Do we have any tyre experts?

[Des]

I have to get a set of tyres to replace some 50 + year old crossplies, their size is something like 550-16, so going to radial I will be needing something in an 80 profile, there are Avons and Vredestiens available but being an odd size are only made in small batches, and are about 300 a pop for fairly mediorcre rubber, plenty of van tyres in the right size but designed for twice the weight of a car so sidewalls will be stiff. Taxi tyres are just the right size, 175-80/16, they are 6 ply, not sure if they will be a bit stiff, the other thought is 4X4 tyres, can be easily found with tarmac thread profiles for the soft roaders, but what would they be like on a 1265 kg car?

Or do I band the rimz and get busy with the lighter fuel.

[Albert Ross]

http://www.vintagetyres.com/item/285/55 ... --premium-

 

[Angrydicky]

I've got 175/16 Austone taxi tyres on the Atlantic. Got them from here: http://www.tyretraders.com/tyreInformat ... CSR81.html

 

Roadholding is dramatically improved over crossplies and the steering isn't much heavier, it's manageable.

 

Hope this helps!

[Des]

Those tyres look a good price Albert, but they're crossplies, could lead to me getting a bit dead, I did come across the Austones Dicky, very cheap but they seem to be made in China, have you dome many miles on them yet? Tried them in the wet, that kind of thing. It's hard to know with Chinese stuff, they can do excellent quality cheaply. I'm a bit paranoid about tyres, and the ones I get could get buzzed up to 100 MPH, I've promised myself I'll never go near that speed but who knows what might happen if I find myself on a clear stretch of lane when I'm drunk or high.

[Angrydicky]

I've done about 300 miles, not in the wet though, sorry. They do seem good though (and were recommended to me by another A90 owner).

 

The way I see it is, they're designed to do thousands of miles a year in all weathers on FX4 cabs so they should be good enough for my car!