Ashley Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 I have to replace the tyres on my TR6 and have been reading through the old posts on which tyres to use. To be honest it has left me more confused than I was before I started! So I had a look at other sites, and found the following on the Longstone Classic Tyres site. "Triumph TR6 Tyres Longstone classic tyres recommend the 165HR15 Michelin XAS for your classic Triumph TR6 We recommend the 165HR15 Michelin XAS for Triumph TR6's as they are a correct period sports car tyre. They are an asymmetric classic tyre that offers outstanding levels of grip and directional stability. It is possible to fit lower profile tires to a TR6. Some people fit 185/70R15 or 195/65R15 tires to TR6 cars, but the TR6 doesn't handle so well. 165HR15 Michelin XAS is the best tire for a TR6. Triumph fitted 165HR15 Michelin XAS to its TR6." Though that I should add it to the debate for others like me looking to replace their tyres. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kevo_6 Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 Hi Ashley I got a set of 165HR15 Michelin XAS's from Longstone Tyres, you will also need inner tubes. They were very easy to deal with and a very prompt delivery. (No connection, just a very happy customer). The cars handling was transformed and they look the part. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ashley Posted June 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 Thanks Kevo, Good to hear such positive feedback, and top tip about the inner tube. Ashley Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PILKIE Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 Got them on mine!! Brilliant tyre and handling,ride is excellent compared to the last set I had! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Denis Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 TR's that 'handle' ? Think you mean grip! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Alec Pringle Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 Hi Ashley, back in the day there was nothing to touch XAS. A decade later there still wasn't a road tyre that could match the XAS round Goodwood in terms of lap times, and the controllability and recoverability of the Michelin left everything else for dead - as in overcook it and you had a chance of retrieving the situation if XAS shod. The only tyre I tested that came close was a Nokia - that's back in 1979-80. Wider tyres of lower profile are all well and good until you reach breakaway point and exceed it, only then do you realise that the recoverability factor is somewhere between bugger all and even less. Bit late to wish you'd spent out loadsamoney on XAS. Longstone aren't offering a revelation, Dougal is simply suggesting what I've been observing for 40 years ! Hate to think how many times I've mentioned XAS on here . . . . . Cheers Alec Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Motorsport Mickey Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 TR's that 'handle' ? Think you mean grip! You can make a TR handle and 165 tyres play a part in it, on the other hand 195 tyres will give you grip, not the same thing at all ! Mick Richards Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Andy Moltu Posted June 3, 2014 Report Share Posted June 3, 2014 I fear opinions will be divided between those who prefer the extra grip of modern rubber and those who prefer the feel of old rubber. Longstone are firmly (could I say rigidly) in the old rubber school. What was "right" in it's day may well still be the best option but not necessarily so. Do I want to slide and catch it at medium speeds or do you want something that gives you more grip but is perhaps less easy to catch when it does let go. Is it really the tyre's fault that it's harder to catch or simply that if you loose it at a higher speed you have less chance of catching it anyway? Why are punctures less common than in the 70s? Having had both over the years I am firmly in the camp of 195/65/15 (Avons at present). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
astontr6 Posted June 3, 2014 Report Share Posted June 3, 2014 Hi All, I would be very surprised if the XAS tyres manufactured today have the same compound as in the 1970's. The brand name will be the same but compounds have moved on, in leaps and bounds, since then. Top end manufactures also vary the compound for different market / climate conditions, the UK requires good wet weather grip, for instance. In my experience, when people talk about grip/handling in a TR, the thing that has the most effect, is the condition of the rear suspension (IRS): 'Condition of Radius Arm Bushes, Rear Shocks,Springs and Drive Shafts'. Therefore, I believe it is a very personal choice of what tyre to go for. I never had any complaint about the XAS tyres fitted to TR6 in the 1970's Bruce. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mike3739 Posted June 3, 2014 Report Share Posted June 3, 2014 I fear opinions will be divided between those who prefer the extra grip of modern rubber and those who prefer the feel of old rubber. Longstone are firmly (could I say rigidly) in the old rubber school. What was "right" in it's day may well still be the best option but not necessarily so. Do I want to slide and catch it at medium speeds or do you want something that gives you more grip but is perhaps less easy to catch when it does let go. Is it really the tyre's fault that it's harder to catch or simply that if you loose it at a higher speed you have less chance of catching it anyway? Why are punctures less common than in the 70s? Having had both over the years I am firmly in the camp of 195/65/15 (Avons at present). Avons here also Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PaulAA Posted June 18, 2014 Report Share Posted June 18, 2014 A bit against the grain, I've just replaced the Coker 185/15s (possibly the only tyre in the world with worse grip in the dry than in the wet) with Yokohama 195/70r15s, on the basis that I wanted a taller wall for absorbtion over our appalling macadam surfaces in town and a grippier tyre for predictable handling in the the predominantly urban use the car gets. Two hundred quid for all four, fitted, so it won't hurt too much to slink back to a classic tyre if the experiment fails. It's a compromise, largely because the Vred Sprint Classics I originally targetted are prohibitively expensive (well over £250 each, even after discount, for old stock) and a standard 65-section tyre would be far too short in the wall, but the first 20 clicks of mixed driving on the Yokos this afternoon were promising. The ride is obviously a little harsher and there is enough