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Triumph TR3 - Tire Size

The TR3 that I bought has 6.50 x 15" tires. Two have tubes and two are tubeless. I would like to replace these, and was told that they are not the proper size. This size is a trailer tire. Can someone tell me the proper size tires to buy?
John Triska

An excerpt from another site:

"155R15 on steel wheels. Even on steel wheels, the inflated spare just barely is persuaded to go into the spare area. There are about 6500 miles on them and they show no appreciable wear. The correct size for the TR2 is the 155R15 and I prefer the look that the correct size gives the car although the grip leaves a lot to be desired. You could go with a 165R15 and carry an uninflated spare of the same size with a foot pump."

The spare space is a consideration you need to keep in mind. I have a different brand (similar "size" for my spare.
DJ Nelson

I think 165R/15 is the best for these cars. Same as a VW bug. Cooper has this size. I bought a couple of Kumho's from the Tire Rack, but they don't list them right now. I like the tread of the Kumhos better than the Coopers. There are lots of VW specialty stores that sell this size in various brands, too. The spare can be a problem, as mentioned above.

The radials will be noticably better. If you have wire wheels, you must use tubes and rim strips.
Tom

Hi Guys:
I use Cooper 165R15 tires on my TR3A, but for the spare I located a good original size 550x15 installed a tube and I now have an inflated spare which I can carry in the proper place.
Chuck

Thanks Guys
John Triska

Hi John: I went through what you're doing about a year back. I ended up doing just what Chuck mentioned.
I bought four Cooper SportMaster's in 165R15 size for the car, and I already had a 155R15 as a spare.
Now that I've had the Coop's for awhile, I find them to be kind of noisy. (maybe anything would be when your head is 10" from the wheel!)
Be sure to get good tubes suited for radial tires - the old type will tear and blow out. Check these links for a look at the different tread patterns.

Cooper SportMaster
http://www.coopertire.com/us/en/ProductDetails.asp?ProdType=Passenger&id=32

Kelly metric
http://www.kellytires.com/auto/products/kelm.html

Cordovan Centred
http://www.tbcprivatebrands.com/cordovan/
(from this page link to Import Passenger; Centred)

Good luck -
Mike G. '56 TR3
Mike Gambordella

This thread was discussed between 23/05/2004 and 25/05/2004

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