Babs Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 I would be pleased for some advice on the following, I have recently purchased a 1960 TR3a fitted with four 72 spoke wires with 195 tyres as I like to keep a spare with me I purchased a 60 spoke original 3a wheel with a 165 pirelli cinturato tyre (now theres a name to conjure with!) which I will obviously replace with a new one, I cannot however fit the old original wheel in the spare wheel compartment even if I completely deflate the tyre. surely when these cars were made and the wire wheels were an extra? what happened to the spare? I would really appreciate any suggestions. Many thanks Babs Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin T Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 Babs, I may be wrong on this, but I've heard the 48 spoke wheel is the one that fits, due to the hub size as compared to the 60 spoke version..... I'm sure others will chime in as to the validity of that statement.. Cheers, Kevin I would be pleased for some advice on the following, I have recently purchased a 1960 TR3a fitted with four 72 spoke wires with 195 tyres as I like to keep a spare with me I purchased a 60 spoke original 3a wheel with a 165 pirelli cinturato tyre (now theres a name to conjure with!) which I will obviously replace with a new one, I cannot however fit the old original wheel in the spare wheel compartment even if I completely deflate the tyre. surely when these cars were made and the wire wheels were an extra? what happened to the spare? I would really appreciate any suggestions. Many thanks Babs Quote Link to post Share on other sites
david ferry Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 Babs, Those tyres sound a little wide for the wheels you have. You should check the wings to ensure that the edges have all been 'turned in'. This is quite important as either the front or rear wings (I cannot remember which) have a rolled over edge, the other does not. This unrolled edge needs to be rolled over so as to not catch the tyres. I'll leave it to you to think of the consequences of having the side wall of the tyres sliced through by the bodywork. This was done on my TR3a running 72 spoke wires and 185/70 profile tyres. The best solution for the spare wheel is to cut through the boot floor into the spare wheel well below, fold the edge over and weld this to the spare wheel well. Arrange a semi-permanent method of sealing the spare wheel door (easy to do and reverse if needs be) and then to 'drop' the 72 spoke (or 60 spoke) spare wheel into the spare wheel well, from above. In my case, a wooden boot floor was made, with upstands at the side so that other stuff can be put into the boot, without piling onto the spare wheel. This probably all sounds a bit of a major job on a car you have just bought. Mine was done whilst the car was being rebuilt and the body was in bare metal. It is however, in my opinion, the best solution. You will have a spare wheel of the same size, with the same tyre as all the others. Others may disagree but it is all reversible and you, or a previous owner cannot be too concerned about originality due to the wheels and tyres fitted. If you would like further details please send me a personal message. Regards David Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Babs Posted April 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 Babs, Those tyres sound a little wide for the wheels you have. You should check the wings to ensure that the edges have all been 'turned in'. This is quite important as either the front or rear wings (I cannot remember which) have a rolled over edge, the other does not. This unrolled edge needs to be rolled over so as to not catch the tyres. I'll leave it to you to think of the consequences of having the side wall of the tyres sliced through by the bodywork. This was done on my TR3a running 72 spoke wires and 185/70 profile tyres. The best solution for the spare wheel is to cut through the boot floor into the spare wheel well below, fold the edge over and weld this to the spare wheel well. Arrange a semi-permanent method of sealing the spare wheel door (easy to do and reverse if needs be) and then to 'drop' the 72 spoke (or 60 spoke) spare wheel into the spare wheel well, from above. In my case, a wooden boot floor was made, with upstands at the side so that other stuff can be put into the boot, without piling onto the spare wheel. This probably all sounds a bit of a major job on a car you have just bought. Mine was done whilst the car was being rebuilt and the body was in bare metal. It is however, in my opinion, the best solution. You will have a spare wheel of the same size, with the same tyre as all the others. Others may disagree but it is all reversible and you, or a previous owner cannot be too concerned about originality due to the wheels and tyres fitted. If you would like further details please send me a personal message. Regards David David, sounds a bit drastic as the car has just been restored but I would like further details as the work you describe would not be visible from outside. my e-mail is duts@talktalk.net many thanks for your reply Babs Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Neil Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 the spare wheel compartment on my 3A is standard (as far as I know) and it takes a 60 spoke wire wheel with 155 tyre OK. Perhaps swap the 165 for a 155? HTH Neil Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 the spare wheel compartment on my 3A is standard (as far as I know) and it takes a 60 spoke wire wheel with 155 tyre OK. Perhaps swap the 165 for a 155? HTH Neil Neil that is the usual dodge to get a spare in as 155 is fairly close to original crossply tyre size that the spare well was designed to accomodate. A lot of problems also occur as the boot floor tends to get bowed down over the years with oversized luggage being shoved in and then compressed by closing the boot lid down on it!! Dont forget the strap or rope around the tyre to enable you to get the spare out as its easier to shove it in than get it out (ooer missus!) Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jean Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 I think the 60k + bodies have larger wheel wells than earlier cars, but they anyhow will not allow larger tyres than 155. David's solution is the best, I just don't know in how far this might influence the rear body strength. It's more or less the solution opted for on the TR6 As some say a smaller rim and tyre is ok, only in the event of a puncture it will be hard to store the larger tyre afterwards. On my 3 I run a set of KNs with 195 tyres plus spacers, with folded wing rims on the rear side, without any problems, just hope I never get a flat as my spare wheel is standard steel with a 155 tyre In case you use different wheels don't forget to take along some appropriate wheel nuts in case of..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BrianC Posted April 12, 2007 Report Share Posted April 12, 2007 I have used a variety of 165 tyres (including Michelin, Goodyear, Uniroyal) on standard steel wheels in both pre- and post-TS60000 cars. Although a tight fit, they are removable with a strap ( I use seat-belt webbing) fitted through a wheel slot. However, I've never tried with wire wheels. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.