My 'New' 2004 Ultimate

[edo]

I've spent most of my time on this board in the 1990-1997 area, but that's because I was always looking for advice on fixing stuff. I just bought a 'new' 2004 Ultimate and will be getting rid of the 96.

I got the 04 from a dealer and it's in great shape with only 25,000 miles. The sticker price on it new was over 46 and I got it for 19 and change - gotta love them 3 year leasees that are willing to take on all the depreciation.

The guy that bought it off of the lease only kept it for 3 months - said it was too big for him and he traded it in for a Jag. He did put new tires on though. Anyone heard of Vogue Tyre? They're a low profile tire with a yellow stripe and a whitewall. 235/55R17 99H. Can you think of any reason he would've put these on the car (other than personal taste - he must've liked the looks.)?
Ed

[AZLincolnMercury]

He did put new tires on though. Anyone heard of Vogue Tyre? They're a low profile tire with a yellow stripe and a whitewall. 235/55R17 99H. Can you think of any reason he would've put these on the car (other than personal taste - he must've liked the looks.)?
Ed

Welcome (to the 98+ forum;))

Congratulations on the purchase. She is a true beauty.

Yeah, mostly cosmetic reasons. They are found primarily on Cadillacs but they do look great with your particular color/wheels.

[pro-five-oh]

Vogues are insanely expensive tires. There's a good chance you can put them up for sale on craigslist and someone will want them.

Nice ride, Ultimates are pretty nice. Except for the cheapo name. I'd swap out the "Ultimate" badges on the roof for the 2003 model's Cartier badges.

[edo]

Thanks. I looked at Vogue online and noticed that all the dealers are Cadillac dealerships. Prices are about $250 each, at least $100 more than I'd expect to pay for a great tire. I hope there's more to them than just the aesthetics.

When checking, I saw that the standard tire size for the TC is 225/60R. If i remember right, this means the sidewall is 60% the width of the tire. The Vogues are 235/55 which means the overall tire diameter is 11cm shorter? Won't I notice the difference in my speedometer and possibly fuel economy?

[pro-five-oh]

Yeah, you did your math right. The shorter tire equates to faster gearing and an incorrect speedometer. The change isn't terrible, but I'd dump those tires if this was my car.

And yes, Vogues are only expensive because of their look. Think about how much better a timekeeper a Rolex is compared to a Seiko and you'll see the relevance of Vogue tires. :)

[ClaudioA89]

I have never seen those tires but they do look nice on your TC......

[megaforcer]

And yes, Vogues are only expensive because of their look. Think about how much better a timekeeper a Rolex is compared to a Seiko and you'll see the relevance of Vogue tires. :)

Vogues tires are not only for the looks, they are excellent tires CUSTOM built of high quality materials. They are worth every penny and they ride much better than the most expensive Michelin. They come with great warranty and their reputation is second to none. By the way, Vogue invented the whitewall tires.

[pro-five-oh]

They actually ride better than Michelins? Well that's good to know. Shame they don't spend the money to promote them that way, esp with some real data to prove it.

[megaforcer]

I don't think they are interested in promoting them. They are limited production, custom build radials for the "elite". All these tires are pretty much hand built, there is no automation in the process. If they make too many then they will be no better than cooper, or some Nankang crap. If my history is correct Harry Hower, invented the whitewall tire for the chauffeur industry to attract more customers, he called the whitewall tire Vogue. They are the best there is, worth the money if you can afford a set :)

[edo]

megaforcer - Thanks for the info on the Vogues - maybe I'll keep 'em.

They seem to ride nice, but unfortunately, I don't have anything to compare them to. Here's a better pic of the tires on the car - they do look good but they just don't quite fill the wheelwell.

I checked the tire size calculator at http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html and it tells me my speedometer will be 1.6% off - it'll read 59 when I'm doing 60. Maybe that 1mph will be just enough to keep me from getting a ticket someday.
Ed

[megaforcer]

Thats how Vogues are. Get some simple green and some Brilo pad and clean that whitewall. You would be a fool to get rid of Vogues, but to each his own.

[ClaudioA89]

Damn seriously i really like those wheels i don't think you should take them off......

[colonel26]

Nice ride! Ive got an 03 in two tone silver upper body and grey lower body. I had a '98 model that I had put vogues on. They were expensive. $250 a piece. They are supposed to last 80K miles, but after I put 55K miles on them the sidewalls started to fall apart. I had bulges starting to form in them. Not long afterwards I had one blow out then decided to put Michellins back on. I had called Vogue to schedule an appointment to get them replaced since they were supposed to last 80K miles but they wouldn't give me anything, not even pro-rate a discount towards a new set.

One other thing about those vogues, they are a pain to keep clean! I had to hand scrub them every other week. At least on your '04 the front brake pads wont leave as much brake dust on the whitewalls as they did on my '98.

[edo]

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll keep the Vogues. Like I said, I've nothing to compare them to, but there really is no discernible road noise with them and I now know after getting caught in a storm the other day, that they track real well in the rain.
Ed