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Mangusta Tire Replacement- July 20, 2007
This article addresses one method of properly replacing original tires with currently available modern rubber on the Mangusta.
Mangusta Tire Replacement By: Laurent Bouzoulouk Goals: - To fit the original wheels with their 15” dimensions while taking care of ground clearance, - To bear my stroker engine power & torque with a reasonable lifetime, - To combine great traction on dry and wet roads, allowing me to make long trips across European roads without freaking out too much under the rain..., - Of high speed cornering/agility abilities, - Dimensions and design to match the Goose design without oversizing and modernizing it too much (not European taste), - V speed rating at least to allow high speed cruising safely All without combining different makers between front and rear as (IMHO) it perverts their performances. Combining all those objectives has been a painful process... Having defined those objectives, my first search was to keep the current dimensions of 225 front and 255 rear. The only supplier that matches all these requests is Avon Tires, they produce the CR27 turbospeed, 255/65/15V for the rear. Issues began when I tried to find the front ones, 3 references are available : Avon ZZ3 (225/60/15W) – great performances tires but definitely too modern pattern for my Goose, Avon ZV3 (225/60/15W) – poor performances rated at least on wet surfaces Avon CR6ZZ (215/60/15V) – from the Avon racing portfolio – road legal (at least according EU regulations) – amazing performances on track and dry roads but poor on wet surfaces For the rear tires, although dimensions and speed rating seem good on the datasheet, those tires were developed with the most heavy cars in mind like Aston Martins, Rolls-Royce, Bentleys, weighting out 2 tons or even more !, they won’t be the perfect match for our relatively light Geese. To this point, I’ve been back to history, our cars were (I believe) factory delivered with Front 185/70/15 Rear 205/70/15 or 225/70/15 all being H rated (even if I found some documents showing factory delivery with 235 rear...), Dunlop being the main tires supplier for the factory at that time beside some others. Some Mangustas (including the Bordinat Mangusta) were factory delivered with the famous Michelin XWX on customers special requests. The XWX was THE ultimate sport tire in the late 60’s and in the 70’s, it fitted Lamborghini Miuras & Countach, Ferrari Daytonas, Maserati Ghiblis, to name just a few, it was capable to reach the 155/180 mph bracket (VR or W speed rating). Michelin still produces this range that has a strong demand from the discerning collectors. It is produced with the original pattern with modern material and techniques and is an efficient tire with great grip abilities, traction on dry and wet roads and is really safe and comfortable according to exotic classic owners I contacted to get their feedback. See : http://www.michelin-passion.com/passion/front/templates/affich.jsp?codeRubrique=41&lang=EN I selected the largest dimensions available : Front : 205/70/15 90W Rear : 225/70/15 92W (available from the Michelin French factory even if the English language window does not show it) This choice might seem a little bit skinny for enthusiasts who grew up among Muscle Cars and I confess I’ll regret my current dimensions combination. But I’m confident this choice will be the best to cope with my personal objectives, I keep in mind that these dimensions are still 20 mm larger than the original ones, Those new dimensions will bring me higher ground clearance (with all its upsides), more narrow tires will bring better agility and better behavior in any weather driving condition. I’m a GT lover and I’m sure they’ll allow me to make “Gran Turismo” trips across Europe with perfect behavior in a total peace of mind even at high speeds. Mr. Michelin, the founder said “The car is the tires accessory”, it is in this state of mind I finally selected this solution. The tires will be mounted before the end of July, I’ll send pictures to show you what a goose looks like after a diet and will make you a report about its new driving abilities and (I cross my fingers) the additional joy they brought to me. Again, thank you all for your continuing support for the small and friendly Geese community. All the best, Laurent
UPDATE REGARDING NEW TIRES: My new XWX Michelin tires having been fitted last week I enjoyed the week-end with a 400 miles test drive over the week-end, here are my comments : Cosmetic : The tires just look great ! The rear ones just ideally fill the fender with the 70 series size, the pattern is appropriate and they do not look as skinny as feared. The XWX are beautifully crafted like high end sports tires were in the late 60’s, they clearly add something to my Goose look. Check pix : http://picasaweb.google.com/Noodia/Tyres?authkey=WrlM2TNR4-o (best seen with IE or Firefox) Driving performances : -First impression is comfort, they give a soft ride and low noise level that cope well with our GT oriented Geese, -After a 150 miles run in, I pushed gradually the tires limits : -Accelerations in straight lines : they bear my stroker engine power and torque and they keep the car’s course without any driver correction -High speed on highways : having reached 150 mph, there’s nothing I could say except everything was OK -Hard cornering : just great both on B roads corners and rotaries where I made a couple of hard experience, I can say I never experienced such a great roadholding pushing me to go harder -Braking : emergency braking is as it should, efficient with no unexpected behavior As a synthesis, the XWX are really confidence inspiring especially compared to my previous tires which were I think too hard for the Goose, they gave me an unseen before behavior, road holding and grip. Strongly recommended ! Laurent |
