Posted on 01/20/2010 11:39:21 AM PST by envisio
Ever wondered what the most expensive passenger car tires in the world are?
According to a report published on the Autocar Web site, Bugatti Veyron rubber must be a prime contender with a set of four new tires costing $38,482.
And if you were wondering which tire manufacturer won the OE contract to supply these products, a quick look at tyrepress.com’s online archive reveals that the 406 km/h car, which is capable of 0-300 km/h in under 14 seconds, fits Michelin Pilot Sport Pax System 245-690R520 A (front) and 365-710R540 A (rear) tires.
The main reason for the great expense, Autocar explains, is the fact that they have to be capable of 253 mph: “over 100 mph faster than Concorde’s landing speed.” However, according to the report, what’s worse is that every fourth tire change (assuming you can afford to run the car that long) the Veyron’s wheels have to be stress tested for cracks. The replacement cost for these 20-inch forged wheels is said to be another $11,544 each.
According to Autocar, a standard service for the Bugatti Veyron costs $21,069. So when you factor in a set of four new tires and one replacement wheel, a complete service could realistically cost a whopping $71,092.
No one mentioned if that is before or after VAT.
Little wonder then that one Veyron owner has reportedly taken to the comparatively more economical option of having his car trailed to wherever he wants to drive it, while he follows in his private jet. (Tyres & Accessories)
Looks like you got a pretty good deal on those MickeyThompsons.
yup, and mine’ll last longer, and take me to more fun places. :)
I’ll send you a picture of my new BFGs.
Classic hotrod look.
they look nice, but not quite enough tread for MI winters or muddy trails :)
The shame of it was they wouldn’t even let me sit in them.
The plane lost because James May can't fly at night
To complete the trifecta, Richard Hammond raced the Veyron against a twin engined plane (and lost)
No, I’m riding on Goodyear Tracker 2 tires.
But the Douglas are big sellers in this area.
Goodyear Tracker 2 = Walmart/SamsClub exclusive
Yes, I like to pay less for my tires. Don’t you?
And actually, I wanted to pay less than I had to.
The tires were $120 a tire, and with Road Hazard Warranty and Lifetime Rotation and Balance it came to $160 per tire.
Hmm...I'm trying to envision a catastrophic tire failure at 200 mph in a passenger car. The pictures I'm getting aren't pretty.
Sure, but not at the sacrifice of quality/fitment/application. If the tires are the correct fitment/application, then there I see no problem going with a lower tiered tire.
But WalMart, Sams, PepBoys, et al are notorious for putting the wrong application on vehicles. And “paying less” is often their only approach at putting tires on cars.
Walmart tells customers to use recommended tire size for vehicle (usually on inside door or in manual). But will mount other size if customer wants it.
I used the recommended tire size for my SUV. And no way do I want to pay more than $160 per tire! Just not that into cars like you are. :)
Yeah, they will use the correct size. But size is just one variable. Inside that doorjam you will see required load rating and required speed rating. Two different vehicles can have the same size tire but require completely different types of tires.
By application, I mean they will fudge on load index, performance rating and a half dozen other variables that determine the proper application for the vehicle.
Not all big chain stores are like this, some are very professional. I talk to many of them on a dailly basis and some have no business even going near someones car.
Tracker 2:
Type: Light Truck-Highway
Sidewall Cosmetics: OWL
Temperature Rating: B
Traction: A
Speed Rating: S (112 mph)
Weather: All Season
M+S: Y
Load Range: SL
As an engineer, I understand the research that has gone into developing a street tire capable of these speeds. However, if I actually owned one of these cars, the very first thing I would do with it is stash the stock wheels and tires in a plastic bubble full of nitrogen to prevent them from oxidizing, and install a set of wheels just large enough to clear the brake calipers, and some tires from a regular supercar like a Ferrari Enzo.
This way, I could just cruise around town worry free (provided I was able to control myself and keep it under 200 MPH between stoplights) and not worry about putting my $1.5M supercar in a crate and send it back to France every 2500 miles for new tires.
If I ever decided I wanted to test out the top speed, I’d go down to the basement, break out my $75,000 set of wheels and tires from their storage environment, use my Aluminum racing jack I bought at Sams Club, and give it a go.
The car is awesome, but it’s really just stupid money at this point. To upgrade from a Ford to a BMW, you add an extra decimal place to the engineering tolerances, and add an extra zero to the price. From BMW to Ferrari, add another of each, and Ferrari to Bugatti, add one more. There isn’t going to be an improvement upon this car because adding yet another decimal to the tolerances is just overkill in the real world. The only place anyone has ever maxed this car out is on the 5 mile straight at VW’s test track. If I’m wrong, send me the link to your Youtube video or it didn’t happen. Unless somebody is going to build a 10 mile straight and a W-32, I don’t see any reason to add that next zero.
Also, everybody is all worked up about this engine, but basically you take a 2 Liter 4 Cylinder turbo that makes 250 HP and you cast 4 of them into the same block. It isn’t really magic, just very custom, rare, and accordingly expensive.
I do love the car, I have actually seen one on the streets of the North Atlanta Suburbs, I would pay anybody $1000 for 15 minutes on a racetrack with it, but it honestly just doesn’t make sense beyond bragging rights.
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