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MG MGA - 165 15 Michelin X Tire

I need a Michelin X tire. Does anyone know where I might be able to buy one? The size is 165 - 15. I have tried the usual tire dealers but they don't seem to sell them any longer. New or good used condition would be ok. I have 3 tires in excellent condition and I would like to have a 4th. I realize shipping costs would be involved in the transaction. Your help would be appreciated. Mike
Michael Dianna

Michael, how old are the 3 tyres that you have? If over 10 years old I would replace all of them in the interests of safety. They may look all right but rubber and the reinforcing material inside the tyre can degrade over time. Good storage in a cool dry location away from daylight will help but putting 1 new and 3 old tyres on the same car is not a good idea, especially when ABS is in your brain and foot!!
Neil
Neil Purves

Neil, thank you for the comments. You are correct, the tires are old but probably should not be used. I am not really interested in trying to save money, but I rather like the "look" of the Michelin X. Regards, Mike
Michael Dianna

Mike, I understand your wanting to keep a tire with a more "vintage" look to the tread. I, like you, can't seem to find any source for the old X design tread. About the only tire I can find with a reasonable vintage look is the Vredestein Sprint Classic which I plan on using on my car when it's time.

Bill Young

You should be able to get one from Coker Tire. Have a good day!

John
John Progess

Mike, it appears that Coker has a Michelin type XAS but that tread doesn't look the same as the original X series as far as I can remember. There is a place in England that shows what looks to me like the X type in their catalog though.
http://www.vintagetyres.com/display.asp?K=20091214_3752_000181&sf1=manufacturer&st1=Michelin&sf2=type&st2=not+tube&sort=sort_size&ds=Michelin&m=29&dc=75
Bill Young

If you weren't particular about the tread design or name on the sidewall, for about the same price as one Michelin noted above you can get four brand new Kumho Power Star 758's. I've been using these for several years, just bought my second set a year ago, quite happy with them. (This from a guy who drives a lot and likes to autocross). Here's one source:
http://www.tireteam.com/Tires/Kumho/Power+Star+758/1658015/1538713.html
Barney Gaylord

Many thanks to all who have offered comments regarding my search for Michelin X tires. I followed Barney's suggestion and bought 4 of the Kumho Powerstar tires. Most everyone who has them has postive things to say about them. Neil, when I took my Michelins off the car and took them outside to carefully inspect the sidewalls, I found checking/dry rot where the tread meets the sidewalls. So, better function than style on this one. Mike
Michael Dianna

Barney,
What size do you use in the Kumho Power star 758's your link did not work but a search of their site show some very (outrageously) inexpensive 758 tires
http://www.tireteam.com/Tires/Kumho/Power+Star+758/1558013/1535813.html
Chris Velardi

Chris, I come up with $40.33 for 165/80R15 Kumho when I search the Tire Team web site. Is that expensive? It would be a good price even if it were in £s!
Lindsay Sampford

I second Barney's recommendation. I've been driving on a set of the Kumho Powerstars since 2005, now with about 20K on them. A lot of that was in the rain (not always on purpose) as well as two very fast tours of "Tale of the Dragon". The tires are excellent, and a great bargain.

- Ken
Ken Doris

Treadepot and TireRack used to carry these tires. I bought 2 sets from Treadepot for $41.50 each including freight to put on my MK11 and my Coupe. Neither of these companies now carry them. The price has gone up since then and fewer companies are carrying them. If you need them, sooner might be better than later. Though I imagine that sharing the tire size with VW bugs might help with further availability.
I also am pleased with the tires.
R J Brown

try:

http://www.tireteam.com/Tires/Kumho/Powerstar758/1658015/1538713.html

$40.33 each plus delivery.
Chuck Schaefer

Like I said dirt cheep ! Now to find a set of super-lites , to mount them on.
Chris Velardi

Mike, I post regularly on the TD BBS. We have the same tire issues as you MGA guys (same size). There are a few nice Asian tires. I have been running a set of Hankook radials on my TD this year-I couldn't be happier with them. I retired an 18 year old set of Dunlop SP20's, that looked new, but were so hard that they constantly squeeled when cornering.
Tire rack is a good source for the Kumhos, but don't rule out ebay. I paid about $200 for a set of 4 Hankooks, including freight. Also, make sure that you are not buying some old stock. They could have been sitting on the shelf for 10 years or more!
Again, anyone who is wondering about their next set of tires would be well served by checking the TD BBS; there are some very usefull threads.
Steven Tobias

I called them about these since the website shows them out of stock and Barry says they are discontinued. :(
Judd Irland

It's strange that tyre availability is an issue. I did a quick online search here and find a range of available options. The same search on the UK affiliated site showed just one...

The picture shows the model numbers that are available in mainland Europe



dominic clancy

I have the Kumho Power Stars as well and very happy with them, but if you can't find them, TireRack has BFGoodrich Radial T/A in 165/85-15 in stock for $73 each.

- Ken
Ken Doris

I found some Kumho's at Discount Tire Company. Mounted and balanced were about $80 each. No affiliation with them, just found 'em.
Judd Irland

I am currently in Mexico on vacation. There are still many VW bugs running around on 165 15 tires. The Mega, kind of like Walmart, carries them. Someone still makes them somewhere.
R J Brown

RJ,
Take a look to see what the brands are, if you can.
Thanks,
GTF
G T Foster

Those tires are far too old to sue safely even if they look relatively unperished.

I had a set of XAS in that size on my Mk 2 coupe when it was in storage and when I took it down to get it emmissions tested I forgot that I didn't have the new rubber on it - scary! The tires are now holding my race car off the ground in storage. They will probably never fall to bits (unless you live in a high ozone area) but they will never, ever be safe.

The options that others have posted represent what is available in old style tall ratio rubber. I expect (by the fact that you want that ratio) that you aren't into carving up the roads with your car and will be happy to settle for mediocre handling with vintage style rubber.

If you want more, the only option is to go to wider rims (5.5" or so) and fit the available modern sizes (185x70s are gone - 185x65 is about it these days)
Bill Spohn

The trick is to search for 165/80R15 then you will find a lot more than just with 165R15
dominic clancy

This thread was discussed between 14/12/2009 and 12/02/2011

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