Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) 4/4 Tyres - Help!

Hi, the time has come to replace my original fit Continental tyres on my car. I remember reading comments from others about the Vredestein T-Trac 2 tyres being good so that is what I started to look for in size 165/80 R15. A few sites offered them but were out of stock so I contacted Vredestein to ask if they expected ant stock soon & the reply was 'Unfortunately the T-Tracs have been discontinued in this size. We now only make Sprint Classic.'

165/80 R15 seems a rare size so my question is has anyone in,say, the last year replaced tyres of this size with a make that they could recommend & at a sensible price?

Thanks.

Oh...that's very sad to hear. As a frequent driver, I was going to buy my third set of T Trac 2s in a year. I was one of the guinea pigs as an early T Trac2 tester on the 4/4.
I would now apply the following rule of thumb. 1) pretty much every tyre is significantly better than the Continental. This is all the more surprising because Conti builds very good other tyres. But the 4/4 Conti is an all-season tyre that can't do anything right and belongs under a trailer at most. The tread alone would make me sceptical.
2) The wet properties are important. That was the way I came up with the T Trac 2 back then. It was the only tyre with a "B" (the second best choice). But beware: some tyres that used to be quite miserable, with an "E" (like the Conti) have recently got a "B", which I can't believe why.
3) The choice of brand...better a better known brand than one I don't know (although Conti is also known...).
4) I look at the tread so that it really is a summer tyre.
5) If possible, the tyre should not be praised too much as "eco", because "eco" usually means worse grip against a few drops of fuel savings. Better for the light 4/4 if you get a tyre with a bigger wear value (more wear).
6) Perhaps there are test reviews, albeit in a different dimension, of the tyre of choice because if you google a review of tyres in the dimension 165/80/15 you mostly get reviews of expensive classic brands like Michelin, Dunlop and so on. I would try to find reviews of a chosen tyre in slightly more common dimensions (for cars, not for trailer or vans).


Here, for example, is what I would perhaps choose among other brands. not to buy it directly but to search for some reviews.

Nankang ECONEX NA-1 165/80 R15 87T TL

I fitted T Trac2's last year and they were a very reasonable price so I am sorry to hear they have been discontinued as I wont be able to get a replacement if I have a blowout and the Sprint Classics were twice the price.

The alternative to Vredestein's and Continentals last year was I think Hankook which are more of a premium brand that they used to be. No experience of them though.

Hankook 165/80 R15

Just spoken to Paul Harris who is well known on these pages

He swears by the T Trac and whilst he did not have any in stock, he was not aware that they were being discontinued and will check directly with Vredestein.

I'll post again when I get an answer from Paul.

Vredestein T-Trac 2 tyres, 165/80 R15 tires are available over here in the US.

I just googled all the big tyre dealers in Germany and nobody has the T Trac 2 in size 165/80/15 anymore. Three years ago they didn't have this size either and suddenly after one year they were available again. I suspect that many classic car owners buy these tyres. But Vredestein earns more money on the Sprint Classic, so the T Trac disappeared.

The Hankook has quite bad wet values in tests with similar size.

Edit, ok, the note „B“ seems to be ok.


As I said, the tyre doesn't have to perform miracles, it's not a Ferrari or Plus Six. But it has to be very decent. Maybe small dealers still have leftover T Trac 2s in the UK?

If anyone knows where 165/80 R15 T Trac2's are avaiable in the UK please let me know and I will buy one as a spare.

According to the Black Circles website they are available for £57.58 fully fitted.

Yes it does seem they still have some thanks

I replaced the original Conti's with these Hankook tyres and have been pleased with them. However, I use my Morgan as a classic "Sunday" car and have never pushed it hard to explore tyre limits.

Hankook Optimo