My new tire story

I needed some new tires for the Mini. My set of Yokohama A008's have been pretty much slicks for the past year, but I try to not drive the car in the rain so it worked out. Last week after driving the mini to work (and getting a speeding ticket) I noticed one of the tires was corded. So I started tire shopping. Finding 165/70 R10 tires is not all that easy unless one wishes to run non DOT approved golf cart tires on their car. (I don't).

I checked the couple places I bought tires before, and then took a look at Mini Sport USA thanks to a certain clown's influence. Ended up buying a set of Yoko A032R's from England that even with the crazy air freight shipping cost were about the same price as a set of A008's from TireRack. The DHL van came yesterday, and when it pulled up my wife was out in the driveway as she just pulled in. These 10" tires are pretty small and all 4 tires shipped in a single cardboard box. The DHL lady asked my wife for a hand getting the box out of the van. My wife knew what was in the box and new there was nothing fragile, so instead of helping grab the box and lower it out of the van she just let the whole sucker fall to to ground. The DHL lady was appalled thinking that whatever was in there just got smashed. My wife made a Jim Carey Pet Detective reference and I got my new tires.

Nice, I like the look of those!

T.J. wrote: My set of Yokohama A008's have been pretty much slicks for the past year

Those were slicks when they were new! I really miss those tires. They were the badass street tire of the late 80's. Whe it came time to autocross, you'd swap them for a set of A008R's. Just pray that it doesn't rain.

I had a set of A032R's for my Miata and I really liked them. They were a little sticky for the street, though, as they grabbed and then threw stones.

I wish Yoko would re-release the A008 with a modern compound. Some times, you just need a cars tires to look right.

My logical, desiring to be impartial side hates how much I imprinted on A008s. They just look right to me, never mind that the solid outer shoulder must be pretty much a hedge against leftover '70s suspension geometry... Those and the original Goodyear Gatorbacks.

Dangit, we're having random '80s trivia thrown at us at work and this isn't helping...

Wait you have a Mini, a 2002, a Miata, & a wife that references Pet Detective? Clearly we found where all the fun has been channeled!

Wow, the treads on those new ones is badass.

bluesideup wrote: Wait you have a Mini, a 2002, a Miata, & a wife that references Pet Detective? Clearly we found where all the fun has been channeled!

a Turbo miata, at that.

I used those on my MG Midget racecar. I liked them a lot, though I found them pretty slippery in the wet versus a Kumho product that I preferred.

I think you'll like them, just be careful hooning about in the wet until you know how they respond.

In reply to Basil Exposition:

They can't be any more slippery than my worn A008's in the wet. If I remember I'll get a pic of the old tires. The fronts are pretty much nothing left but the circumferential grooves. The rears have a little more left on them- what wear they have is because they started out as the fronts a few years ago.

In reply to bluesideup:

She would've kicked the box up the drive way if it wasn't too heavy. The delivery lady was inside the van and handed the box out to her and she held out her hands like she was going to take it and then just let it fall. Would've been funny to see.

To be fair, I think this is more a reflection on her distaste for my Mini than her liking Pet Detective.

Looks like I am relocating in the next couple of weeks. Either the BMW or the Mini will not be going with me. I need to finish up my never ending Megasquirt conversion on the BMW so I can either take it with me or sell it. I did almost all of the wiring this past weekend, just a few things left to try the initial start up. Haven't decided which one to sell as I really would like to keep both.

In reply to T.J.:

If you're selling either one let me know! My two favorite cars...

Oh dear god. If only I had any spare money, I would be knocking on your door with cash for that Mini but having just started my job and finished college I am sure I don't have enough for it.

A great old tire that didn't do as well as the 008 in the dry, but was more awesomer in the rain was the Yoko 509's. I loved those things.

T.J. wrote: Looks like I am relocating in the next couple of weeks. Either the BMW or the Mini will not be going with me. I need to finish up my never ending Megasquirt conversion on the BMW so I can either take it with me or sell it. I did almost all of the wiring this past weekend, just a few things left to try the initial start up. Haven't decided which one to sell as I really would like to keep both.

(Raises hand) - I'll take the 2002!!!

Where are you relocating to?

In reply to Woody:

Minnesota.

T.J. wrote: In reply to Woody: Minnesota.

Sooo...neither of those cars would be passing through, say, Connecticut then...

T.J. wrote: In reply to Woody: Minnesota.

South Dakota's right next to that.

So I took the 4 new. Tires and my 4 old tires and wheels down the street to get the new tires mounted and balanced......in my miata.

Yep, that 8 tires in a miata.

In reply to 16vCorey:

Thanks for the assist. Trying to make a post with a linked picture was challenging my iPhone-fu. Got it fixed now (I think).

Going to sell the BMW. Anyone with room on a trailer heading by Huntsville, AL from the challenge?

Need to move it in the next week or so.

You have mail.