Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Plus 4 Tyre size?

The 4/4 2 Litre gets 185/70HR15 Avons - a sticky road & track tyre - but costly to replace. So I've been idly looking at what's out there when the time comes to change (not yet by the way). The only regular hit on line is Vredenstein which I think might now be used on E Type Jags.
The obvious solution is to go for either 185/65 or 195/65HR15, but what size does the Plus 4 get as standard these days?

Vredenstein tyres are very good, also on wet roads,but they have this issue !! which looks terrible I think
Almost the same problem on my "Babydoll"

That imperfection is not going to suit you Dave! The original Conti's on my 4/4 had a similar moulding "defect".

Dave the standard tyre size unless they have change it is 195/60HR15. The thing is that Morgan adjusts the width of the mudguards depending on what tyre width is ordered. The 195 is 10mm wider than the 185 fitted to the 4/4 2 Litre so will probably stick out a fraction, perhaps only a few mm, and be more likely to throw road grime, mud etc. outside the guards.

If you are worried about ground clearance you need to be careful too. A good site that allows you to do tyre comparisons is http://www.1010tires.com/Tools/Tire-Size-Calculator
but they no longer list the 185/70HR15. Attached is a pdf file of some information I obtained regarding changing my tyres to 195/65HR15.

I find this tool quite useful...

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

Thanks for the info all. My Golf had Dunlops with those moulding dents, and yes it drives me mad!

Dave - the "moulding dents" as you call them are caused by a problem in the construction process with control of the "splice" width at the point at which components are joined. If the overlap of the component being spliced is too large it can cause a visible hollow and bulge. The area immediately behind a heavy splice stretches, spreading the gap between radial cords in the body ply of the tyre or reducing the gauge in the sidewall at that point. In extreme cases this can cause a serious weakness in the integrity of the tyre. All manufacturers should control the amount of undulation variation to prescribed limits laid down by O/E customers with a slightly looser limit for replacement tyres. Tyres exceeding these latter limits should be scrapped. Ruud's tyre photo illustrates a serious level of undulation and it would be wise to replace that tyre immediately.
Don.

That's interesting Don, because all four tyres which came with my Golf - new in 2001, were like that.

PS - long gone!!!

Dave - I took some photos of a stack of plus 4 black wire wheels at the factory in May. They were fitted with Avon 195/65x15 winter tyres.

Nigel

Ah! That is obviously to give that extra centimetre of snow clearance