Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 Rear Tire Options?

Looks like a nice tire. Tire Rack is my yardstick for tires and they tend to be spot on. I have used them for years in judging tires, but obviously the M3W is not in their range of products.

Wet and acquaplaning scores are interesting in https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/features/91856/tyre-reviews-best-car-tyres-20202021

I switched to this tire at the beginning of last season mainly because I was looking for a decent wearing but higher traction option. No issues to report. Shortly after installation I discovered the Vredstein Classic Sprint which I think I will try next time.

Other than wet pavement performance, I don't think these machines will be very sensitive to rear tire choice given the inherently mismatched front/rear wheel/tire combination they come with.

I don't know how many of you drive your M3W in the snow (I certainly do not) but if that's what floats your boat then DO NOT use this tire. My neighbor had this tire and had a disastrous winter.

I am now imagining skis under the front wheels and a track around the rear for a kind of M3W snowmobile...

I like the way you're thinking

I thought about it certainly would be novel but decided to stick with my real snowmobile which is dangerous enough

Thanks for all the comments guys. As someone pointed out, the Parts List identifies a number of tires that are not available to us Americans, or not in the size necessary. I cannot wrap my head around using a snow tire year round because, well, I will never drive my M3W in the snow but I will drive it in good weather. Staying with my desire to put a symmetrical tire on the car I was able to find a few options. Looks like I might go with the Kumho Ecsta PA31 which has symmetrical tread, a V speed rating, good treadwear, and is an all-season performance tire. Seems to hit all the necessary requirements. But the Vredestein Quatrac is tempting also. Hmmm.

It’s a common misconception that all-season tyres are “for when you might drive on snow or ice”. They usually have good rain-use support, but are better thought of as “low temperature conditions” such as found in alpine driving - even when there is no snow or ice. In Norway or Switzerland they are probably a no-brainer M3W choice. In the UK probably a bit of a compromise but not much. In Florida likely not needed

Two key criteria for a tyre are

1) A rubber mix defined for good grip in the expected temperature range - true "summer" and "winter" tyres operate best in their design ranges - summer tyres are too hard in the cold and lose grip - winter tyres are too soft when hot and may not grip ideally and can wear badly. Cross climate tyres use a compromise compound that works well in temperate climates and also appeal to SUV users

2) Tread design - lots of blocks and/or channels help water dispersion to prevent aquaplaning and help grip in snow/mud - so winter tyres have lots of blocks/cuts - these blocks move around and get hot when going fast so winter tyres are often speed limited. Cross climate tyres have tread designs closer to winter tyres so are often good for wet grip/aquaplaning.

Our M3W (like many others) has a cross climate on the rear for confidence on wet grip - on our Boxster we go all the way with 2 sets of wheels for summer/winter. Suspect in our climate neither get tested to the limit but on this kind of safety issue, caution is good.

However, biggest concern for me is usually the way people run their tyres all the way to (and beyond) the 1.6mm legal tread limit let alone to the typical 3mm wear indicators...this has biggest negative impact on wet grip/aquaplaning - we usually change well before the wear indicators and this also ensures the tyres are not too old (5-6 years seen as max recommended as rubber hardens over time)