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Wheels and tyres , opinions ?


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The dilemma today is new spoked wheels ,

chrome or painted ?
4 1/2” or 5 1/2  “ ? 

This depends of course wether I stick with the 165 tyres or go wider to say, a 185 /70 

i would be interested to hear the thoughts of owners with more experience , although I have now clocked up over 100 miles :) 

Thanks , Dave . 

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8 hours ago, Trumpy said:

Hi , thanks for the reply . If I keep the 165 tyre is there any advantage in going for a 5 1/2” rim over the 4 1/2 ? 
 

5 1/2” has 72 spokes so much stronger than the 4 1/2” 60 spoke. 

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And the 1" wider wheel stretches the tyre carcass more so it's much stiffer and less "wooly" using a 165 tyre (cuts out the wall flex and altering the tyre "slip" angles)...that's a good thing.

Mick Richards

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1 minute ago, Motorsport Mickey said:

And the 1" wider wheel stretches the tyre carcass more so it's much stiffer and less "wooly" using a 165 tyre (cuts out the wall flex and altering the tyre "slip" angles)...that's a good thing, and why I'll be using a 5.5 wheel with 165 on my road tyre when rebuilt. 

Mick Richards

 

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My TR5 has 15" x 5.5" wide 72 spoke chrome finish wheels. They look very nice against the Royal blue paintwork. It is fitted with 195/65 R15 tyres. This is what came with the car when I bought it in August last year. I understand that with this set up the rolling radius is similar to what would have been on the car originally.

You might find this previous thread of use:

Regards,

Denis

Edited by DenisMc
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Thanks for the info , It  makes sense to up grade to the 5 !/2" rims both for reasons above and this will allow a wider tyre to be fitted should i wish .

My local tyre man came up with some pretty shocking prices for both the 165/80 and a 185/70 .  Had a look on ebay and the best value by a mile are DIMAX Radar classic.  These are available in either size at £50 or £65 respectively . 

Anyone using these ?  

The Michelins,  Pirelli , Dunlops and Vredesteins etc are more than twice that  . 

     

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I did the same and put them on my TR6, absolutely transformed the handling and responsiveness. I must have been on something when I put on modern 195 x 65 I can't believe the difference never mind the added bonus of a set of five being less than the cost of one XAS!   

cheers

Derek

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+ another for the T Trac 2. First tried these on the 4A following a recommendation on here and now can't see me using any other tyre. They are particularly confidence inspiring in the wet and put me in mind of the old Dunlop SP Sport Aquajets- anyone remember those?

Tim

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I should have said, the wet grip and steering response of the T-Trac 2s are similar to the Dunlop SP Sports of yore but the life is far better due to a the lower wear rate of the newer technology tyre. 

Tim,

19. 09. 06 Wet Grossglockner Austrian high alpine pass.JPG

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Thanks again for the replies, 

Im currently waiting for a set of 51/2” 72 spoke wheels to arrive  from the Tr shop  .  
The Vredesteins are certainly well priced , even cheaper than the 185/70 Dimax classic so that seems the sensible  choice . 
I do like the more classic look of the Dimax tho’ !! 

 

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Hi all , 

i tried fitting my cars original splined hubs back on tonight and I’ve come across some stud issues .  
I had expected to simply cut the excess length off the studs but the cars front hubs have been champhered ( drilled) to take a tapered ( rear ) type stud . 
The problems are.  1-  the non threaded part of the stud protrudes through the car hub and is a slightly larger diameter than the hole in the splined hub flange , this can be easily remedied by enlarging the hole slightly  but . Problem 2- it looks like the non threaded part of the stud will then protrude enough to prevent the nuts from tightening fully . 
 My options are to either replace the front car hubs or try to modify the studs ! 

i am a little concerned that the front hubs may be compromised or the studs will be weakened if they don’t fit the taper perfectly. 
Any ideas or information be gratefully received. 
Thanks .  Dave 

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Some photos would make things more clear. 
Meanwhile don’t consider using compromised hubs good second hand front ones are easily sourced. 
Rather than shorten the studs use a 6mm spacer under the adaptor to retain the option of using bolt on wheels later or as a spare. 

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Thanks, 

It looks like i really need a new set of hubs for piece of mind ,  and for the correct stud fitment .  Although the spacer would solve the current issues and allow fitment as things are now.   

I had wanted to avoid spacers as they must alter the geometry / steering , maybe not enough to matter though if they are widely used . 

I tried Rimmers as i live nearby and they have a used pair of hubs at £215 .  Hopefully find some cheaper ? 

I had better check the rear hubs and make sure there are no surprises waiting for me there !. 

 

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22 hours ago, Trumpy said:

I had expected to simply cut the excess length off the studs but the cars front hubs have been champhered ( drilled) to take a tapered ( rear ) type stud . 
 

Surely front & rear studs are the same design (possibly different length)?  Perhaps post some pictures as previously suggested. There's not much that can go wrong with a front hub, so buying replacements seems a bit rash - you might end up with the same issue.

Jerry

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Hi , 
This is a learning curve for me but it seems that the rear studs are completely different to the fronts , they have a longer shank and have a tapered fit in the hub ,  the fronts have a flat fit in the hub and a shorter, thinner shank . 
At some point my front hubs have been altered to fit rear studs , I assume to get extra length to fit alloy wheels.  
The extra width and length of the shank prevents the splined hub fitting.

Fitting new hubs is probably excessive but if I can pick some up at a good price then I know the jobs done right ! 
I would’ve used new studs anyhow and I’ll put new bearings in as well . 
pics attached, 

Dave 

43156C46-CCE9-4F43-B5E1-E06EFC7ACED8.jpeg

D94B4D4A-E884-42A3-8CE8-6DF5251CC794.jpeg

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