You've all read me whinging and bitching about the round, black pieces of crap that were on the blue beast. After my mechanic gave the hubs and drive shafts the all clear during the week i came to the conclusion that maybe it was time to either change tyres or put in another transmission.

I'll declare my allegiance here. I worked in Bridgestone's tyre factory in Salisbury, Sth Aus. for 10 years making treads and steel belting and fabric belting and sidewall and apex for the beads and anything else that could be extruded from hot rubber. I have only used Bridgestone tyres since 1990 and wouldn't consider anything else.

I gave the guy at my local Bridgestone dealer a call and spoke to him about what was on offer. Since i do very low K's a year (probably less than 10,000) i couldn't see the sense in paying for a set of performance tyres (Potenza RE003) or a luxury tourer (Turanza). I ended up settling on a set of Supercat 215/55R17's.

I spoke to the guy who did the wheel alignment after he'd finished. The fronts were out a little bit but the back alignment was ridiculous. L -1.5 R +2.6 I stopped wondering why the car handled like a piece of crap and where all the tyre noise was coming from right then.

On the road the difference is simply mind blowing. I'd give the road noise - or lack of road noise - at least 8/10. After what i've been putting up with for the last 15 months it was amazing to be able to hear music through the speakers at low volume levels. The whirring at low speed, the whining at 40+kmh, the shuddering and the level of high pitch headache inducing racket that was missing was bliss. THIS is finally what i remember 380's being like. Quiet, stable and comfortable and made for sitting on 110 locked in 5th eating up the K's. The Supercats aren't top of the range touring tyres but they're made by a company who make some of the very best and these are not bad tyres by any standards.

I haven't had a chance to push the braking or handling yet but that's not how i drive anyway and they've still got another 500 k's to go before all the silicone is scrubbed off the tread surface and out of the grooves. Until then i'll sit back and enjoy the peace and quiet. No more stressing about possible dodgy drive shafts, bearings, hubs or a transmission trying to self destruct. It's amazing how much more relaxed you are when all that racket is gone.

The best tyres i've ever driven on were RE002's and they set a new standard for low noise, braking and wet/dry handling. These are a different type of tyre, designed for driving around town or sitting on the open road with a car full of family. They're not a performance tyre, but the technology that goes into making something like these has, i think, redefined what a family car tyre is. The guy at Bridgey's wasn't sure whether or not the Supercat's are produced with the dual compound tread technology but i might do some digging and find out. That process took a long time to develop and we did it in SA before anyone else anywhere in the world and it was a game changer for the way tyres are designed and made. If you're after a new set of boots for your '80 give them consideration. I don't think you'd be disappointed.

I ended up getting the 4 tyres and a 4 wheel alignment for $570.