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Off of our thread about 48 versus 60 spoke wheels I thought I'd share this question: Does anyone now drive a Healey with bias-ply tires?
When I bought my 100 in 1999 it had recently come out of Bud Weikert's Blue Ridge Summit, PA restoration shop where it had a body-off paint job and an engine refresh. But the wheels were the original 48 spokers still shod with some 5.90 Dunlop bias ply tire. It had been about 35 years since I had driven an LBC, having had a series of BMW sedans in the 70's and 80's, and when I first drove the car with any vigor, especially over choppy roads, I was appalled at the way it stepped out on an uneven surface. But a set of 60's and the aforementioned Michelins changed things drastically and after further suspension upgrades (tube shocks, a heavier front and a rear anti-roll bar, etc) I consider the 100 a good handling car both on highway and challenging roads given the limitations of the steering and rear suspension.
In any case I started vintage racing about 10 years ago and though some folks use radials I have always used bias-ply tires--different rules for different cars so I have Dunlop 204's on the SR and Avon ACR 9's on the Courier and Ginetta--and my point is that I have really come to love the characteristics of these tires that break away so predictably and controllably, if on a racing surface.
I'm not giving up the Michelin XAS on the (street) Healey but simply wonder if anyone still uses bias tires and enjoys them? I don't mean for car show/Concours purposes but for actual driving? I'd probably find them a lot more acceptable now.
When I bought my 100 in 1999 it had recently come out of Bud Weikert's Blue Ridge Summit, PA restoration shop where it had a body-off paint job and an engine refresh. But the wheels were the original 48 spokers still shod with some 5.90 Dunlop bias ply tire. It had been about 35 years since I had driven an LBC, having had a series of BMW sedans in the 70's and 80's, and when I first drove the car with any vigor, especially over choppy roads, I was appalled at the way it stepped out on an uneven surface. But a set of 60's and the aforementioned Michelins changed things drastically and after further suspension upgrades (tube shocks, a heavier front and a rear anti-roll bar, etc) I consider the 100 a good handling car both on highway and challenging roads given the limitations of the steering and rear suspension.
In any case I started vintage racing about 10 years ago and though some folks use radials I have always used bias-ply tires--different rules for different cars so I have Dunlop 204's on the SR and Avon ACR 9's on the Courier and Ginetta--and my point is that I have really come to love the characteristics of these tires that break away so predictably and controllably, if on a racing surface.
I'm not giving up the Michelin XAS on the (street) Healey but simply wonder if anyone still uses bias tires and enjoys them? I don't mean for car show/Concours purposes but for actual driving? I'd probably find them a lot more acceptable now.
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