David:
Caught your thread on the list. In my (not so) humble opinion, there really
is NO tire size debate. Only the unknowing can "debate" something like this.
Here are the facts, from my personal first-hand experience:
I too have the 5.5 x 14 KN Minilite replicas mounted with 60 series tires
(Mine replaced Roystyle steel wheels, not wires). The difference is that I
have 195/60 x 14 BF Goodrich Radial TA's mounted on my 73 Black Beauty B
roadster and I absolutely love them!
Yes, of course the steering is somewhat heavier, but that's the price you
pay to have more rubber in contact with the road. The handling is improved
many times over (when you really push it as you would in competition) and I
have absolutely NO more dead feeling at any point in the steering than I had
before I made the tire/wheel change. Though the steering IS a little
heavier, it is not THAT bad though, and I still find my B very easy to
steer - and to me, it has an even MORE enjoyable and more sporty feel now.
It tracks very true and stable in a straight line, BETTER than before.
There is not an especially harsh ride either (for a 28 year old B). That's
probably because of two things; 1). These tires are actually oversized (NOT
in diameter) for this car AND for these 5.5" wide wheels, so I inflate them
slightly less than normal to keep as flat a road contact pattern as is
possible under the (narrow wheel) conditions. I keep the pressure at 26-28
lbs. max. hot (My other cars get 35 lbs. hot). This seems to make for a good
road contact pattern and a nice ride quality too. I think that the key to
the good ride though is the rubber compound that BF Goodrich uses for these
tires. It is a "soft" tire, as compared to many others. BF Goodrich offered
these "stock", street legal tires for racing when they were first introduced
and they did quite well with them in competition. They are very sticky/soft.
Another thing; BF Goodrich Radial TA's were available from BF Goodrich at
the time when my B was manufactured new. While I'm not a stickler for
keeping my B pure stock, and I could care less about having a perfectly
"concours" car, I DO like to keep the car's appearance "improved of the
era". These tires/wheels do that.
At one time these used to be very expensive tires. However, I bought mine at
Sam's Wholesale Club last year, right off their shelf, for a price very
competitive to normal tires. Couldn't believe it when I found them there,
when I needed them - and at such a good price!
Though I am not an expert at determining the final drive ratio as you
apparently are, I would bet it is a very close match to the same as OEM. The
tire height was just about the same as the original tires that came on the
car when I purchased it 14 years ago and I've checked my speed against other
"stock" cars with favorable results. Please let me and the list know if I am
correct on this.
The one and only negative: They WERE a very tight fit - BUT they DID fit,
with a little extra effort and minor mod. When I first put them on, when
driving in a straight line or on normal curves, they did NOT scrape.
However, when pushed very hard, (only) the right side DID rub some, enough
to be concerned. I had already rebushed and tightened up everything
previously and knew that the suspension was in good shape - so I got out the
old baseball bat! Rolled the bat/tire combo back and forth a few times
between the wheel-well and the tire, (took some muscle) and no more rubbing
since! Ruined the bat but didn't hurt the car at all! It did bow the wheel
well a very little, and I can tell, but nobody else can. BE CAREFUL OF THE
BAT DIAMETER SIZE THOUGH! Don't overdo it!
I suppose that you could also grind off enough of the wheel-well lip to make
the tires clear too. With a reasonably tight suspension, shouldn't take too
much.
I only drive my B a very few thousand miles a year so tire wear is not an
important consideration for me.
I believe that my B looks absolutely fantastic too with the wheel/tire
combo! Wouldn't have it any other way! Check it out at my web site:
http://people.atl.mediaone.net/jerbesfield/my73mgb.htm
That's my nickel's worth!
Jerry Erbesfield
73 B Black Beauty
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-mgs@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-mgs@autox.team.net]On
Behalf Of David Hill
Sent: Saturday, May 12, 2001 11:09 AM
To: MG List
Subject: Tyres (Again)
Sorry to bore you with the tyre size debate again but I need some
information...
My '72 BGT is currently on 5.5J x 14 Minilite copies (KN Minotaurs) and is
wearing 185/60 x 14 Continental tyres. Using the various calculators, I've
discovered that these undergear the car by nearly 8%. They also make the
steering *very* heavy and give it a dead feeling and the low profiles make
the ride quality very poor.
I know that the exact equivalent in terms of diameter is 185/70 x 14 but I
feel these are a bit wide. I know for a fact that 175/70 x 14 will fit but
these are still a little undersized in relation to the stock 165 x 14s.
Since 165 x 14 will be at maximum stretch on 5.5" rims, I am thinking of a
compromise, using 175 x 14, which are available in the UK and I'm thinking
Firestone.
Question is will they fit? They are 12mm larger in diameter than 165 x 14
and I am using front underwing liners. So, although I'll solve the clearance
problem between the rear arch lips and tyre sides (the 185/60s are very
tight there) but will I get clearance problems on lock, through the larger
overall diameter?
Any experiences, constructive suggestions and/or warnings gratefully
appreciated.
Many thanks,
David Hill
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