimensions / wheels it has on it &also what tires/ after- market wheels I have somewhere in the warehaus in storage, for eventual winter use.
I wasn't involved in choosing the tires; that decision was made by Giancarlo Ceccalaro (GC), a Alfa (Montreal era)/ Fiat (131 era) / Lancia (Beta era) trained Meister-Mechanic.
The woodenized tires, that did little more than keep the wheels off the ground when I bought the car ,in 2005, were from mid 90's & had not rolled, other than around the Museum where it lived (or perhaps not even rolled), since a early 90's restoration. They had great depth, but appeared rather porous.
Neither GC nor I wanted to drive on these tires (steering-system was a disaster to boot), so the wheels/tires went to GC's shop for new tires. I remember him excitedly phoning to tell me what great tires he found, "the right size $ great looks". I believed him...but perhaps today I'd be of another opinion.

That having been said, I am thrilled & satisfied...but I have no base line to compare to.

I do remember having Michelin XAS on my Peugeot 404 Automatic in early 70's.

I also remember was, no matter how I tried, in slaloms & other mickey-mouse events, I couldn't get the car sideways. I was quite pleased to beat (most) other cars -Falcon, Valiants, 1602, 6cyl Pony cars- "in my class"...which (I admit) had more to do with car/tires/brakes than the driver.
PS: Also, I didn't have to shift...so i couldn't pick the wrong gear.

More soon !
John Simister wrote:
>
> Another point about modern low-profile tyres on
> Fulvias. I have seen several cars whose tyres have a
> considerably smaller circumference than standard, thanks to
> the lower profile, which makes an already short-geared car
> even more frantic on the motorways/autostrade/freeways etc,
> plus the speedometer over-reads. And to reach the correct
> circumference with a profile lower than 80 means using such a
> wide tread that the steering feel is ruined. Some tyre
> manufacturers' websites have dimensional data showing
> circumferences, rolling radii or rotations per mile/km.
>
> For a roadgoing S2 HF the standard 175/80 R14 gives as much
> grip as you could reasonably want. In Autocar's original road
> test, the HF was credited with developing the highest lateral
> g the magazine had ever measured in a road car, so even by
> modern standards, and using modern rubber, it should be
> entirely adequate. I am currently using Continental
> EcoContact CPs, which have an appropriate-looking tread
> pattern, a rounded shoulder and seem to work very well.
> High-profile tyres also give a better ride.

[Chasm61]

I've been using the tire calculator at http://swatt.j.porter.name/tech-center/ ... calculator, which I've found very helpful in better understanding the dynamics when you change wheel radius, profile height, width, etc. I've looked at almost every combination of 14" vs 15" and 4.5 vs 5.0 vs 5.5 and gone out in search of tires that are either 165 or 175 (185s are too wide, I'm told) that would be needed to minimize differences in circumference and speedo clock impacts. There is really not much out there that is still produced which is appreciably different that pure stock. So stock I'll stay, at least for a while until I'm much more familiar with the car.

I've also found that a number of Porsches and VWs used the now rarely seen 4x130 bolt pattern that we all need, so I've taken to cruising VW parts/club sites as well. Anybody know if there is particular offset difference or check that I might apply if I run into a 4.5x14, 4x130 wheel that was on a 914 or Karmann Ghia before buying it? I don't want to run into break clearance issues...

PS - Ed I saw your email and I'm watching that listing for the OEM S2 alloys in Italy. My Italian is non-existent, but my Spanish makes it possible for me to discern that these might be a good deal - IF I could get them shipped to the US reasonably. The seller does not offer shipping outside Italy, althought that might be arranged I suppose. Thanks!

[Chasm61]

Also stumbled across this site with good info on the Michelin "classic" reissues:

http://www.michelin-passion.com/passion ... 10&lang=EN

Interesting reading...

[jogo48]

I have an business-partner-office in N. italy that does all sorts of non-business favors for me; like accepting things I order in Italy (wheels for my Lancia Y10 for example) & holding them until I pick them up.
I visit 7 or 8 x yearly. No schedule, based on requirements. Xcepting when routes are closed - by summer- tourist-convoys or by winter-alpine-weather .
I've lived (luckily) through too many "2 day - short trips" turning into 6 day - very long- via many-alternative route-trips...so I've drastically & contractually reduced the requirement for such missions.
If I can help in any way - like if you need an Ital address to ship to - let me know.
Air-freight from Germany to USA via Frankfurt isn't a big deal (nor is it cheap).

[Ed Levin]

John,
You're so right about the gearing. When I bought it, my Fanalone was running 185/70-13 instead of the correct 175-13s it's running now. With the lower-profile / smaller circumference tires, I could do only what felt like 3 car lengths in first gear before having to change up. (BTW, enjoy seeing the thumbnail of your car alongside your column in Octane)

And Chas is right, the Michelin web site has very good info on the classic re-issues. Interestingly, the French-language version of the site lists more sizes for XAS in 13" diameter. Go figure.

[Chasm61]

Thanks for the offer J.

I've sent an inquiry to the seller and am waiting to hear back. I'll let you know if it sounds like there might be something I can reasonably ask you for help with. Much appreciated!

Chas

[Chasm61]

Anybody here speak Italian? I'm not able to translate part of this eBay.it listing - 300157959902. What does "no coppette centrali" mean? Hopefully it means the minor damage on this one wheel does not affect their balance, or something like that. I can deal with correcting cosmetic abrasions, but obviously the wheels need to be serviceable.

Thanks, to any who can help!
Regards...Chas

[Huib]

It means the small hub caps are missing.

My advise is to buy at least 5 if possible 6 pieces. These are nice wheels and absolutely the correct dimensions. They were standard on S3 coupes for export and optional for the Italian market. I have a dozen or so of these wheels in stock.

See this posting and in fact the whole thread.

[Chasm61]

Thanks Huib.

I also recall in one of our earliest emails, before I even started posting on this forum, that you said you might have some of these that you could sell me. I had not yet come to realize that my steelies and these alloys LOOK almost identical if you don't know what you're looking for. I forgot about that!

Anyway, I agree that if it would be nice to have at least one extra. Do you still have 5 or 6 you could sell to me, or would I be better off pursuing these and maybe picking up an extra or 2 from your or elsewhere? The price for these seems quite reasonable (except for the shipping!). I might even be able to have these shipped to you on the continent and we can work out US shipping of 5 or 6 from there, at our leisure.

If this would be too much of an imposition, please don't hesitate to say "no". But if you're game, this might be a reasonable way to approach this. FYI, this eBay set is located in Genova.

Please let me know either way.
Thanks...Chas

[Chasm61]

Oh, and I'm glad to hear that's what "no coppette centrali" means.
Ed indicated those might be easily sorced in the repro market or elsewhere.

Thanks again...Chas