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Jim Adney wrote: > Michelin came out with the first radial tires in about 68. This was the "X" > radial. The next generation probably came out in 75-80 and was the ZX. This > followed the great success of radial tires in general and Michelin specifically. > > I suspect that the XZX replaced the ZX sometime in the 80s. > I beg to differ here. I've checked both the motoring encyclopaedias on my shelves and they both confirm that the first successful radial ply tyre was the Michelin X which was marketed from 1953. Dunlop started selling their first radial ply tyre, the SP3 in about 1962. I've also checked some old British "Motor" magazine road tests carried out in 1959. The following cars road-tested were fitted with Michelin X radial ply tyres: Citroen DS, Renault Dauphine, Renault Gordini and Facel Vega HK500. I fitted Michelin XAs radials to my new 1968 VW Type3 panel van way back in 1968. At the time where I lived, I had a choice of Dunlop SP41, SP44, SP44HR, Michelin ZX, XAS, Xm+s, Goodyear G800, Fulda Diadem, Pirelli Cinturato, Continental 'Radial' and even Avon. All of these were radial ply tyres. I could not buy Michelin X tyres at the time because I was told they had been superseded by the ZX. And, these were the tyres available in Zambia in the middle of Central Africa. So, the variety of radial tyres available in developed countries would have been greater. In 1972, while living in Nigeria, my next door neighbour had Michelin ZX radials fitted to his brand new Volkswagen K70. Then, in Australia late in 1973, I fitted Michelin XZX tyres to my new 1973 Volkswagen Type2 Transporter. The XZX had by then superseded the XZ. Simon Glen Toowoomba, Australia. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Search old messages on the Web! Visit http://www.vwtype3.org/list/