Malcolm McDonald wrote:
>Maybe I am suffering from cabin fever also but
> I too am looking for a set of new wheels for my Tiger.
(SNIP)
>Also, from a performance standpoint.. bigger is usually better.
IF we're still talking about wheel diameter...
...does anyone recall which issue of Road & Track (?) that had a
'test' of the so-called "plus one", "plus two", etc., wheel upgrades,
perhaps 2-3 years ago? It's the only attempt I've read with objective data
on the subject. My memory is not trustworthy, but I seem to remember that
the conclusion was some handling improvement for "plus one", none for "plus
two" or "plus three", but no critical drawbacks either, therefore one could
choose wheel size with aesthetics as the primary criterion. But do not,
repeat not, take my word on it. OTOH, if I had 14" or 15" wheels on the
Garage Queen, I would not have had the clearance problems when switching
over to read disc brakes (caliper hitting inside edge of rim).
Mike Wood wrote:
>Kind of off the subject, but I can't understand some
>Tiger owners "need" to have a hardtop.
I basically agree, but there are owners who use their cars much more
than I do and over a wider range of weather conditions. A hardtop would be
an improvement during cold and/or wet weather, also hot (as you mentioned),
and some folks with thinning hair might desire protection from the sun on
clear days. If one is not driving "top down", either the stock hardtop or
this "Smoothline" unit looks better than the soft-top, eh? I do think the
"roofline" of the car with the soft-top up is awkward. Bonus benefit: anyone
taking a Tiger to the office or out to a restaurant, etc., might want the
hard-top on to make it _somewhat_ more difficult to break into or steal the
car. And finally, the car seems quieter with the hard-top in place than with
the soft-top up.
There are a couple of Tigers that I don't think I've ever seen with
the hard-top _off_! That kinda reduces the Tiger to a sort of coupe, IMHO,
but that's the owners' choice. My hardtop has been collecting (lots of) dust
in the basement ever since we got the garage and were able to keep the GQ
indoors during the winter. But recently I've _thought_ about putting it on
for a few winter drives when road conditions permit.
After reading what Chris says about the quality and replacement
parts cost, I do not think that the Smoothline top is a good choice if one
can find a refurbishable factory top for a sane price.
Lawrence R. Wright, Purchasing Analyst
U S Office Products, Mid-Atlantic District
Formerly Andrews Office Products
larry.wright@usop.com
Ph. 301.386.7923 Fx. 301.386.5333
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