Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Wheels and handling question

Ken,
What size tyres are you using?
A Pirelli 175/70 -15 fits a 6" rim and will give lighter steering & sharper handling if you are currently running wider tyres.

Thats interesting, present ones are 195/60 ×15. Avon. These are dated 07 and the sidewalls are starting to crack so.i have been looking into a new set
I will ask about the size tyres you mention. Many thanks

If they are 15 years old, please avoid driving on them. And if you must drive to get their replacements, be very very careful.

Agreed get new tyres now. Yours are dangerous

Agreed...also
If you are involved in an accident, your insurer may be looking for a valid reason to decline your claim, eg "vehicle kept well maintained and in roadworthy condition" in the T&C's

Thanks for the posts. I haven't used it since before Christmas and it was whilst checking tyre pressures a couple of weeks ago I spotted a few small cracks I the tyre walls, on checking codes spotted it said 07. The tyres have tons of tread and I am sure that in all the paperwork with the car they had been changed a couple of years before I bought it so was only expecting them to be 5 years old. I am of course swapping them before using it again.

I took ownership of my car last year. It has been on the road and running since new. The tires were from 1979.

Tire replacement was the first thing I did.

I agree with all the comments but I would like to add that there is an issue with the use of 195/60 R15 tyres, as fitted standard to the last series of trad Plus 4s. The 195/60 R15 tyres are the lowest radius used by Morgan on standard road cars and can give serious ground clearance problems. My car had less than 9cm ground clearance when loaded for touring, even when it left the factory. This meant that it touched down on most speed humps! I have now replaced the entire suspension system and I now run 195/65 R15 Michelin Cross Climate tyres. I use 24 psi front and 26 psi rear.

The combination of uprated suspension (height adjusted) and the taller tyres mean that I now get more than 10cm ground clearance when loaded.
With the new front springing I don't find the steering heavy except perhaps a little in parking manoeuvres. My wife, however, does find it heavy for her.

In general terms I would never use tyres that were 10 years old ore more. I tend to replace them much sooner even if they still have legal tred depth.

Back in the days when radial tyres were new on the market I had a set fitted to my work Holden Torana and managed to wear them out in 8,500 miles. Mind you playing "Drift King" on the old Pacific Highway between Gosford and North Sydney had absolutely nothing to do with it

I decided to stick with the original fitment and have had 5 new Avon 195 tyres fitted at my local garage I use he did me a great price.
Looked at the 175 ones suggested but far too expensive.
Thanks for he replies.

So...has it made any noticeable difference to your handling/ steering problems?