I've talk to a number of dealers and it looks like Vredestein has abandoned this size in the US. Pirelli has also dropped one of their classic tires in 225/50R15. Here's the what I've been able to find (sketchy budget tires not listed).
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No complaints with the set of Yokohama Advan Fleva V701 on my car.
Last edited by Panici; 09-09-2026, 04:44 AM.Comment
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I haven't run the Advan Fleva's (two of my friends have) but I have run the Kumho's and the General's and the Vredestein's are light years ahead in getting the feel and grip right for the vintage/rolling/compliant suspension on an E30. Tire Rack confirmed today they're "discontinued" in their system. I reached out to contact.us@apollotyre.com to see what they say about actual production and availability. If I had to begrudgingly pick a "performance" tire to run tomorrow that's available, it would be the Yokohama. The General Altimax are quite good in the snow but they're terrible when you push them hard on dry pavement and pretty terrible in the rain as well. I just use them as a cold weather tire occasionally (the Sprint+ is quite bad below 30*F).
https://www.vintagetyres.com/ in the UK show them in stock and I've reached out to get their thoughts on production status and availability. My current set is down to 5/32's with ~20K on them (325iX) and I cannot imagine life without them so I'm at the point where I'll just buy them from the UK or EU but I'm wondering if there are other NA distributors that might be able to order them. Really sucks running these vintage cars and having tires that don't match well with a sorted suspension.Comment
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Some new info:
1. Vintage Tyres in the UK confirmed they have them (show 7 as of this posting) but they're NOS at this point (mfg in 2024). For people in the USA, the issue is importing them - lots of paperwork and BS. As badly as I want to buy the rest, it doesn't make much sense.
2. I got a reply from a rep at Apollo (US Office in Atlanta, GA USA) stating "... the Sprint + has been discontinued. There are no plans to replace the tire currently."
I asked if that meant the entire Sprint+ line and haven't heard back. My assumption is that it's dead though which leaves us to appeal to a company like Coker to get the molds and formulas or whatever they do to reproduce these (think TRX) or appeal to companies like Michelin or Pirelli to make proper tires (this would be ideal).
I cannot stress enough how bad those Kumho's are if you want to push on hard in the corners. I've had multiple sets of them on two different iX's and they're just awful in terms of grip and maintaining their balance. If you just want some tires they're fine but I think the Yokohama's are still probably the best option in September 2026.Comment
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What a freaking bummer. There’s those JDM Yokos I linked, but shipping and tariffs cost more than the tires.Comment
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Michelin is a bust
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Conclusion. Decided to go with the Yokohama ADVAN Flevas- relative inexpensive, trustworthy brand, readily available, and the right size. I don’t love their look but I’m sure it’ll be fine.
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