Ricochet Rabbit
05-17-2014, 06:59 PM
I finally got a chance to take my 320i out for a drive with its new Vredestein Sprint Classic 205/60-VR13 tires. These are made for older cars, have the "correct" tread pattern, and come in all sorts of weird sizes the big tire companies have given up on. What a huge difference these tires make.
First off - there is no rubbing with my stock 5.5" cross-spoke rims. 6" would be better, but I wanted to keep the stock rims. My car is lowered with Bav Auto springs but there's plenty of clearance.
The PO put a set of Chinese Nexan tires on the car and while they were round and had a smooth and quiet ride, they'd howl in protest at the first bend in the road. Anything approaching spirited driving would wash them out. My springs and Bilstein Sports were being wasted.
The VSCs are real high performance tires. On the twisty road I was on they just stuck to the road with no drama and the car went where I pointed it. I didn't give them a thorough workout, but next Friday's trip to the The Vintage will take care of that.
Downsides are that they ride a little stiffer (they actually have a sidewall) and at $160 each plus shipping, mounting, and balancing they're at the upper end of the spectrum. My speedometer's probably a little off now (it was spot-on before) but I haven't checked it against my GPS. This is not a big deal since other BMWs I've owned have been as much as 7% off.
Bottom line: if you want period correct looking high performance tires on your 13" rims and don't mind spending close to $200 a corner, you probably can't do better than the Sprint Classics.
First off - there is no rubbing with my stock 5.5" cross-spoke rims. 6" would be better, but I wanted to keep the stock rims. My car is lowered with Bav Auto springs but there's plenty of clearance.
The PO put a set of Chinese Nexan tires on the car and while they were round and had a smooth and quiet ride, they'd howl in protest at the first bend in the road. Anything approaching spirited driving would wash them out. My springs and Bilstein Sports were being wasted.
The VSCs are real high performance tires. On the twisty road I was on they just stuck to the road with no drama and the car went where I pointed it. I didn't give them a thorough workout, but next Friday's trip to the The Vintage will take care of that.
Downsides are that they ride a little stiffer (they actually have a sidewall) and at $160 each plus shipping, mounting, and balancing they're at the upper end of the spectrum. My speedometer's probably a little off now (it was spot-on before) but I haven't checked it against my GPS. This is not a big deal since other BMWs I've owned have been as much as 7% off.
Bottom line: if you want period correct looking high performance tires on your 13" rims and don't mind spending close to $200 a corner, you probably can't do better than the Sprint Classics.