-
The Roadster Factory Recovery Fund - Friends, as you may have heard, The Roadster Factory, a respected British Car Parts business in PA, suffered a total loss in a fire on Christmas Day. Read about it, discuss or ask questions >> HERE. The Triumph Register of America is sponsoring a fund raiser to help TRF get back on their feet. If you can help, vist >> their GoFundMe page.
-
Hey there Guest!
If you enjoy BCF and find our forum a useful resource, if you appreciate not having ads pop up all over the place and you want to ensure we can stay online - Please consider supporting with an "optional" low-cost annual subscription.**Upgrade Now**
(PS: Subscribers don't see this UGLY banner)
Hey - did you know if you click on the title of a thread it will take you to the first unread post since you last visited that thread?
but were afraid to ask: 
STOP!! Never post your email address in open forums. Bots can "harvest" your email! If you must share your email use a Private Message or use the 
smilie in place of the real @
Pretty Please - add it to our Events forum(s) and add to the calendar! >> 
TR2/3/3A TR3 tire size & recommendations for disk wheels
- Thread starter tdskip
- Start date
Share this page
Offline
Probably 165SR15 is about the widest that would fit safely while maintaining close to original diameter (and, therefore, gearing, etc.). Choices are getting pretty limited, though, and recent indications are that even Tirerack.com has the Kumhos in that size on backorder.
Online
When I had the TR3, I bought 165/15 Vredestein Sprints. Great tires and rated highly.
Our sponsor, Tire Rack, doesn't seem to have Vredesteins, but this place does:
https://www.britishwirewheel.com/tires.htm
Our sponsor, Tire Rack, doesn't seem to have Vredesteins, but this place does:
https://www.britishwirewheel.com/tires.htm
Offline
Re: TR3 tire size & recommendations for disk wheel
Well, actually 185/70 15! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif But yes, that would be about the same diameter. Problem is that most tire manufacturers will want to see at least a 5" wide rim for a 185/70....tdskip said:
Online
Re: TR3 tire size & recommendations for disk wheel
https://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp?action=submit
https://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp?action=submit
Re: TR3 tire size & recommendations for disk wheel
Ah - thanks. Not enough coffee yet to do the math....
Tirerack.com seems to show a pretty good choice (as in more than one brand in stock) for 185/70/13, 14's and 15's.
Are the 185/70/15's a good choice for fast road use or do you think are they too much tire for the car/chassis?
Ah - thanks. Not enough coffee yet to do the math....
Tirerack.com seems to show a pretty good choice (as in more than one brand in stock) for 185/70/13, 14's and 15's.
Are the 185/70/15's a good choice for fast road use or do you think are they too much tire for the car/chassis?
Re: TR3 tire size & recommendations for disk wheel
FYI - if you mis-dial the Tire Rack toll free number you get connected to a phone service offering "fascinating and stimulating conversation....". I didn't stick around to find out, but I'm guessing it was most likely not conversation about tires...
FYI - if you mis-dial the Tire Rack toll free number you get connected to a phone service offering "fascinating and stimulating conversation....". I didn't stick around to find out, but I'm guessing it was most likely not conversation about tires...
TR3driver
Great Pumpkin - R.I.P
Offline
Re: TR3 tire size & recommendations for disk wheel
I ran 185/65-15 on stock rims for awhile on my TR3A, and liked the result. Not an approved match, as Andy says the tire makers recommend a 5" minimum wheel width. But I found a shop that was willing to install them for me, and they handled noticeably better than the old 165s did, IMO. But I also had sway bars by then, so maybe they wouldn't work as well on a stock suspension.
Our local club takes a run up Angeles Crest Hwy (which is a fairly twisty mountain road) every year. Few years back a fellow club member with a very original TR3 was complaining that everyone else was driving too fast ... I told him I wanted to drive faster /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/jester.gif
The results were so good that I continued going wider ... wound up with 205/55-15 on TR6 rims. Next step was going to be a stiffer front sway bar and maybe a Panhard rod, but unfortunately there was this Toyota that wasn't watching the road ...
I ran 185/65-15 on stock rims for awhile on my TR3A, and liked the result. Not an approved match, as Andy says the tire makers recommend a 5" minimum wheel width. But I found a shop that was willing to install them for me, and they handled noticeably better than the old 165s did, IMO. But I also had sway bars by then, so maybe they wouldn't work as well on a stock suspension.
