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Tyre Size..................again!!!


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On 12/2/2018 at 8:50 PM, Mk2 Chopper said:

Nice update, so you'll be going for the next ones that lower an inch? 

Yes that's my thinking, but to complicate matters my car is now fitted with gas shocks so I suspect they may be contributing slightly to the higher than desirable (in my view) ride height.  Because freight to NZ is so expensive I think I'll make contact with local spring makers re the practicality of having my standard springs shortened to suit.  There doesn't appear to be any definitive info from either of the two main UK suppliers as to ride height changes for each of their spring options.  Buying from either them appears to be a bit of a lottery I'm afraid. 

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On 12/4/2018 at 12:53 AM, Mk2 Chopper said:

Yes that's quite a problem when you can't be totally cetain of the end results, good luck with it!

Gareth,

I've been in touch with a couple of local spring makers and I can get all 4 coils reset for NZ$250 (around 125 quid), which is a bargain compared to purchasing aftermarket items. Powder coating is extra as is removing the old coating by sand blasting prior to the resetting. 

One of the benefits of resetting is that the spring rate doesn't change, which suits me as the new gas shocks have add extra springing anyway.

http://www.autospeed.com/cms/article.html?&title=Resetting-Springs&A=112276

I'll probably leave this job until our winter (your summer).  In the meantime, I need to figure out lever ratios etc so that I can give engineers the new free length required.

Does anyone have this info already?

Gavin

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14 hours ago, KiwiTR6 said:

Gareth,

I've been in touch with a couple of local spring makers and I can get all 4 coils reset for NZ$250 (around 125 quid), which is a bargain compared to purchasing aftermarket items. Powder coating is extra as is removing the old coating by sand blasting prior to the resetting. 

One of the benefits of resetting is that the spring rate doesn't change, which suits me as the new gas shocks have add extra springing anyway.

http://www.autospeed.com/cms/article.html?&title=Resetting-Springs&A=112276

I'll probably leave this job until our winter (your summer).  In the meantime, I need to figure out lever ratios etc so that I can give engineers the new free length required.

Does anyone have this info already?

Gavin

Nice idea, I like the fact that the spring rate doesn't change. Enjoy your summer, it's very wet here right now, definitely not convertible weather! 

Gareth

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8 hours ago, Drewmotty said:

I’d suggest having the springs shortened a bit more than you think might be required as you can use oversize poly isolators to fine tune the ride height. 

Thanks Andrew, an excellent suggestion.

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Fitted new 165/80-15 Hankook K715 tyres today in sizing  and I'm really impressed with the difference over the near-new Michelin 195/65 tyres the car came with.  There is virtually no road noise from the Hankooks and the ride is noticably smoother - I suspect because the sidewalls are very flexible.  Steering effort at low speed doesn't appear to be noticeably lighter, but the car looks and drives great so I'm a happy Kiwi.

 

 

Hankook 165-15_1280x720.jpg

IMG_20181208_181354_1280x720.jpg

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They look great, the ride height looks good also in that picture. Have you got before pictures showing the 195's as a comparison?

Can't wait to get mine sorted after seeing yours! 

Gareth

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12 hours ago, Waldi said:

Wow Gavin, that’s a very nice car!

Waldi

Thanks for the compliment Waldi, but I can't take any of the credit - it's the creation of the PO but I'm very happy to have such a lovely example in my garage!

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11 hours ago, Mk2 Chopper said:

They look great, the ride height looks good also in that picture. Have you got before pictures showing the 195's as a comparison?

Can't wait to get mine sorted after seeing yours! 

Gareth

Hi Gareth.

I'm really happy with the stance of the car now such that I may just leave the springs alone.  Bear in mind of course, that my lad in the driver's seat is a fairly solid boy!

This is an image of the car not long after I purchased her with the 195's so she has the standard dampers as oppososed to the gas tube dampers she's now fitted with.  If you look closely you'll also notice the windscreen leaning back a little from standard - this has since been corrected.

