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Hi all .

Im new to this form on communication so please help me.

 I have a 1973 6 American import which I have spent the last year bringing back to life, including swapping from left to right hand drive.

This is my 4th TR and I have some kind of affinity to the marque as I was brought up in Coventry and for some years worked at a aluminium foundry which supplied many of the components on my car. Anyway enough of that.

My question is, what size and what make of tyres should I put on the car. Please be aware it will not be raced or rallied. It is strictly for a man of a certain age to potter in. I’m also a pensioner so money will have to be considered.

Thanks in anticipation of some sound advice.

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You will probably get as many different answers as there are TR6's.

Wires, steel or alloy may force certain decisions. Do you want the feel & look of the car as it was, or don't mind a more modern tyre? I presume mileage will be low so longevity unlikely a factor - they'll probably get too old before wearing out.

A size that fits a current vehicle will be cheaper than the 'correct' vintage. My personal choice is Toyo Proxes CF2 195/65 which is a similar rolling radius to the original so won't throw the speedo out. They're fairly soft so won't last long but have excellent grip wet or dry.

One would expect a 165/80 to require less steering input at slow speed than a 195/65.

Jerry

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As a US import the original fitment was 185 15, as Ed pointed out, the final drive (diff) is a different ratio to UK cars.

So if you were to fit 195 65 15's in 4th you'd be revving higher to maintain the same speed than a UK car. 

So the easiest option is to find some 185 80 15's, next change the diff for a UK one and fit 165 80 15's (or the 195 65 15's). Or just fit the tyres just mentioned and rev a little more to maintain the same speed. 

Gareth

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Colin - from your description of how you view and plan to use your car, I would stick with the original UK size of 165/80x15.

There has been a lot of positive feedback here on the forum for Vredenstein T Tracs 2s and they are very reasonably priced - see here for example but search around for the best deals:

 https://www.blackcircles.com/catalogue/vredestein/t-trac-2/165/80/R15/T/87/m?tyre=33587177&gclid=CjwKCAiAv_KMBhAzEiwAs-rX1DN4ET2OE4NaWY0Z7Wc6Via2li342AV81mqU_gunmd0IGuu2NrKCQR

Personally, I wouldn't go for 175/80 tyres as they will have a different rolling radius to standard and hence will affect your speedo accuracy.

Cheers Rich

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This has been covered before.

Just be sure that the speed rating of the tyre you choose is sufficient for the car manufacturer’s stated top speed.   PI cars were specified with HR rated tyres from new I believe.  That I think is up to 135 mph.  Carb spec had a lower top speed.so lower speed rating on the tyre.


Just do not give the insurance companies another exit route in the event of a claim.

 

Edited by BlueTR3A-5EKT
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I run yokohama 195s.. they work well and speed recalibration was pretty minimal.

My sister is able to drive the car fine so steering at low speeds isnt too much of an issue.

More recently for my other classics I have been moving towards Uniroyal Rain expert 2. These are much more grippier than other tyres I have had. They even keep the backend controlable in my 1.8L K series MG midget.. I suspect they will wear quick but unlikely they will wear out before they get too old to be on the car.

Tim

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1 hour ago, Colin Ablewhite said:

Thank you all for your help. 
just to complicate things I have found some Nankane 175/80 R15 S (90) on Black Circles on offer this week.

I am little concerned about making the steering too heavy with 195 tyres. Any thoughts?

They are closer to the original 185 tyre wall height than 165 or 195's. On your second point, I'm using a 165 on a UK car and find the steering nice and light compared to the low profiles that were fitted before. 

Gareth

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1 hour ago, Colin Ablewhite said:

Thank you all for your help. 
just to complicate things I have found some Nankane 175/80 R15 S (90) on Black Circles on offer this week.

I am little concerned about making the steering too heavy with 195 tyres. Any thoughts?

I bought Nankang tyres in 2018. They are a good tyre with good grip. Used them on the 2018/21 RBRR’s with no issues. George Polley also claimed they are a good tyre even though he sells Yokohama. I cannot even pronounce Vredenstein for the life of me!

Kevin

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As already mentioned as its a US spec car, unless you've changed the diff using 195/65 tyres or 165/80 tyres will result in the speedo over reading by about 6%. 

I've been round this issue several times in the past and stuck with the 185/80 size because of it. However this is a less common size now and so most decent tyres are very expensive.

If you ask the yanks what they use many will say 205/70 as this gives the same rolling diameter as the original size. I always thought that this would make the steering even heavier but the message from across the pond was no it didn't. 

Eventually I thought I'd give this size ago and found some very reasonably priced good quality (& reviews) tyres. Since changing over to this size I've not noticed the steering has been any heavier and have found the ride and grip to be excellent. Plus on checking the speedo against GPS and its spot on.

Cheers Darren 

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195 Dunlop for me on my US spec TR6 with UK diff, I don't find the steering to heavy and once moving the ride is quite pleasant. I consider the easy availability a big plus as we often use the car for touring , a damaged tyre that can't be replaced with off the shelf stock can turn a minor inconvenience into a disaster. 

George 

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3 hours ago, harlequin said:

I consider the easy availability a big plus as we often use the car for touring , a damaged tyre that can't be replaced with off the shelf stock can turn a minor inconvenience into a disaster.

great point George, hadn't even thought a out that... glad I am on easy to find 195

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23 hours ago, DRD said:

If you ask the yanks what they use many will say 205/70 as this gives the same rolling diameter as the original size. I always thought that this would make the steering even heavier but the message from across the pond was no it didn't. 

 

Cheers Darren 

Yes but they havent got any bends and parking lots are huge.

Stuart.

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7 hours ago, stuart said:

Yes but they havent got any bends and parking lots are huge.

Stuart.

:D Good one!

Colin stick to the correct 165 or 185 what the axles etc were designed for! Modern tyres are so superior in terms of grip already to what they put on them 50 years ago, so there's no need for fat tyres that only stress old components!

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I normally run 195/65 Michelins on my 4A with a 3.7 diff. That gives the same rolling radius as the 165/80 which are prohibitively expensive here. I changed to 185/80x15 Hankooks for our 8500km trip across the Nullarbor to Perth. They gave a 7% increase in gearing and a little more ground clearance. I have a 165 as a spare on a 4” rim so I don’t have a step in the boot. 

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I know its all been said before but by reverting to 165's, after many many years of having 195's, transformed the way my TR6 drives. In my case it could of course just be old age catching up with me!

Derek

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