medicmatt

i dont like the hood either, i was talking about the F&S, getting coils for christmas and hopefully wheels before summer

CoRDiTe

+1. Sounds good.

Rich

Serious question, just out of curiosity, how long before tire manufacturers start actually manufacturing tires that already have sidewalls that lean out to aide in the mounting of tires in this style?

LongFellow

Try never because no tire company is going to cater to a group that total less than 0.1% of its market.

99TL

Kumho did with colored smoke tires for the drifters...

Rich

That's exactly what I was thinking about.

LongFellow

That was designed in partnership with a pro team and didnt require newly engineered tire, just some tire compound changes to an already existing tire. Notice how they're not made anymore? It wasnt just the fact that they where twice the price of the normal MX's that killed them either. No tire company is going to design a brand new tire for what is probably one of the smallest niche in the aftermarket car industry.

Sort of similar as to how a lot of Exotics have specific tires made for their cars. But its also why it cost 5k to replace a set of tires on a 458 Italia.

99TL

I'm not saying that it's a good idea for a tire company to develop something specifically for a niche market... There isn't huge profit potential. I'm just saying I wouldn't be surprised... The smoke tires is an example of a large tire company investing money in developing something for street use (granted it did originate as a professional drift tire) that targeted a niche market, which is what Rich was suggesting.

Basically... stranger things have happened... I wouldn't be surprised to see a specialty tire catering to the poke/stretch crowd come about. If the tire companies are smart, though, I'd think they'd avoid it.

LongFellow

Your thinking very very small scale. Only a few hundred of those tires where ever produced in the first place and only in 2 sizes. Those two sizes where what the Pro team needed. The extras where put on sale as a live market a test to see if people were willing to pay astronomical prices for colored smoke. They were not and it never went further than that (they also go banned from competiton). The only reason they went ahead with it was that was a relatively simple change to an existing tire, what he is suggesting is a completly new tire design that would have to be approved by the government. Thats real money, not something they're going to "test the waters" with. They only do that with things they plan on actually selling and making a profit, which is why it will never happen.

99TL

I don't understand what you mean when you say I'm thinking small scale.

Also, according to this retailer they made them in more than 2 sizes. I don't buy the fact that they only made a few hundred of them. FWIW I've had a pair on the back of my 540.

KUMHO ECSTA SPT SMOKE UHP TIRES - JCWhitney