If you saw this article about Magnus Walker’s recent 964 build …
… you may have noticed this bit toward the end:
“To fill the wheel wells, 17×8 and 17×9.5 Fifteen52 Outlaw wheels have been wrapped in Pirelli’s latest Trofeo R rubber. Over talks with the gentlemen at Pirelli, Magnus mentioned that they ought to fill the growing void of sport tire options in vintage sizing. After some deliberation, Pirelli has debuted a line of performance-oriented tires ranging in sizes from 15-inch to 17-inch for those of us who still enjoy the vintage driving experience. This collaboration is fantastic news for all of us as enthusiasts and to see a company working with an enthusiast such as Magnus to reach out to its customers is a welcome sight.”
Pirelli, indeed, does have 15″ tires in sizes that fit my car (remember, I am running 225/50-15 Yokohamas, replacing the stock 215/60-15 spec). But of course Pirellis generally cost an arm and a leg. The streetable competition model, the P Zero Trofeo R is “only” $155 per (wonder what the tread life is on those?), while the P Zero Summer Performance tire goes for a whopping $331 each. I love tires and always try to get the best ones I can feasibly run on whatever car, knowing that tires are almost always the single most important handling factor for your car.
Anyway, here’s what I get doing a search on my 225/50-15 sizing at TireRack: