Vredestein Sprint Classic Classic & Antique Car Tire in 185VR16

update (see July 25 2023 for original). A damage bead during the installation (not a Tire Rack recommended installer) created a persistent flat. Bead sealant lasted a few days or a few months. I finally got fed up. I bought one tire this time and had it mounted and balanced at a recommended installer. I recollected the prior 19 months (original tire set purchase in April 2023) and 13,000 miles I'd driven on these and came up with this updated review. At 175/70-R15, on 4 1/2 rims, these are nearly odometer perfect (0.5% error vs. GPS) rolling diameter for the oem 155-R15 on 4 inch rim. Hydroplane resistance is quite good, but no small part of that is the narrow, by today's standards, tire width. Wet traction, except for 1st gear start, is not bad at all. Dry stability, traction, steering response is better than was expected. Two 'track days' confirm these aren't high performance nor autocross tires, but for what they are they are competent enough for my skill level. Street ride comfort is quite good, maybe due to tall-ish 70 series sidewall and the low inflation pressure (24 psi, 22 psi) warranted by the car's light weight. Tire road noise is hard to discern over the high rev two-stroke exhaust, and is not obtrusive when coasting at idle.
Tread wear: 13k miles on a front engine, front drive, driven with a no-need-to-slow-for-turns, no tire rotation regimen, isn't great for tire life. Well, not front tires. The fronts are worn about 3/4 from new depth to the 2/32 TWI depth. Maybe 17k to the TWI worn out depth If I kept them up front. Rears are at 1/4 from new to TWI depth, maybe those would last for 50k. Except now I've rotated it (and put the new replacement tire) up front. For a "220" rated tread life rating, and my 'conservation of momentum' cornering practice to offset a paltry 850 cc engine, I'm pretty happy about that tire wear.
I'll definitely be putting the Sprint Classic at the top of my list of tire candidates for the next round of replacements

Admittedly a '66 Volkswagen doesn't tax its tires as much as some other cars, but these tires have been outstanding. Excellent dry performance and great in the wet too. Quiet (probably- Beetles aren't very quiet cars) and comfortable (with the Konis set to "slightly sporty") they've been great during daily-driving duties and for longer country road trips. I can't say enough about them, I'll definitely buy another set.

EXCELLENT TIRES! I have owned my 1984 PORSCHE Carrera from August 1997 and have driven it over 75,000 miles. The car has seen different combinations and brands of ALL SEASON tires. 195 front/ 215 rear 205f/225r which were good. This is the FIRST time that I have had the FACTORY SIZE of 185/70/15 front and 215/60/15 rear AND a 3 season 180 (?) wear index tire. This investment was well worth the money. There is only one other maker (I know of this posting) of OEM size tires which cost a lot ($300 USD) more per set. /// I was waiting for rainy weather before posting a review. My impressions reflect fully warmed up tires. These VREDESTEIN Sprint Classic Tires are confidence inspiring in the rain. Unless I hit a deep puddle of water that collects on the righthand side of streets I found that even at highway speeds even a one tire splash puddle did not disturb the car except for a momentary slowing. Cornering, braking, and acceleration in a 200HP/2750lb car I felt very confident driving in the rain (even downpours). Many other drivers who were not so sure for whatever reasons. Even with that confidence more caution is needed in rainy conditions. /// One thing that I considered before my purchase was that the manufacturer is in a part of Europe that
tends to be very wet. Good for testing in the "real world". These perform at their job extremely well. I hope this review helps you.

The tires are the bomb on a classic car. I only drive my Triumph TR6 in dry weather. So, I can't comment on wet weather handling, but on dry pavement, they are almost as grippy as real autocross tires (R-compound). They will probably wear out with my style of driving in 30k miles, but at the rate I drive this car, they'll probably need replacing due to age anyway. They are good on the highway and on the autocross course. And I don't have to change tires & wheels when I autocross.

After reading reviews about vintage racers using these tires, I figured I would give them a shot as my daily driving tire with the bonus of being able to use them on the occasional wet track day or autocross event instead of my Nitto NT01 tires. First of all, let me state that these are in no way a "competitive" race tire unless the whole pack is running similar sizes and compounds. Even in 205/60R13 which is a tad wide for a 6" wide factory rim but still has a narrow contact patch compared to a 205 R compound tire, these will not be quick in the corners. However, they will talk to you, quite loudly, and provide you with a massive slip angle that can be an absolute hoot to drive at the limit. I made a 2,000 mile road trip with them, they were quiet, comfortable, and well balanced on the highway, much of that was in the rain and they didn't hydroplane once. I took them to "Tail of the Dragon" during a club event and they performed very well allowing me to keep pace with some drivers running much wider tires. They may have been driving less spirited than me...but I kept them in sight on the twisty turns of Tennessee and North Carolina. I took them to a dry track day where I really found their limit. The car was perfectly balanced and responsive to steering, braking, and throttle inputs. I could induce controlled oversteer under braking, they had a neutral feel mid corner, and slightly understeered under throttle exiting turns (I've only got about 130whp to work with). If having fun in a vintage sports car or roadster on and off the track is your goal, these tires will not disappoint. If keeping up with Miatas on a track day is your goal, ditch your small original wheels and find a larger diameter wheel that will support more modern sport tire sizes.

I have very limited experience on these tires, but from the driving I have done, I am very impressed. My car is a 1964 Porsche 356 C. My car rides on 4.5" stock wheels, and with a rear engine car, good tires are critical. I feel very in control with these tires. I have not driven these tires on wet roads so I can not comment on that aspect of driving. I live in the Santa Cruz mountains in California so much of my driving is on twisty mountain roads and I am very happy with these tires. I have owned my car for 30 years and have gone through several different tires, but for comfort and control these have been the best.

Nice, reasonable OEM style tire for vintage Porsche. I am very happy with the tires. Drove a long highway trip last year and felt comfortable and safe with them

The previous owner of my MGB did what a lot of people do with these cars: install the biggest tire that will fit under the fenders. "Bea" had 185/70-14 Pirelli P4s that were too wide for the 5" Rostyle wheels and felt very vague on the road. I installed 5.5" Minilites and these Vredestein Sprints which, despite their smaller size, turned the car into a delight to drive. Better ride and better steering feel. Looks the part, too.

It has become very hard to find 205/15 tires anywhere. Much less with a tread compound that provides traction in wet and dry, handling, low noise and good tread wear. These do it all plus they look period appropriate for 50s and 60s sports cars.

I drive my XKE several thousand miles a year on vintage sports car rallies on scenic California back roads. So handling is important. Thank goodness someone is making tires that allow people who actually drive their vintage cars to enjoy the experience.

Wanted a set of tires that matched the age of the vehicle i.e. classic tread pattern but modern day performance. My car isn't a 100 point trailer queen but a nice driver that I actually like to drive. Price really wasn't an object as I would have paid more for a "period" Pirelli or other such tire that you could get out of the UK or maybe Coker but I really didn't see that I would get any more by paying more. These tires track WAY better than the old Dunlop D60 A2's that should have been replaced long ago. It's really like a different car now. I went with a lower profile (70) than the stock 80 aspect ratio which I think looks to tall and more closely matched the 65's I had on before. Getting them mounted was chore as the Tire Rack recommended installers really didn't want to touch a center spinner wire wheel but where there's a will there's a way.