Tires - 185-65R15 for BT7 or BJ7?

[blueskies]

As anyone looking for tires for our Healeys likely knows, we don't have a lot of choices. The only tires even close to the right size available here are tires in the 185-65R15 size. The width likely would be OK, or not, on original wire wheels?? Regarding diameter, the tire size calculator lists the diameter at 24.5". That is about one inch less than the cars came with originally. I'm wondering how that is working out for those who made that choice. These cars already are very low with stock tires. Any other good options in somewhat readily available tire sizes?

 

[British_Recovery]

I think the minimum in a 185 tire would be a 70 series. There are more 165/15 (80 ratio) around - Firestones, Nexen, etc. - than before. These would work on the narrower original wheels, and look correct. I have been using 195/65-15 on the 5 1/2" rims with good results.
Longstone tires in GB is worth a look.
Bob

 

[Keoke]

Bite the bullet and buy Verdestien 185/70/15 tires, a bit expensive i will admit

 

[blueskies]

Any place in particular to buy the Vredestiens?

Classic and Federal brand tires in the 165/80R15 size are available. Any experiences with Classic or Federal tires? At the price, they may be made in China.

Thanks.

 

[Keoke]

Call Hendrix here in the US

Thanks for that heads up BOB

 

[Bob_Spidell]

Any place in particular to buy the Vredestiens?

I'll be buying a set soon (will be my third or fourth set). Best price I've found so far is here: https://tiresunlimited.com/ALL TIRES/Vredestein/vred_sprint_classic.htm

 

[blueskies]

Bite the bullet and buy Verdestien 185/70/15 tires, a bit expensive i will admit

Will that size fit on the original 4 inch wide wheels? Haven't found anyone in Canada yet that carries the Vredesteins. Another option is the 165/8-R15 - One can get them in either Classic or Nexen brand here, but that's about it.

 

[Keoke]

Yeah they will fit.
However, the current economy [ 1 USD = 1.28238 CAD-] makes coming over the US border to get a set a smitten painful @ the moment.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

Will that size fit on the original 4 inch wide wheels? ...

They'd probably fit, but a) I think they'd look ridiculous, and b) 4-inch wheels usually have 48 spokes--though they might be available in 60-spoke (I'm too lazy to check)--and you'll probably break spokes like crazy if you do any spirited driving. I put 185/70R15 on 5-inch wheels with 60-spokes and broke several spokes before getting 6-inch 72-spoke wheels. I think 6-inch is a bit wide as they protrude a bit from the wells, but they do grip well. 185R15--equivalent to an 80-series I believe--is preferred by some as they are closer to 'spec' height.

 

[vette]

Hey Bob, what is "Spec Height" anyway. Thanks.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

I've seen it quoted online--Longstone in England IIRC, but can't find it today--but my back-of-the-envelope calculation it's a bit over 25" total diameter. This is arrived by:

15" wheel diameter = 381mm
165mm tread width x .8 = 132mm ('normal' profile--i.e. non 'low-profile'--radial is generally considered to be approx. 0.80 aspect ratio. That is, tire is 80% as tall as wide)
132mm X 2 = 264mm
381mm + 264mm = 645mm
645 / 25.4 (mm/inch) = 25.39"

Later cars came with a radial option, I believe, though I can't recall the name and don't have my BMIHT cert. handy ('Road-'something) and, if I'm not mistaken it was 165mm tread width. Some owners--maybe they're on this forum--prefer 185R15, which gives a total nominal (unloaded) height of 26.65", which may be closer still to original height (the original radials may have an aspect ratio greater than 0.80).

If I had to pick a number, I'd guesstimate original, nominal height was between 25.5 and 26 inches.

Our speedometers are calibrated by 1,000 turns of the cable equals some distance (1,520' comes to mind, but I don't know from where), so if you know that number you can calc how far the tire would travel--hence its circumference--and from there get its diameter (though that might be the loaded--'squashed'--diameter).

