Kirkham owners: What size Avons?

[DMXF]

What air pressure do you guys run in the Avons?

[Jamo]

28lbs seemed a bit much on the ride home, so I've got them at 26lbs until I can put a few miles on 'em.

[67JET]

So, I got a question. I'm lucky if i get to drive my cobra an hour or two a month so the question is -- Should i go with the BB's or the Avons? I like the racing look of the BB's and want to put numbers and racing stickers on my car but the 17" with the Avons or another agressive type tire look great too. With limited driving will the BB's sidewall crack in a couple of years or get bad flat spots compared to the 17" tires? I know it came with 15's and they look good but is their anyone that has had both 15's and 17's with an opinion on which is best? Sorry for highjacking but when i saw the big dogs on this thread i thought it would be a good time to ask.

[Lew Ledyard]

Originally Posted by 67JET

So, I got a question. I'm lucky if i get to drive my cobra an hour or two a month so the question is -- Should i go with the BB's or the Avons? I like the racing look of the BB's and want to put numbers and racing stickers on my car but the 17" with the Avons or another agressive type tire look great too. With limited driving will the BB's sidewall crack in a couple of years or get bad flat spots compared to the 17" tires? I know it came with 15's and they look good but is their anyone that has had both 15's and 17's with an opinion on which is best? Sorry for highjacking but when i saw the big dogs on this thread i thought it would be a good time to ask.

I have had Avons for about 2 years and there is no sidewall cracking. My car sat all winter - there were no flat spots and the tires did not lose air. From an originality perspective, the lettering in a BB is not correct. The BB lettering came out in the late '70s or even the early '80s. The black sidewall on the Avons looks pretty good. The Avons are seriously good tires with very few (if any) compromises.

[Jamo]

Lew's right re the lettering, but the BBs will look great with decals, etc.

Here's the thing...BBs, Bluetstreaks, etc. are all non-DOT and one of the first things that gives when tires are dedicated for racing are rubber compounds designed for durability. That's why the age of a race tire is as important as its tread. Same thing for operational temperatures...rain tires (like the BBs) are designed to run in slightly cooler temps than say, a racing slick. Autocross tires, on the other hand (even the DOT versions) are designed to heat up quicker than road race tires...to fit their application. Pretty soon the ability to heat cycle goes away.

And yes, the BBs will start cracking in several years (two years on a car is ok, if they haven't been sitting around before then).

The Avons are DOT, so the durability is going to be a bit better. Radial construction also helps in keep the sidewalls stiff (and the tire round)...but don't mistake them for a normal consumer DOT tire with higher durability ratings. Compared to BBs, they will be quite an improvement in staying young. Compared to a GTII, they are sh!t.

Why 17s? The Avons we're talking about are 15s, which is why they are so cool (and asspensive).

[DMXF]

Would someone please take circumference measurements (at the center) of the Avon 245 & 295's mounted and post the info? Thanks

[67JET]

Jamo- Did you mean the GTII's are ****? The 17's just look good and some say they handle better than 15's of equal quality. The handling is important but I won't be road racing this car just cruising around mostly. I will try to get to Road America when I get finished with it - just to try it out. I'm not scared of my little red street muscle but I Do Respect It! I want it to handle good and I think I'm leaning twards the BB's for the race car look. I'm just worried that i will have issues with flat spots and viberation. I'm not looking to go original I just want it to not only GO FAST but TO LOOK FAST too. Would it be bad to go with the Avons and big white painted GOODYEAR on them???

[Excaliber]

I'm running the GT-II's and yes they are ****. What surprised me when I recently put on my racing slicks and did a "few laps" around town just for kicks, was how much more confident I felt driving the car! I had become so used to being so careful in the corners with the GT-II's so as not to break loose the tires or upset the handling it substantially reduced the "fun factor". I was downright paranoid the back end was going to come around if I twitched on the throttle! With the slicks, when the light turns green and making that turn I confidently would go deep in the throttle and just "rip" through the intersection and down the road. Hardly a second thought about, "What if it breaks loose?"

That was the way it used to be with the Bill Boards, not quite as aggressive but night and day difference compared to the GT-II's. I think the Avons will deliver that feeling of "confidence" once again, I hate driving "paranoid" all the time.

17's are not an option, frankly, they look silly...

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by Excaliber

17's are not an option, frankly, they look silly...

Coming from the guy who's switching from a Toploader to a TKO600 and who soon will be ditching his old iron FE block for a modern day alloy version.

Just a matter of time before Ernie switches to 17's from 15's.

[Excaliber]

Aint gonna happen, there are just some things about a replica you shouldn't mess with. You can paint that alloy block and "hide it". You can run the correct gear shift on a TKO, and hide it. You can't hide 17" wheels.

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by Excaliber

Aint gonna happen, there are just some things about a replica you shouldn't mess with. You can paint that alloy block and "hide it". You can run the correct gear shift on a TKO, and hide it. You can't hide 17" wheels.

I'm just foolin' with ya.

[Excaliber]

Well, darn, I should have known you were pulling my leg...

[Jamo]

67JET

Not what I meant at all. I said that, durability-wise, Avons are better than BBs, but that they should not be seen as good as consumer-type tires from a drability standpoint. Compared to GT-IIs, Avons are sh!t durability-wise.

That being said, yes, as a general proposition, GT-IIs are indeed sh!t.

As to 15s vs. 17s, I see it as trying to decide between a regular haircut and a mohawk. The mohawk may have its attributes (such as drawing in females with similar hair treatments, inked skin and the ability to suck golf balls through garden hoses), but it's always going to look like a mohawk.

Just sayin...

Really, these cars are personal expressions as much as anything, so get what makes you feel happy, and ignore the giggling.

[Jamo]

...and BBs are just fine. Don't worry about flatspotting...really over-emphasized by folks since it's gone after a mile or two. As for hunting on freeway grooves, so did the uber-asspensive runflats on the C6 Vette I had. Just watch the sidewalls after 2-3 years. When/if they start cracking, start doing burnouts on the rears and get your fun out of them. I enjoyed all three sets I had, and money-wise, they may make more sense than the Avons.

[RON N BKFLD]

Jamo,,,,,,,,,,cracking in general on the sidewall or crack along the sidewall where the tread is bonded to the casing? Have you ever seen or heard of a BB comming apart due to those cracks.........Ron

[Jamo]

No.

Had it happen on...

Handcut P7s

several sets of Hoosier 008s

two sets of Kumhos

three sets of Rockamas

two sets of Michelin SUV tires

...over the years. Some of them were pretty damn old (P7s), some were autocross tires used for a couple of seasons on the rough concrete at Castle, and one the SUV tires came unwrapped like a big rig recap (wifey was driving...she wasn't too impressed).

In most instances (the autocross tires), the edge starts chunking away as apposed to the tread unwrapping.

I'm not talking about surface cracks...when you see the white underneth and the crack continuing through it, that's a prelude to pucker time.

But to a BB? No, and I sure as he'll don't want to be the first.

[Jamo]

...and sorry (doing this from an iPhone), yes...the cracking around the tire where the tread bonds is what I am most concerned with.

[Excaliber]

Jamo, is the traction BETTER with the Avon's than the BB's or about the same?

Also I would expect the Avon's to have better durability than the BB's simply because they are DOT spec. Realizing the durability may not be great, just better than a BB.

[Jamo]

Don't know yet, Ernie...been raining.

[Excaliber]

Ha Ha,,, I can dig it, I've been trapped for the last two days in the house because of that.