Bill Schooler wrote:
>
> I gotta chime in here. I suspect you're gonna get hammered on this
> one, Gary. For MGB wire wheel guys, the original 165SR14s are really
> hard to find. I know of only one manufacturer who is currently
> making the tire at a reasonable price
<snip>
> Some folks say you can stuff a 185/70R14 on a wire wheel rim, but I
> and the tire manufacturers think that's pushing it. For the Rostyle
> wheel, which has a wider rim, there doesn't seem to be as much of a
> supply problem.
>
I am not sure what the argument is here. Are we talking "originalists"
versus the rest?
I just went down to my local tyre store and grabbed some "off-the-shelf"
discount 175/70R14 tyres to replace the skinny 165s that were on my '68
'B wire wheels when I bought her. I did a 'driver training' course with
those 165s and was horrified at the lack of grip for cornering and hard
braking (it might have been the old tyres rather than the width... who
knows, but I think it might have been a bit of both).
I then sprinted the car on wire wheels with the 175s but was taking
every corner sideways. I was also loosening or breaking spokes.
I replaced the original wire wheels with a groovy looking set of
powder-coated wires and gave myself an extra treat by getting a new set
of tyres. 185/60R14 Yokohama A509s - love these tyres and wanted the
195s but I also was told that I was pushing it to fit the 185s on the
wire rims. My sprint times dropped dramatically with the new tyres...
but I was still breaking spokes.
These tyres were great touring rubber too... I couldn't go back to the
skinny tyres. My next move was to get rid of my beloved wires for
Rostyles and now I could fit (and still want to get) the 195s... but my
budget says I should make these Yokohamas last for at least 12 months
before dumping them :-)
So to answer David's question.
> So I have to ask out of curiosity as to why some of you want to go
> with these wide monsters besides maybe cost and/or availability.
My reason is (even though I wouldn't call 195s "monsters") because they
stick to the road, which is a good thing for a tyre to do whether you
are going forwards, sideways or trying to stop. And I want my tyres to
keep me on the black stuff whether I am sprinting or just driving
through the twisty roads for fun (crawling to work each day may not
require this... but if a child runs out from behind a parked car I might
also appreciate them).
Eric
'68MGB MkII
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