RE: Michelin 17/65/15 F83's ????????

["Mark Nelson" <tahoe@msn.com>]

Steve,

Those are Michelin Pilot Rally tires, and judging from your city and state,
they more than likely came from John Buffum at Libra Racing off one of the
Hyundai rally cars (he's one of only two Michelin rally tire dealers in the
country, the other is Chad DiMarco at Sube Sports).  The FB-83 is a fairly
hard compound (yes, there are LOTS of different compounds available), and as
with all the Michelin rally tires, they have VERY stiff sidewalls.  If these
tires your friend has, only have a 1/4" tread left, they're pretty well worn
out for rally use.  The 17/65-15 is the biggest gravel rally tire you can
buy, and is the equivalent of a 215/65R15.  I have 12 of these, and another
10 of the new ZR assymetrical tires on the way from Buffum.  These tires are
VERY heavy, and JB doesn't recommend running them on a car with any less
than 300 BHP.  They're also very expensive at about $150 each.  HTH!

cya!
-mark nelson
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