JK Bonnett Posted August 29, 2023 Report Share Posted August 29, 2023 (edited) The going price for 165 15 Michelin XAS tyres is £200+ but here we have a set of 4 for less than £500. Can this be a case of it is too good to be true? This presumably is for white wall which I definitely would not want but even so, it is unbelievably cheap. https://www.giga-tyres.co.uk/product/GI-D-118162GA?Country=AUK&ID=css_rda_uk_Froogle_Shopping&gclid=CjwKCAjwrranBhAEEiwAzbhNtV283UTRrEIx3WKHjvRbQqP0Af-pu9nSyi4Iw9wsCR9el4rQkrc-jxoClp8QAvD_BwE Edited August 29, 2023 by JK Bonnett Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BlueTR3A-5EKT Posted August 29, 2023 Report Share Posted August 29, 2023 Ask them what date they were manufactured. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JK Bonnett Posted August 29, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2023 I've been following the discussion on the best available tyres in the standard 165 80 15 size and was interested to hear the opinions voiced. Currently, my car is running 185 65 15s on Minator alloys which work quite well once I arrived on the optimum (for me) tyre pressures. However, I don't like the fact that wheel centring is by way of the sleeve nuts which makes fittig the wheels awkward and, also, I never like deviating from manufacturer's sizes because of the millions that they pump in to find the optimum specs so who are we to randomly change mainly just for the sake of appearance. I do realise that when the TR2s and 3s were designed, crossply tyres were all that were available but notwithstanding that, I have a feeling that standard size, albeit radial tyres, would suit the suspension best. Having experienced the amazing performance of the XASs fitted to the Lightweight when racing, despite the price tag, they have to be my first and I think my only choice if and when I make the decision to change. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BlueTR3A-5EKT Posted August 29, 2023 Report Share Posted August 29, 2023 3 hours ago, JK Bonnett said: The going price for 165 15 Michelin XAS tyres is £200+ but here we have a set of 4 for less than £500. Can this be a case of it is too good to be true? This presumably is for white wall which I definitely would not want but even so, it is unbelievably cheap. https://www.giga-tyres.co.uk/product/GI-D-118162GA?Country=AUK&ID=css_rda_uk_Froogle_Shopping&gclid=CjwKCAjwrranBhAEEiwAzbhNtV283UTRrEIx3WKHjvRbQqP0Af-pu9nSyi4Iw9wsCR9el4rQkrc-jxoClp8QAvD_BwE I've fallen in now. Helps if you read the original post and all the link content. The tyre you link to has a 40 mm wide white wall stripe, if I read the spec correctly. Yes I agree the TR performs well on radial tyres. That said does anyone on here still have cross ply tyres fitted that are modern manufacture like Blockley's 550x15 and how do they perform? https://www.blockleytyre.com/product/550-x-15 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted August 29, 2023 Report Share Posted August 29, 2023 1 hour ago, BlueTR3A-5EKT said: I've fallen in now. Helps if you read the original post and all the link content. The tyre you link to has a 40 mm wide white wall stripe, if I read the spec correctly. Yes I agree the TR performs well on radial tyres. That said does anyone on here still have cross ply tyres fitted that are modern manufacture like Blockley's 550x15 and how do they perform? https://www.blockleytyre.com/product/550-x-15 Last time I looked Deggers was running his 3a on cross ply tyres "For the experience!" Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
brydon Posted August 29, 2023 Report Share Posted August 29, 2023 Hi I also run my '61 TR4 on Avon 590/15 crossply's, they are affected by white lines when wet but the overall "Experience" is pleasing. Andrew Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JK Bonnett Posted August 30, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2023 Like a number of others on this forum, I suspect, I can remember running on crossply tyres before radials were introduced. The first radials I can recall were Pirelli Cinturatos but Michelin Xs must have been around at the same time. I don't think I'd want to go back to crossplies but it would be an interesting experience to make the comparison of how each behaved when on the limit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ianc Posted August 30, 2023 Report Share Posted August 30, 2023 On my TR2 in the 1960s, Michelin X were very good in the dry and lasted for ever, even with the car being driven frequently at 100+ mph (legal then). However, one had to be very careful in the wet, especially in the summer months following a shower ias the combination of spilt oil and diesel mixed with water made an excellent lubricant! Being well aware of the problem, I can remember leaving the roundabout at Hyde Park Corner at very low speed