Good info here: https://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/page/vintage-tyres

 

[Bob_Spidell]

Ah, found it: https://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/page/590h15-dunlop-rs5.html

The original Dunlop 'Roadspeed' was 660mm dia.--or 25.98"--which is what I meant by 'spec.' And, I was wrong, they weren't radials.

 

[blueskies]

Given the choices, or lack thereof, I ended up ordering five Nexens, in 165/80R15. These will go on the BN4 with the 4" original rims. The width and height should work well. It seems that Nexen is a Korean company (not Chinese); not sure if that makes a difference. The tire shop guy says that they are seeing Nexens on more and more new cars, equipped that way from the factory. Hoping for the best.

The rims are undergoing a refurbishment, including rust removal and repainting. They needed seven or eight new spokes, which I robbed from a surplus rim that already had a few missing spokes. Settled on Duplicolor silver wheel paint, advertised to stand up the harsh treatment that wheels receive. Will give that a try.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

I put those Nexens on our BN2. Haven't driven it a whole lot, but so far I'm happy with the ride and handling. FWIW, I ordered online from WalMart--who had the best price by far--and picked them up at the store. The WalMart people went out of their way to help me out, including a floor manager who opened the 'online payments' register early (for some reason, their policy is to not accept payment for online 'will call' orders before 10am).

 

[blueskies]

Walmart Canada does not carry this size, or so they told me. What else is new - selection of many things is limited in Canada. The price here also likely is double that in the US - $105 each here, plus tax and installation.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

Looks like they're 'No Longer Available' at WalMart here in the States, either, and I can't find them on the Nexen site, but Amazon has 3 of them for $67.48US/ea. with free shipping. These may be going the way of the dodo (I wonder how old the ones from Amazon are?).

 

[shortsguy1]

I bought those nexen's via ebay last year. Here is a post of mine from a similar thread in october 2015. The tires I bought last year were only a few months from their manufacturing date:

... I recently put Nexen 165/80 r15 on my BJ8 and am very happy with them. They were replacing 175/80 r15 tires, which are no longer made (as far as I know). The Nexen tires are very affordable and have a nice narrow profile. Maybe it is the rubber compound or maybe it is the slight difference in width, but I feel like steering the car at low speed is genuinely easier on the new tires. I measured the diameter of the old tires to the shoulder between the sidewall and tread, and it was 26" (which matches those online calculators). On the new Nexen's, it is 25.5 (which also very closely matches those online calculators). So the axle is nominally 0.25" closer to the ground then before, but I think it is a little more than that because of increased tire deformation of the narrower tire. And the speedometer is going to be off a little bit more now, unfortunately.

Regarding pricing, I ordered 5 tires for $70 each delivered via ebay. I was able to get them mounted and balanced for $65 total in southern CA. So for about $400, I have 5 tires I completely trust, versus the 12 year old prior tires which always had me a bit nervous on the freeway.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

I think I'm starting to see a pattern here (or maybe it's lack of sleep): New tire brands, or tire brands looking to crack the US/UK/AU etc. markets produce the 'oddball' sizes that the major tire brands have long since ceased to produce. Then, when they become established, they quit producing the oddball sizes since the (low) volume doesn't justify them. For example, 30 years or so ago Yokohama was not an established brand in the US--at least, I hadn't heard of them and Japanese brands were still relatively rare--and they produced an excellent 185/70R15 tire. After a few years, Yokos became accepted and popular but did not produce 185/70R15 tires any more. Now, it appears Nexen has abandoned the 165/80R15 size and they are more well-known here in the US. I see Nankang is making a 165/80R15 tire, so I expect they'll drop the size in a few years as they become more of a household name. Fortunately, Vredestein still produces a decent 185/70R15 tire, but I once heard the managing director was a 'Healey guy'--and their Sprint Classic brochures had a red BJ8 on the cover--so here's hoping he doesn't retire or die any time soon.

 

[British_Recovery]

Coker tires has the Firestone F560 in 165/15 size for $80. each.

 

[TFR1]

I bought a set of Michelin XAS recently for my BN4 from Longstone very recently. Less expensive than Coker and they paid the freight.
Hendrix mounted and balanced them. VERY nice tires.

TFR1