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BJ8 Tires

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Bob60

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There has been a lot of discussion regarding the danger of old tires. So I figure it would be prudent to replace the 15 year old (easily) tires on my BJ8. They are currently 185x15's. As one might expect, no regular tire retailer offers this size anymore and Universal Tire which specializes in tires for vintage cars have several starting with a Vredestein at $158 each. The closest size available through a regular tire store is 185/65 x 15, and there are many options to chose from, however I suspect this is likely to look too low (not to mention less ground clearance) on my Healey.

Has anyone out there come up with a good alternative or should I just suck it up and order a set of Vredesteins from Universal?
 
Do a search there is lots of talk about tires of this forum.

I have Fuzion HR1 185/65R 15 on my BT7 and love them and they where cheap.

Cheers

Mark
 

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As far as I know the only legal tyre size for tube use on 5.5 wire wheels is 185/50. All other sizes may result in overheating. Currently there are 3 tyres of this size in the market: Vredestein, Avon, Michelin. Selection depends on driving stiles. The Vredestein are inexpensive but for cruising, the Avon CRZZ are street legal race tyres with higher wear and better under dry conditions and the Michelin XVS are a great compromise but also the most costly ones...
 
I just changed out my 10 year old 185/15s for a new set of Kumho Power Star 758s 165/15. Several of us who own BJ8s close to me have made this switch and really like the Kumho. My friend and fellow BJ8 owner, Steve Byers, drove his across the country to San Diego last year. I paid $283 for a set of four, but then took them to Allen Hendrix for a very good balancing. Allen works magic on wire wheels. The local tire dealer was able to look the Kumho size up under a VW listing in his computer. I am pleased with my set of tires and will buy another set when I need some. In fact, I bought a set of Kumhos for my BE as well.
Good luck,
Charlie
 
Fortius said:
As far as I know the only legal tyre size for tube use on 5.5 wire wheels is 185/50.
Click to expand...
I suspect that is not a world wide law. I couldn't find any tires with that 185/50/15 size. The closest was a 185/55/15 and the diameter of that was 23", a full 3" less than the original diameter for the Healey. I think that would be way to small safety-wise for our cars.
 
I also purchased a set of Kuhmo Power Stars 758 165/80x15 from the Tire Rack about 3 years ago. Mounted on 60 spoke wheels. Paid about $40 each. Had to wait several months for the shipment to come in from overseas. Had them mounted locally. I'm very pleased with the ride and the tire gives me about the same groud clearance as the original 6.90 X 15. Have driven them about 10,000 miles and would purchase them again. The ride is quite an improvement over the 20 year old tires they replaced.
You do need to get over the fact they are made in Korea and not England....
 
Avon make 185 70 15's, called CR6ZZ, they do them in two compounds hard and soft, the latter is only really suitable for very wet track days. The harder compound is a really first class tyre that is used as a road tyre and in motor sport in the UK. They are very modern construction, but tread pattern in quite classic in appearance.
 
I put Kuhmo 185/75's on the 60 spoke wire wheels for the GMB BJ8 and they look correct. The white modified BJ8 has 5.5 " Dayton chrome wire wheels and I just put Kuhmo 185/65's on them. Big difference (to me)on looks. They don't fill up the wheels wells. Tires look too small. As some one stated earlier, they are not offering to many sizes to choose from. The Kuhmos work well for money and the amount of driving I do.
 
I correct myself, I have 165/80/15's on the 60 spoke wheels. I wanted 185/75's for the chromes. The 185/65's are wide enough, just not tall enough.
 
FWIW, I have the Vredestein Sprint in a 175/70-15, H-rated tire. I think they're great, maybe an option vs. the 185.
-Tom
 
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