difference in the ride height to bring the rear box into contact with the road surface more frequently, but I really have no opportunity for track use and so handling is necessarily a subsidiary consideration to grip. Bit of an ugly brute, though... Cheers Paul Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tom Fremont Posted June 18, 2014 Report Share Posted June 18, 2014 When the time comes to replace the circa 2002 185-15 XAS tyres on my concours car I'll probably go with the XVSs because the size has been discontinued in the XAS . I doubt the XVS lacks anything the XAS has but welcome any comments from those who've had them. I've got Michelin Pilot 195/65s on my driver; XASs have better grip though they do sing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted June 18, 2014 Report Share Posted June 18, 2014 When the time comes to replace the circa 2002 185-15 XAS tyres on my concours car I'll probably go with the XVSs because the size has been discontinued in the XAS . I doubt the XVS lacks anything the XAS has but welcome any comments from those who've had them. I've got Michelin Pilot 195/65s on my driver; XASs have better grip though they do sing. Cant comment on XVS but I used to run XWX on my XJ6 same as the police ones at the time and they were superb in any condition. Not cheap again though. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
foster461 Posted June 18, 2014 Report Share Posted June 18, 2014 I just replaced the 215/70 tires on my TR6 with Michelin Pilot Exalto all season, 205/65 Going down two sizes lightened up the steering by at least an order of magnitude and they look better on the 15x6 Panasports. Probably not going to wear me or the steering out as quickly. Under $100 a corner, fitted and balanced with new metal chromed valves. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PaulAA Posted June 19, 2014 Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 I just replaced the 215/70 tires on my TR6 with Michelin Pilot Exalto all season, 205/65 Going down two sizes lightened up the steering by at least an order of magnitude and they look better on the 15x6 Panasports. Probably not going to wear me or the steering out as quickly. Under $100 a corner, fitted and balanced with new metal chromed valves. Wow, 215/70... isn't that the size that Massey Ferguson use on their tractors? Out of interest, did the tyre stay wholly under the wheel arch? I've seen '6s with 205 tyres, which stand beyond the wing and would therefore not pass the annual technical test. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted June 19, 2014 Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 Depends on the offset of the rims. I run 195`s on a 4a with a lot of inset on the Minilite type rims and the tyres are inside the arches.On a 6 with the wider flares on the wings you can go wider but on EU roads its pointless. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Andy Moltu Posted June 19, 2014 Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 A 195/65 section tyre has a similar rolling diameter to the original 165s. Some cars had 185s as standard which is clearly bigger in terms of rolling diameter. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PaulAA Posted June 19, 2014 Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 Depends on the offset of the rims. I run 195`s on a 4a with a lot of inset on the Minilite type rims and the tyres are inside the arches.On a 6 with the wider flares on the wings you can go wider but on EU roads its pointless. Stuart. Stuart Ach, I meant to ask what wheel and what offset. Not relevant to the thread, but I've done this on the daily driver (middle age spread...) and had quite a game finding a spacer that didn't induce vibration at speed. A 195/65 section tyre has a similar rolling diameter to the original 165s. Some cars had 185s as standard which is clearly bigger in terms of rolling diameter. Andy I believe the US cars had the 185s - is there a reason for the difference, perchance? To my eye, the 195/65 looks a little lost in the wheel well, unless the ride height is dropped an inch or so. Purely aesthetics, of course... The 195/70s I've just fitted have a smaller rolling diameter than the 185s they replaced. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
foster461 Posted June 19, 2014 Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 Wow, 215/70... isn't that the size that Massey Ferguson use on their tractors? Out of interest, did the tyre stay wholly under the wheel arch? I've seen '6s with 205 tyres, which stand beyond the wing and would therefore not pass the annual technical test. Those tires are big but they did not look that out of place to me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tom Fremont Posted June 19, 2014 Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 Overall gearing with 165s / 3.45:1 diff vs. 185s and 3.71 diff is about the same. 195/65s are actually smaller in diameter than the original 80 aspect ratio 165s, so with them and the 3.45 diff the overall gearing is virtually identical to the U.S. spec cars. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
brian -r Posted June 19, 2014 Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 When I replaced the tyres on mine the manager at the tyre centre got out his data sheets and compared the old and new specs , the 195/65s came closest to the original 165 spec overall. As for make I think it's very much personal choice and how you want to drive the car,at the moment I'm running firestones and for normal driving they are working well. Brian Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BlueTR3A-5EKT Posted June 19, 2014 Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 Here you go Vred sprint classic 185/80/15 @ £90.00each http://www.mytyres.co.uk/cgi-bin/rshop.pl And the dealer is in Poland........ I bought T Trac from them and am thoroughly delighted. Over the Goodyear NCT 185/70/15 which were like balloon tyres and heavy on the steering. Cheers Peter W Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PaulAA Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 (edited) Done a few more clicks on the Yokohamas and I am very pleased with them. Hugely improved grip, significantly lighter steering, slight increase in ride stiffness. I just need to get the middle section of both exhaust pipes re-aligned, before i wear a hole in the bottom elbow... Also checked the speedo against the GPS and the reduction in tyre diameter over the 185/15s now gives exactly the right reading. Cheers Paul Edited June 21, 2014 by PaulAA Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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