[DeTomaso] Michelin TB5R review

[Arjun Ghosh-Dastidar]

I recently switched from 17" tires to 15" tires on my '72 wide body car.

Went from Hoosier R6s in 245/40 R17 mounted on 17 x 9 fronts and 335/35 R17
mounted on 17/13 rears,

To Michelin TB5R in 26/61-15 (equivalent to 285/40 WR15) mounted on 15 x 10
fronts and 29/61-15 (equivalent to 335/35 WR15) mounted on 15 x 113 rears.

I ordered the tires on a Sunday night at 10:30 PM through the Longstone
tires UK website, and they were delivered the following Wednesday at 10:30
AM - less than a 3 day turnaround is pretty amazing considering they were
shipped from London.

I've only driven two Panteras, mine and Ron McCall's, both shod on 17" R6s,
and the difference in handling was night and day:

1. Steering slop was gone and the steering response was instant, as if I
was driving a go kart. Front end grip was startling - as pointy as a modern
Ferrari with no need to hustle the car around by the scruff of its neck.
Even the tiniest of steering inputs changes direction.

2. The added side wall brought a new level of suppleness to the ride and so
even with reduced ride height, the car just flowed over the road.

3. No loss in lateral grip - this surprised me as I expected some loss
lateral grip due to the taller side walls but these tires seemed to grip
harder than the R6s.

4. Increase in overall mechanical grip in the car vs. R6s.

5. Based on feedback from Longstone tires, the TB5R should last 5,000 -
7,000 miles for hard street use and about 6 - 7 track days. That makes them
an expensive alternative to R6s, but for people who use their cars as
weekend toys and only drive their cars around 1,000 miles a year, these
tires are a worthwhile investment.

Picture of tires on car attached.
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   I recently switched from 17" tires to 15" tires on my '72 wide body
   car.A
   Went from Hoosier R6s in 245/40 R17 mounted on 17 x 9 fronts and 335/35
   R17 mounted on 17/13 rears,
   To Michelin TB5R in 26/61-15 (equivalent to 285/40 WR15) mounted on 15
   x 10 fronts and 29/61-15 (equivalent to 335/35 WR15) mounted on 15 x
   113 rears.
   I ordered the tires on a Sunday night at 10:30 PM through the Longstone
   tires UK website, and they were delivered the following Wednesday at
   10:30 AM - less than a 3 day turnaround is pretty amazing considering
   they were shipped from London.
   I've only driven two Panteras, mine and Ron McCall's, both shod on 17"
   R6s, and the difference in handling was night and day:A
   1. Steering slop was gone and the steering response was instant, as if
   I was driving a go kart. Front end grip was startling - as pointy as a
   modern Ferrari with no need to hustle the car around by the scruff of
   its neck. Even the tiniest of steering inputs changes direction.
   2. The added side wall brought a new level of suppleness to the ride
   and so even with reduced ride height, the car just flowed over the
   road.
   3. No loss in lateral grip - this surprised me as I expected some loss
   lateral grip due to the taller side walls but these tires seemed to
   grip harder than the R6s.
   4. Increase in overall mechanical grip in the car vs. R6s.
   5. Based on feedback from Longstone tires, the TB5R should last 5,000 -
   7,000 miles for hard street use and about 6 - 7 track days. That makes
   them an expensive alternative to R6s, but for people who use their cars
   as weekend toys and only drive their cars around 1,000 miles a year,
   these tires are a worthwhile investment.
   Picture of tires on car attached.
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