On Thu, 10 Feb 2000, Chris Pappathopoulos wrote:
> Actually I believe that .87 G quote came from Road and Track or Car and
> Driver. When showroom stock was introduced they tested all the cars in
> racing trim, so this would have included showrrom stock legal tires at
> the time. Since I am not old enough to know what this would have been,
> I'm assuming it would have been like a DOT legal race tire of today. So
> this tire may have been similar to todays performance street tires that
> come on the cars you mentioned. Or maybe I'm all wrong.
A bit of history (at least as I remember it): Showroom Stock class cars
were allowed pretty much any DOT-legal tire in the original size or
original optional equipment size. Remember, the Spitfire, until the 1974
model year, came standard with 5.20 x 13 bias ply tires (guess what was
replaced very early in my Mk3's existence in the early 1970s, and with
Dunlop CB-73's no less). The optional size, later to become standard,
usually was a 155SR-13 (earlier cars had 145SR-13 radials as optional). At
any rate, tires for Showroom Stock were "off the shelf" items but were
shaved to about half of the original tread depth to true and square them
up and also make them last longer, stick better, jump higher, etc.
I'm assuming the .87g figure was obtained NOT from bias-ply Dunlop Gold
Seals but from the hot tire of the day in 1973 (Semperit? Phoenix? I don't
remember all these years later. Look it up in Car & Driver or Road &
Track).
> BTW I used the .87 G quote to tell my mom I'd be able to manuever out of
> an accident, so the spit was just as safe as a big car that can't get
> out of its own way.
And she bought that line? :-)
--Andy
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