Kevin,
Sorry, I can't help you with information about the car itself. Please
share with us what you learn, as it sounds like a fascinating history.
As to the replacement tires---5.50/5.90 means that they either measure
or are said to measure 5.50 to 5.90 inches across the widest part of the
tire. The 550, as you have ascertained, is an obsolete size. The ply
rating is a measurement of the strength of the carcass of the tire, used
when plys of fabric were used to brace the tread. Four ply was
standard for most auto purposes, and six would be used for heavy load
applications. You will still see ply ratings on truck tires where load
carrying ability is a consideration, but it's not a concern for car tires
these days.
Facing the same replacement dilemma three years ago, I selected the
Firestone 560x15 Deluxe Champion. They look right, perhaps. It would
be difficult to find another tire extant against which these could be
judged Champion.
Don't go that way. They really stink! They are at least as dreadful as
the OEM Dunlop Gold Seal tires, which were (despite what gets blamed on
the Corvair) the basis for the expression Unsafe At Any Speed. These are
soon to be replaced. BTW, this isn't libel, since the defence to libel
is truth, and anyone who drives on these miserable pieces of rubber can
attest to their sorry handling qualities and lack of grip. They are
said, however, to be excellent when used as fenders on tugboats and
barges.
If you plan to drive the car on the road, buy some sort of radial and
the tubes to fit. The handling of the cars is pretty good, and there is
no reason to compromise driving and handling quality by use of
substandard, obsolete tires.
But, any modern radial has a rolling circumference that is 5-6 inches
less than that of the original Dunlops, and this has the effect of
raising the engine revs per mile of car travel. TFs had a 4.875 rear axle
gearset, thus the engine turned about 3680 rpm at 60 mph. With the 165x15
radial, it will turn about 3963 revs at 60. This line of thought can
open the question of changing rear axle gears if you intend to do many
highway miles, and that's another topic on which owners have different
opinions, all of which are valid for their conditions and circumstances.
Bob
TD/C 21934
On Fri, 07 Apr 2000 20:23:20 -0500 Kevin & Deana Brown
<MGTRAutoXr@sprintmail.com> writes:
> I've been trying to track down where my '54 MGTF 1500 RHD model was
> originally shipped to. The car is a code 26 RHD, export model
> (HDP26/8299) - apparently only 19 RHD export models were built in
> 1954.
> I did obtain a BMHT certificate, they confirmed that it was TF 1500
> RHD
> export car, but they have no records of where it was shipped to.
> Last
> weekend while I was under the car bolting up the transmission, I
> noticed
> that one of my front tires said "Made in Rhodesia" on it, it is an
> "India Super" brand tire. Do you think that this indicates that the
> car
> might have been in Rhodesia (or possibly South Africa or India)
> years
> ago? The tires on this car are probably at least 30 years old (the
> car
> had been sitting in dry storage since 1974 in Columbia, Missouri -
> USA). The other front tire is a Dunlop Gold Seal C49 and the rear
> tires
> and the spare are "Advanix Remoulds". All of the tires are
> 550/590-15
> 6-ply tires. Any ideas on the car's origin would be appreciated.
>
> On the subject of tires, since the front ones are pretty worn I
> should
> replace them at least. What is a good source for TF tires. The
> owner's
> manual states 550-15 while the tires on the car are 550/590-15.
> What
> exactly does the 550/590 mean? I assume that black wall tires are
> appropriate for the car. From Coker Tire's web site the only 550-15
> tire they have is a Michelin Englebert for $166 each. They U.S.
> Royal
> and Firestone tires in 560-15 size and B.F. Goodrich tires in
> 590-15
> size, all priced from $78 - $81 each. Any thoughts on which way I
> should go or on any other sources. Also the tires on the car are a
> 6-ply rating while all the ones that Coker has have a 4-ply rating -
> should I be concerned?
>
> Thanks for everyone's help. When I had a question the other day
> about
> whether or not my spare transmission would fit a TF, I asked the
> list
> and had several great answers within an hour - pretty good with me
> living in the middle of rural Missouri and dealing with a 46 year
> old
> "foreign" car!
>
> Kevin Brown '54 MGTF 1500 RHD '64 MGB '71 MGB V8
> Odessa, MO
>
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