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Triumph TR3 - Tires

Hi all.
I've been looking around the web at the usual sources for tires for my TR3 (Coker, Universal, etc)
but I'm a little hesiatant to spend what the "vintage" suppliers are asking.
Looking for a set of (4) in size 165R15.
Does anyone have any ideas for alternative sources?
Tired (ha,ha) in Massachusetts.
Mike '56 TR3
Mike Gambordella

I bought mine at Pep Boys, don't know if you have them in your neck of the woods. Like you, I wanted the look and feel of the original tires but did not want to spend the big bucks. I can't remember the manufacturer but they look great. If you want, I can check them out tonite when I get home. I think I paid $29 each. I had my local Firestone dealer mount them on my spoke wheels. One of their guys knew how to work with spokes and tubes.
Mike '61 tr3a
Mike Parkhill

I ran 54,000 miles on Michelin 165 SR 15's then they started to suffer from tire separation. I was on my way to Colorado, so in Cedar Falls, Iowa, I bought 4 new Kelly/Springfield Centreds for $38.00 each, balanced and installed. I've had no problem with them in over 16,000 miles. They make them for the old VW Beetle owners.

BTW, if you have steel wheels, they need to balance them on the machine with a 4-hole or 4-stud adapter. The center of the TR steel wheels is not round, and if they just throw the wheel onto the spindle and lock it on with the usual cone, it won't get balanced correctly. Che center hole is not round but flared outwardly.

I have always gone tubeless. Lots of guys I know put in tubes because the dealer said so and in 200 or 300 miles, all 4 tires had blowouts. Check it out - be a wise consumer.

For wire wheels, check out the responses from the TR6 guys. One explains how he goes tubeless with wire wheels and has had no problems for the last 5 years. He puts silicone or ..... well you go read the details.

Don Elliott, 1958 TR3A
Don Elliott

Thanks guys.
Mike - I checked out Pep Boys web site and they have a private label "Futura" in 165R15 size. Is this what you got, and are you satisfied w/ them? I'm not paticularly crazy about "store brands".

Don, I know I've spoken w/ you before about tires, but where did you get your Kelly's? None of the suppliers around here seem to be able to come up w/ anything.

Thanks again fellas... Mike
Mike Gambordella

Try POMP's in the Mid-West. E-mail them and ask who sells them in your area.

http://www.pompstire.com/kelly.html

In 2001, they were selling Kelly/Springfield Cardovan Centreds 165 S 15 for $28.65 before tax and balancing.

Don Elliott, 1958 TR3A
Don Elliott

Hi Mike:
I also bought mine at Pep Boys and they were Cooper Radials.I believe they were $30.00ea.
BTW according to my Bike mags Cooper's just bought out Avon the famous british motorcycle tire manufacturer.
My Coopers have been excellent.
Chuck

Mike,
Mine are the "Futura". I have been very happy with them. However, I live at the beach so most of the time I do slower speed driving. Very seldom do I do highway speeds (I use my tr6 for that).
Mike
Mike Parkhill

If you bought them at Pep Boys, that must have been in the US. If that price is in CDN dollars, it's a really low price.

Don Elliott, 1958 TR3A
Don Elliott

Hi folks.
Thanks for the quick responses.
However, I have another related question:
All the tires I've found so far are of the tubless variety and I have wire wheels.
Anyone have any opinions as far as pros/cons of putting tubes in "tubless" tires?
None of the tire dealers around here (so far) know anything about the handling effects of doing this.
I read the TR6 thread about sealing the spoke holes w/ silicone, but I was wondering what others may have chosen as a solution and how it worked out.
Somehow I thought getting new tires would be the least of my worries...
Mike
Mike Gambordella

People who put tubes in tires that were designed to be "tubeless" have all had blowouts on all four tires withing a few hunderd miles. It seems that a tire designed to be "tubeless" has an interior surface that scrubs on the tube till it blows out.

My Kelly Springfield Cordovan Centreds are tubeless on steel wheel rims aas were my Michelins before that.

Don Elliott, 1958 TR3A
Don Elliott

Hi Mike:
The tube problem is a result of putting regular tubes in radial tires.Whether they are tubless or not is irrelevent.
If you are going to use tubes you must use tubes designed for use in radial tires.Mine have been in service for 10,000 miles.I am sure I had the same set-up on my MGA for about 30,000 miles
Chuck

Wire wheels come (new) with a substantial rubber insert to protect the tube from the ends of the spokes. I have used Kelly Springfield Metric (tubeless) radials, M+S 165R15 (made in Brazil where the last Beetles came from), and generic PT008 15" tubes. And the tire guy who sold them to me has been selling this stuff for decades.
Dennis Nelson

Gentlemen:
Thanks to your suggestions I have found quite a number of tire brands in the correct size. More importantly, I know the proper tire/tube combination and why. Thanks again for the advice.
Now to get the rubber on the road...
Mike Gambordella

I just purchased 4 Futura tires from Pep Boys could someone please tell me the propper inflation I should be runnig them at.

Thanks Scott
Scott Feldman

Hi Scott:
I contacted Cooper's Tech Dept.and I was advised to use 23lbs in the front and 26 in the rear.It seemed low to me but it works fine.If one does not feel comfortable one could put a few lbs more but I am confident Cooper knows their stuff.
Chuck

This thread was discussed between 26/03/2003 and 13/04/2003

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