in just such conditions and my TR2 executed a complete semicircle, leaving me against the kerb facing oncoming traffic. I had to reverse a long way before I was able to extricate myself from this predicament. Ian Cornish Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dic Doretti Posted August 30, 2023 Report Share Posted August 30, 2023 (edited) I think Michelin developed the radial tyre for the Citroen Traction Avant in the 1930s (Michelin were the parent company of Citroen from 1935). Even today the only tyre I can get for my Traction Avant is Michelin, 165x80x400. The tyre is well suited to the Citroen even in the wet and lasts for ever but at a high price, the advantages of a monopoly! Cheers Richard Edited August 30, 2023 by Dic Doretti Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ianc Posted August 31, 2023 Report Share Posted August 31, 2023 Correct, Richard. But the Citroen has far more sophisticated suspension than a TR, so doesn't let go in the same way! Ian Cornish Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Deggers Posted September 2, 2023 Report Share Posted September 2, 2023 On 8/29/2023 at 12:18 PM, BlueTR3A-5EKT said: . . . does anyone on here still have cross ply tyres fitted that are modern manufacture like Blockley's 550x15 and how do they perform? As Stuart says above, I’m running cross plies on the 3A. Crossply tyres had long since disappeared from UK roads by the time I learnt to drive. But when I bought the TR in 2010, I was keen to keep it as authentic to period as possible. Took a bit of getting used to I’ll admit, and “authentic” lessons were quickly learnt . . . Don’t lead-foot the brakes in the wet, without preparing for a field trip through the shrubbery. In the event of having to drop the anchor at speed, immediately reign in any expectations of slowing down. And praying (though advisable) is highly unlikely to improve stopping distances. That said, I do enjoy them. Once you get to grip with their limitations, in the right conditions a modern set of cross plies can (and do) make for a uniquely fun driving experience. And being original spec 5.50x15’s, they fit the wheel wells nicely too. Deggers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BlueTR3A-5EKT Posted September 2, 2023 Report Share Posted September 2, 2023 Thank you for sharing your experience with cross ply tyres. My only TR experience with cross ply tyres was on a TR3A that had ‘town & country ‘ type tyres on the rear and Dunlop ancients on the front. It refused to stop in the rain, and switched ends on damp days, notably once in the Earls Court one way system, the car ending up on the footpath facing on coming traffic. My previous TR had Michelin X tyres that similarly refused to grip in the rain. They were quickly replaced by Dunlop SP Sports. Best set of tyres I ever experienced on a TR for the first time were the Dunlops. Gripped in all weathers and kept me and the TR safe. Sadly they wore very quickly and Pete Cox was unable to supply more at under a tenner each. To replace them I bought the then recommended type of tyre….Pirelli CF67 Cinturato. Crashed the car within 10 hours of fitting them due to no grip in the rain on a corner I knew very well and that the previous Dunlops were not fazed by in any weather. Sold them within a week and searched out SP Sports. These experiences have set my mind toward soft and grippy tyres that might wear quickly but hang on in the rain. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted September 2, 2023 Report Share Posted September 2, 2023 I did once many years ago have a set of cross plies on a MK2 Jag which they were equipped with when new, 640x15 and that was so much fun till the day I encountered a diesel spill................................... Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Neale1969 Posted September 5, 2023 Report Share Posted September 5, 2023 I drove an Austin A35 on Avon crossply tyres for many years as my daily runner round London and occasional long distance (200 mile runs)…never went near a motorway or over 60mph. It was a thrill to drive on A roads at 60 mph…authentic is the word. Around the time I discovered James Hunt to be living near Wimbledon also driving an A35 (van) and apparently it give him thrills and spills without breaking speed limits. I think the tyres had everything to do with it. The day I swapped to radials the car was square on the road and kind of square in all its feel. I especially hated the look of them. In the end I was so bored I found a beautiful new set of crossply and promptly drove the car to Sweden. Fun! I have Firestone radials on my TR. There just tyres…I don’t care but if I wanted to get enthusiastic about tyres I’d definitely be up for the crossply experience… Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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