'66 1800 tyres

[Gordon Hunter]

Hi, is it possible to fit lower profile tyres onto the standard 18000 S rims? Also, what is the best make of tyre to go for? Will lower profile tyres adversely effect speedo reading?

Thanks,

Gordon

[GL]

Check out this link: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

If the idea is to keep the original gearing here's how it breaks down:

165/80 = 794 revs per mile (this is the stock size)
195/65 = 807
195/60 = 833
185/65 = 824
185/60 = 850

I like a vintage look personally and wouldn't go for anything flatter that 60 series tyres. I run 5.5 x 15 wheels with 195 60 Pirellis. I like their P6000 tyre a lot.

Good luck!

[classicswede]

Hi there i run 195/60/15 STUNNER (pirelli) on standard 120 wheels. they grip extremly well. If you have wider 4in rims you could run 205/60/15 which give much closer gearing. hope this is of help Dai

[Paul 1800S]

Hi there i run 195/60/15 STUNNER (pirelli) on standard 120 wheels. they grip extremly well. If you have wider 4in rims you could run 205/60/15 which give much closer gearing. hope this is of help Dai

I know this is a late reply, but I'm faced with these questions right now - the tyres on my 1966 S are about 22 years old, so getting a bit dangerous. The standard 165 / 15 are findable at a price, however the more modern sizes are easier to get and generally a bit more reasonably priced....

I read on this forum in quite a few posts the people go to 195 and even higher on 4 or 4.5 inch rims. I've also read on several websites that 195 would require 5.5 inch at a minimum, here's an example :

http://www.anspneu.ch/table-des-correspondances-conseils.html

195/65/15 would indeed be ideal as it is a contemporary size... But is it really safe on 4 or 4.5 inch rims ???

[john h]

Personally, I would not run anything wider than a 185 on 4 inch rims (a 165 would be better).

Tyres are designed to operate on a rim of appropriate width. There is a little scope to experiment, but fitting a wide tyre on a narrow rim forces the sidewall to be at the wrong angle, creating stresses in the casing that the tyre was not designed for.

Also, turn-in to corners is poor because the narrow rim can't properly locate the contact patch of a wide tyre.

I suspect an insurance company could use severely mismatched tryes and wheels as a reason not to pay out, so take care.

Why not fit wider wheels? Or get your own wheels fitted with wider rims.

John

[Willie K]

Hi Guys

I agree with john h - the relationship between rim width and tyre width is an important safety issue to ensure the tyre operates as designed.
I have 5.5J minilites on my amazon with 195x65x15 Michelins.
I found the following web site gives good advice on comparisons of tyre diameters, percentage changes and effect on speedometer readings.
The site also provides recommended rim sizes for any given tyre size.

http://www.alloywheels.com/tyrecalc.asp

Hope this is of some help.

Cheers

[Paul 1800S]

Thanks. I'd checked alloywheels.com too.

So if the specialists say don't go above 165 on a 4.5 inch rim, why do some (and quite a lot) do it ?

Tyres can still be found in the original 165/15. I'm likely to go for the Vredestein Sprint Classics. The Michelin XAS are almost double the price...

[john h]

The XAS is a fantastic tyre. Totally transformed the driving experience of my Citroen DS when I switched from Vredestein to XAS. They improved ride (a little), grip (a lot) handling (a lot) and noise levels (slightly). Also lasted well. If you can afford it, give them a try.

[222s]

Tyres can still be found in the original 165/15. I'm likely to go for the Vredestein Sprint Classics. The Michelin XAS are almost double the price...

There's also Firestone's F560, which are usually about £50 each all in. I've run my car on these for the last 4 1/2 years.

The XAS is a fantastic tyre. Totally transformed the driving experience of my Citroen DS when I switched from Vredestein to XAS. They improved ride (a little), grip (a lot) handling (a lot) and noise levels (slightly). Also lasted well. If you can afford it, give them a try.

Wasn't the DS designed for those tyres though? Therefore wondering if fitting them to an Amazon would produce the same results.

[Paul 1800S]

Thanks for the inputs.

It is proving more difficult to buy tyres for the Volvo 1800S than for my Alfa Spider (185/70 14)... It took me about 30 minutes of reading reviews, and then an online order... 4 days later they are here.

For the 1800, it strikes me there are about 4 choices :

Michelin XAS
Vredestein Sprint Classic (or Sprint + I guess too)
Firestone F560
Continental CT22

There are others, like Toyo and Hankook.

Impossible to find any reviews though, and certainly not comparative. The only similar one I saw here in Switzerland is for the Firestone F590 which got a good review from the local Touring Club.

Any ideas where to look for reviews ? Thanks for the help

[druid]

Can't help much but i might go for the Firestone F560 when i can afford them, the comments on old posts lead me that way 'cos i aint paying £100+ for tyres when i can get then for £56:nah:

good luck!