A recent tire thread caused me to do a little googling on high-speed rated tires including the "police pursuit tires" I profiled in a 2003 Corvette Restorer article. In particular I was looking for the 225/70R-15 100V Firestone Firehawk PV41. Much to my surprise I found several online retailers whose Web pages said they were in stock, but it took a call this moring to confirm.
Starting with the lowest price, the first outfit, which is in Southern California did not have them, but the second outfit in Portland OR had four, so I bought them!
If you're interested in V or better speed rated tire, this may be your last chance since all appear to be out of production. For C3 owners, google the following terms.
Firestone PV41 225/70R-15
Goodyear RSA 225/70R-15
General XP2000V 225/70R-15
It's still possible that there is some remaining stock.
For C2 owner's the W-rated 215/70ZR-15 Pirelli P4000 Super Touring was the pick of the litter. These went out of production a year or more ago, then apparently were brought back with a short production run, and I think a few C2 owners were able grap a set in the last few months.
There may still be some stock left if you're interested, so google:
Pirelli P4000 Super Touring 215/70ZR-15
This may well be the last opportunity to find a V or better speed rated tire for vintage Corvettes. They offer better all around grip and the safety of a spiral wound nylon cap belt that will virtually eliminate the possibility of a catastrophic tread separation, which can happen at legal highway speeds with S-rated tires.
Given the superior materials and processes used to manufacture high speed rated tires, I consider their shelf life to be at least two decades if properly stored. This would be a cool, dark place away from any ozone producing devices like electric motors if stored off-the-car for future use.
The same applies on-the-car assuming it is kept in a garage and is only driven occasionally as is typical for most collector cars.
Duke
Starting with the lowest price, the first outfit, which is in Southern California did not have them, but the second outfit in Portland OR had four, so I bought them!
If you're interested in V or better speed rated tire, this may be your last chance since all appear to be out of production. For C3 owners, google the following terms.
Firestone PV41 225/70R-15
Goodyear RSA 225/70R-15
General XP2000V 225/70R-15
It's still possible that there is some remaining stock.
For C2 owner's the W-rated 215/70ZR-15 Pirelli P4000 Super Touring was the pick of the litter. These went out of production a year or more ago, then apparently were brought back with a short production run, and I think a few C2 owners were able grap a set in the last few months.
There may still be some stock left if you're interested, so google:
Pirelli P4000 Super Touring 215/70ZR-15
This may well be the last opportunity to find a V or better speed rated tire for vintage Corvettes. They offer better all around grip and the safety of a spiral wound nylon cap belt that will virtually eliminate the possibility of a catastrophic tread separation, which can happen at legal highway speeds with S-rated tires.
Given the superior materials and processes used to manufacture high speed rated tires, I consider their shelf life to be at least two decades if properly stored. This would be a cool, dark place away from any ozone producing devices like electric motors if stored off-the-car for future use.
The same applies on-the-car assuming it is kept in a garage and is only driven occasionally as is typical for most collector cars.
Duke
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