TR4/4A Original TR4A tires

[rlich8]

Hello All,

Does anyone have a picture of the original tires that came on the TR4A's. I just want it for reference.

Thank You
Roy

 

[Darrell_Walker]

Here's some on a car.

 

[rlich8]

Whitewalls! Interesting. Thank you!

 

[Darrell_Walker]

I don't think they all came with whitewalls, though according the the records, mine did.

 

[Murieta]

White walls were restricted to the US market. Nobody in Europe fancies these.

 

[TomMull]

White walls were restricted to the US market. Nobody in Europe fancies these.

If my memory serves (quite selective lately), whitewalls were fairly rare even over here, at least on the sidescreens and earlier 4s. Almost all US produced cars of the period came with them (often as an option at extra cost, however). In addition, again relying on memory, cars (including Triumphs) came through with several brands and tire models as well, the only common feature being size.
Tom

 

[Darrell_Walker]

In looking through the old advertising pictures I have, almost all show the 4A with whitewalls. (And almost as many have wire wheels).

 

[TR_Jim]

Here's a European ad...

 

[Darrell_Walker]

Here is a selection of TR4 and 4A ads that I have (sorry, they are pretty poor resolution). Also one TR3, showing the wide white walls.

 

[HerronScott]

Darrell,

I've got a few that I snagged from my Dad's old adult magazines.

Scott

 

[Geo Hahn]

Nice ads. Someday I'd like to find a copy of the TR4 TV ad that was filmed on Mt Lemmon (mentioned in Cook's Triumphs in America). From the still shots he shows I can picture about where they were.

Possibly hopeless to think that a copy of the video survived but maybe someday on YouTube it will turn up.

 

[TR_Jim]

A ton of ads...

Original ads

 

[rlich8]

Very nice ads! thank you!

 

[CaptainBeeffart]

"<span style="font-style: italic">White walls were restricted to the US market. Nobody in Europe fancies these</span>."

An erroneous suggestion. Whitewalls were not <span style="font-style: italic">that</span> uncommon in the UK through the 1950s and 60s, and still to be seen on the road in the early 70s. They were however rather more expensive than conventional black circles, which limited sales. I do recall seeing whitewalls in Europe during the late 60s, usually on more 'interesting' cars. It was also possible to purchase add-on whitewalls to affix to standard tyres, quite a costly bit of customising at the time.

Cheers,

Cap'n

 

[sail]

Hi Captain! Stick around.

 

[Murieta]

Not that erroneous, just a mixing of two ideas:

1) Triumph offered cars with WWT in the USA, not the european market where you had to make a specific request.

2) Aftermarket WWT were available for custom-inclined owners. 2011 marks my 40th anniversary with my TR4 and I cannot recall seeing more than a couple of cars with WWT during all that time.

I won't reproduce the current opinion of UK TR registers members about WWT. I'll keep it for the date I'll want to be banned with style.
Ze french, U know how zey are ....

 

[Andrew Mace]

I won't reproduce the current opinion of UK TR registers members about WWT. I'll keep it for the date I'll want to be banned with style.

:lol:

Whitewalls really are (were) pretty much an "American thing," whether they were on American cars or "imported" cars. Beyond that for us Americans, I think it depends a lot on how old one is. I'm old enough to have grown up with whitewalls and watched them shrink in size beginning in the mid-1960s from the 1.5-2" or larger white sidewall down to the 1/2" or smaller "pencil stripe" by the 1970s. For the most part, though, I'm not nostalgic enough about them to seek to have them on any of my Triumphs. That's partly because I would never revert to an old-style bias-ply (cross-ply in the UK) tire, and the relatively few wide whitewall radials are even more outrageously expensive than the bias-ply versions! A set of four wide-white radials for my '62 Herald would likely cost me at least $700-800 installed, while a set of decent quality blackwall radials could possibly be done for under $200!

 

[TomMull]

I
Whitewalls really are (were) pretty much an "American thing," whether they were on American cars or "imported" cars. ... the relatively few wide whitewall radials ...

At that time, whitewall said "Firestone" or "Goodyear". Black said "Michelin " or "Pirelli Cinturato". That was before the global homogenization of everything when there really was a difference. I wonder if the early European radials even came with whitewalls.
I don't think that the pre-focus group advertisers realized that there was a market for European tires as well as cars. After all, they probably drove Chrysler Imperials or 4-door Lincoln convertibles. Perhaps we are reading too much into the advertising pictures.
Tom