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Triumph TR6 - Tires Again!

My tire man says the 205/70 R15 tire is too wide for my '73. I've read the archives and a lot of you apparently run this size. Any problems? Any recommendations on a modern tire? The Michelin red lines are a bit too pricy for me!

Thanks,
Mike
Mike Calhoun

What specific brand and model of tire are we talking about here? That could be the reason, but based upon experience and a quick and dirty check of a number of different tire manufactuers web sites looking at specifications for 205/70-15 tires there should be no problem. Most of the ones that I looked at showed acceptable rim width for this size as being from 5 to 7". A couple of tires were 5.5 to 7" and a couple were 5 to 6.5" (those were Pirellis which I have found to run a little narrower overall in a given size than most other tires in that same size). Dunlop does not give a rim width range, only the width used for taking the dimensions, which in this case was 6". Since most manufacturers pick a rim width near the center of the range for spec measurement purposes, the Dunlop on a 5.5 should not be a problem.

The TR6 has a 5.5" rim width, so stock wheels or the alloys that Moss sells at the same width should be no problem with a 205/70-15 tire. The nominal Panasport wheel used on the TR6 is a 6" width, again should be no problem with this size tire.

Just about any tire out there will be a better tire than the redlines from a let's go driving standpoint. Redlines are for show only as far as I am concerned. Personally, I am partial to Michelin and Yokohama. The Yokohama Avid will be a better performance tire than the Michelins in this size, but the price of that perfomance is shorter life. I have been hearing good things about the Kuhmo tires and do have some friends that use the Ecsta series tires for autocross and/or vintage racing.

I would suggest this approach. Do your homework up front on the tires previously discussed and go search for some alternate tires. Then you get back with this guy and talk specific tire make and model and go over the spec sheets. If he is uncooperative, you need a new tire guy.
SteveP

SteveP,
Thanks for the input. My tire guy was concerned about tire rubs. Anybody run Goodyear Eagle GT's?

Mike
Mike Calhoun

Mike; I have been running Pirelli 4000, 205-70-15s for about three years. Yes, I do get a bit of rub, but only at full stop of the steering wheel. Other than that I adore these tires.
Joel

Joel, I'll look at the Pirelli's...a little rub at full turn would be fine. Thanks for the info! Looks like I have a lot of tire choices with the 205-70's. Now if I could finish painting the rims...and put the dash back in ...and install my newly covered seats...well, cooler weather and cruising season in the Great Smokey Mountains is just around the corner and the TR6 account is running low. I have to get the car off the jackstands and back on the road!
Mike
Mike Calhoun

Mike, Steve has to to right about the Pirellis being narrower cause I run Pirelli P6000 215/65-15s and and have no rubbing problems and like Joel, I love them, very good in the rain.
Chris
Christopher T.

Christopher, I saw the P6000's on Pirelli's website and like the looks of the tread...so no rubs with 215-65's. Are these close to the originals in circumference so the speedo is close?

Mike
Mike Calhoun

I am running Yokohama DB2 205/65-15, no rubbing.
Paddy Kan

From a rolling diameter standpoint, number crunching shows the nominal 205/70-15 and the 215/65-15 sizes to be within the noise level of the stock rolling diameter. There is some minor variation from manufacturer to manufacturer, so the noise will bounce around but not that much. A 205/65-15 or a 195/70-15 will have a smaller rolling diameter, while a 215/70-15 will have a larger rolling diameter.

I have had no rub problem with the 205/70s on 6" wide Panasports. I have seen rub problems on 215-65s on other TR6s, but have not personally seen a TR6 with the Pirelli 215/65s. Given the Pirelli proclivity to be be slightly smaller in section width in a given size than most tires of that same nominal size, we may have an explanation. Must be an Italian shoe thing. I can't wear those slinky Italian Diadora bike shoes, I need a larger toe box so it's those wide, clunky French Carnac shoes for me.
SteveP

Paddy/Steve, Thank you both for the input. Steve, thanks for clearing up the tire size and speedo thing. Now to get the wife to add little balance to my car account and I'll get some tires on this thing! You guys on this site never cease to amaze me with your TR6 and other (shoe) knowledge!

Mike
Mike Calhoun

This thread was discussed between 13/08/2005 and 17/08/2005

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