I have radial 16570R15 tires on my car (Kelly Metrics) which look
reasonably good. I agree that the Roadspeeds look a tiny bit better, because
of their
high profile, but I certainly believe that my 165s look better than the
185, 195, or 205 that some people put on their Healeys in the (I think
mistaken) belief that wider tires automatically equal safer tires.
Relative safety totally depends on conditions and the age of the tire (not
the period of the style).
The narrower tire will be much safer in the rain and on slick conditions,
where the wider tire will be more prone to aquaplaning.
The age of the tire matters a great deal. If you're running new Roadspeeds,
fine: they're speed rated beyond the road-handling speed capability of the
Healey, they use modern compounds, and the rubber is fresh. But don't under
any circumstances drive on any tire made before 2001 (and some would say
2004 -five to eight years old). Last four digits of the DOT code molded into
the tire indicate the week and year that the tire popped out of its mold.
There is some difference in handling between a bias-ply and a radial-ply
tire, certainly -- my race car runs on bias plies and I like the ability to
anticipate and control the drift. On the street, if I were to be going fast
enough to break the tires loose, a lot of other things (including my common
sense) would already have been lost.
Best
Gary
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