 

20170319_175059_1512544572385_1.JPG

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Thanks for posting, I really like the 165's totally transforms the car, the 195's look so over tyred to me, and they are ever so slightly less diameter than the 165's, so that will make a difference to the look and stance, imagine how different mine will look coming from a 205/60 15!! :o

Gareth

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  • 3 months later...

Just got my 165's, Retro Classic 001 (formerly branded Nankang) and are a dead ringer for the old Michelin XVS. So not quite XAS but still look classic.

Here's a pic showing the rears on (the fronts have longer studs that I'm going to cut down this weekend).IMG_20190325_172220_643.thumb.jpg.1cbba9a15e21489c994af90787dc4d57.jpg

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30 minutes ago, Mk2 Chopper said:

Just got my 165's, Retro Classic 001 (formerly branded Nankang) and are a dead ringer for the old Michelin XVS. So not quite XAS but still look classic.

Here's a pic showing the rears on (the fronts have longer studs that I'm going to cut down this weekend).

That’s a very period looking tyre you will have to let us know how they perform. 

 

A28A4B5B-D6A7-4FF9-A6E1-1A47944EF46A.png

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15 minutes ago, Hamish said:

That’s a very period looking tyre you will have to let us know how they perform. 

I'll be sure to, by the way I paid £67.38 a tyre, took three weeks to get mind you. 

Gareth

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Got all the wheels on today and gave it a bit of a run, first impressions are positive, I tried the the pressures at the book value of 22/26 and all seemed good.

Gareth

IMG_20190329_180117_406.thumb.jpg.0f00a4fabe13a207221d1900f1c49682.jpg

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  • 1 year later...
On 3/27/2019 at 3:20 PM, Mk2 Chopper said:

Just got my 165's, Retro Classic 001 (formerly branded Nankang) and are a dead ringer for the old Michelin XVS. So not quite XAS but still look classic.

Here's a pic showing the rears on (the fronts have longer studs that I'm going to cut down this weekend).IMG_20190325_172220_643.thumb.jpg.1cbba9a15e21489c994af90787dc4d57.jpg

I'm thinking about getting a set of Retro Classics but in 185/80 size to go on some wire wheels I've acquired. I've been running Bridgestone Turanzas at 195/65 on my original steels but want some tyres that will fill the wheel arch better without having to lower the suspension (too many speed bumps in London...). I realise that it will cause the speedo to go out of whack but I dont care about that. i think it will aid comfort at the expense of handling, potentially higher top speed, worse acceleration. Anything else I should consider? would you get Retro Classics again?

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4 hours ago, jb green tr said:

I'm thinking about getting a set of Retro Classics but in 185/80 size to go on some wire wheels I've acquired. I've been running Bridgestone Turanzas at 195/65 on my original steels but want some tyres that will fill the wheel arch better without having to lower the suspension (too many speed bumps in London...). I realise that it will cause the speedo to go out of whack but I dont care about that. i think it will aid comfort at the expense of handling, potentially higher top speed, worse acceleration. Anything else I should consider? would you get Retro Classics again?

Ive got them, but mine is an ex US car so it's the right size. They seem pretty good to me, and also fill the wheel arches properly. 

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I think it's borderline with the 185's, I agree they fill the arches more but they look a little too fat to me. They used to do a 185/70 15 size and that's near enough the same diameter as the 165/80.

Try and look at pictures of cars with them, as has been said US cars had them with redlines so there should be plenty of pictures of them. 

Good luck with choosing them, and yes I'd buy the Retro Classics again. 

Gareth

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When I purchased my car it came with 195 x 15 tyres, the car looked great, but heavy steering and too much grip put me off. I have fitted Pirelli CA67 165/80 x 15 and the car is transformed, less grip yes, but more feel, it rides a little better and they look great too. The car has standard road springs with Koni’s front and Armstrongs at the rear (with uprated oil). I’m very happy with it.

 

 

1C6A4B68-093A-4229-ADF5-7738C4F064B7.jpeg

314603E5-BF16-485B-8E7A-CE636B7D212B.jpeg

Edited by Sill Gap Problem
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