Tyres

[gs.davies]

Aside from the Aqujet, what tyres are available that look right on a Mark One 850?

I'm probably going to keep the original 3.5 rims, get them painted/powdercoated in OEW and run them without the trims...

I'm not totally averse to the idea of a cross ply as this car is only really going to be driven to some shows and that's about it. I'll probably look out for a nice set of D1's or Cosmic Mk2's if I want to 'drive' it and put 165 Aquajets on those.

[surfblue63]

Vintage tyres sell the 145R10 Camac radial, which looks more classic than a modern Falken. They also sell 520 10 Camac Cross Ply.

http://www.vintagetyres.com/search?qs=A ... 1965&cat=1

Longstone also sell both types if you're up north

http://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/search

[ianh1968]

Maybe a bit "off-topic" here, but check that the tyre fitters
know which spots are which on the sidewalls.

Both of my local fitters have been putting the "Red" spot
nearest to the valve.

You would think that these people should know this stuff,
but then, they don't even know how to use a torque wrench
correctly... They also cannot tell the difference between
compressor tank PSI and lb/ft of wheel nut torque!

On Falkens and Yokos, The "Yellow" spot is actually the
balance spot and the "Red" spot is to do with axial runout,
ie it is used to make the whole wheel/tyre assembly more
round... "Red" matches the lowest part of the rim with the
tallest part of the tyre (I think!)...

The fact that they have been doing this wrong has explained
why they always have problems getting my wheels balanced
and why I normally end up doing them myself with better
results...

Ian

[gs.davies]

Thanks surfblue, useful links.

What are the Camacs like in radial? Last time I had some of those I put the Mk5 Cortina that was wearing them in a ditch one slippery night..

How bad are Crossplies? Would my car likely have come from Longbridge in 1961 on a set?

As I mentioned I think the car will mainly be for show (at least at first..) and I'm trying to get the most authentic look possible

Gary

[surfblue63]

Gary

I have not tried either of those tyres so can not vouch for how good they are, but for what you are going to be using them for I would have said they would fit the bill. I had the Falken 145 tyres on UPR 65 when I owned it and it was possible to get the front to break away on a wet roundabout with a bit of throttle provocation.
I am thinking of putting the Camac 145s on my GT because the price of the Dunlops is just a bit, well pricey.

Stuart

[Lord Croker]

Gary, your Mini would have almost certainly come from Longbridge on cross ply tyres, my first Mini had them & I don't remember them causing me any problems, it was a few years ago but I seem to remember that the breakaway was more predictable & more gentle than with radials, albeit at a lower speed.
Ian, I couldn't agree more, fortunately I have 5" X 10" old type Mamba wheels, so I can easily fit my own tyres, which I always do, with nothing more than a rubber mallet.