Our local club takes a run up Angeles Crest Hwy (which is a fairly twisty mountain road) every year. Few years back a fellow club member with a very original TR3 was complaining that everyone else was driving too fast ... I told him I wanted to drive faster /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/jester.gif
The results were so good that I continued going wider ... wound up with 205/55-15 on TR6 rims. Next step was going to be a stiffer front sway bar and maybe a Panhard rod, but unfortunately there was this Toyota that wasn't watching the road ...
Offline
Re: TR3 tire size & recommendations for disk wheel
Yeah, I didn't want to say this, but Randall has "opened the door": I personally have also violated manufacturers' recommendations without harm. Although 4.5" rims used to be acceptable in the olden days for a 175/70SR13, most tire manufacturers now seem to want a minimum 5" rim. But I've run 175/70 tires on 4.5" rims for the better part of 30 years now off and on and have never had any problems at all. I don't really want to come right out and say that it should be fine to run 185/65 15s on your stock 4.5" TR wheels, but.... /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/whistle.gifTR3driver said:
R
RonMacPherson
Guest
Guest
Offline
Re: TR3 tire size & recommendations for disk wheel
A lot of chain tyre shops will not mount tires to wheels that would in anyway implicate them in a potential lawsuit. Fed laws for tire shops have gotten stiffer the last few years, so the shops are treading lightly, when it comes to mods and widths...
Might be able to buy the tires and take them to your friendly gas station for mounting.
A lot of chain tyre shops will not mount tires to wheels that would in anyway implicate them in a potential lawsuit. Fed laws for tire shops have gotten stiffer the last few years, so the shops are treading lightly, when it comes to mods and widths...
Might be able to buy the tires and take them to your friendly gas station for mounting.
TR3driver
Great Pumpkin - R.I.P
Offline
Re: TR3 tire size & recommendations for disk wheel
Depends on the store. IMO, big chains (like Big-O) are more likely to refuse. But my little independant shop never said a word. They also seem a lot happier to get my business when I bring my own tires (from TireRack). The big guys tend to get testy about that too.
Depends on the store. IMO, big chains (like Big-O) are more likely to refuse. But my little independant shop never said a word. They also seem a lot happier to get my business when I bring my own tires (from TireRack). The big guys tend to get testy about that too.
martx-5
Yoda
Offline
Re: TR3 tire size & recommendations for disk wheel
For those interested, the rule of thumb for tires that are larger then a "50" series is that the rim width must be at least 70% of the tire width. You can play with the math going back and forth between millimeters and inches, but what it comes out to, is that for 185 tires...5" rim. For a 4 1/2" rim, 165's. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
Edit: Here are some actual calculated numbers I did on a post last month...
165 = 6.5" x 70% = 4.5" rim width
175 = 6.9" x 70% = 4.8"
185 = 7.3" x 70% = 5.1"
195 = 7.7" x 70% = 5.4"
205 = 8.0" x 70% = 5.6"
215 = 8.4" x 70% = 5.9"
For those interested, the rule of thumb for tires that are larger then a "50" series is that the rim width must be at least 70% of the tire width. You can play with the math going back and forth between millimeters and inches, but what it comes out to, is that for 185 tires...5" rim. For a 4 1/2" rim, 165's. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
Edit: Here are some actual calculated numbers I did on a post last month...
165 = 6.5" x 70% = 4.5" rim width
175 = 6.9" x 70% = 4.8"
185 = 7.3" x 70% = 5.1"
195 = 7.7" x 70% = 5.4"
205 = 8.0" x 70% = 5.6"
215 = 8.4" x 70% = 5.9"
Offline
Re: TR3 tire size & recommendations for disk wheel
But then, I know someone with a Triumph 10 sedan who put 185 x 13 tires on his original 3.5" rims! Like the "balloon" tires of the 1930s....
Genuine, original Sports 6 rims were "heavy duty" rims (as found on the Herald Estates and Couriers), but only 3.5" wide!TR3driver said:
But then, I know someone with a Triumph 10 sedan who put 185 x 13 tires on his original 3.5" rims! Like the "balloon" tires of the 1930s....
Similar threads
Similar threads
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
M
-
-
-
-
-
G
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
TR2/3/3A turn a tr3 non-full syncro transmission into a full syncro
- Started by sp53
- Replies: 3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
TR2/3/3A Calling all Wiring experts TR3 Overdrive Wiring ver A or ver B or are they the same?
- Started by luke44
- Replies: 8
-
-
A friendly reminder - be careful what links you click on here. If a link is posted by someone you don't know, or the URL looks fishy, DON'T CLICK. Spammers sometimes post links that lead to sites that can infect your computer, so be mindful what you click.