Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) 4/4 tyre advice

I bought my 2006 4/4 from a reputable sports car dealer but not a Morgan main dealer

The dealer had fitted new tyres before I saw the car - the old tyres weren’t overly worn but the rubber was old

The fitted tyres are 195/65/15 Hankook Ventus Prime 3. When I collected the car the ride home seemed a little harsh but on checking they were at 30 psi. Adjusting to 23psi all around has made a huge difference and there is easily enough grip for my driving style

The problem I have is that having now read through many posts here the rear wheel centering is something I’ve looked at at and in so doing I can see the tyres have occasionally rubbed on the inside at the front of the offside arch. Not much but the signs are there. More reading and it seems the tyres are too big for the car.

I can see what the dealer has done. The old tyres were Pirelli P6000 at 185/70 and the price for a reasonably priced comparable tyre is currently >£230!!

The fitted tyres have a similar radius but are clearly too wide

I contacted the dealer today who couldn’t have been more helpful. They are not close but have said they will cover the cost to replace the tyres if I use a local tyre fitter

So I’m not going to take the proverbial and seek 185/70 at the current crazy price - think because I made it clear that that would be my approach is why they are offering to sort this out

So do I go for 165/80 or 185/65. And then what brand of rubber?

I like the idea of reverting to the standard spec but also like the idea of how the slightly wider rubber will fill the arch

Thoughts?

What is the OE size?

165/80/15 is how it would have come from the factory

165/80/15 is the size on my 4/4 ! I tried 185 once terrible ride and touching chassis on full lock !

There were several discussions on TM about the tyres.

Most of them recommended 165/80/15 with Vredestein TT.

After my experience with my 4/4 (2006), I can only agree with this!

As another thought has any tried 175/75?

I go with the 185/70/15 Avons, yes they are pricey but how often do you change tyres on a Morgan ? Safety is paramount for me and the Avons are super sticky even in the wet. My life is worth £1000 every 5 years.

195/65/15 is not only too big re the rim offset but also the rim itself is only allowed up to 185 tyre width. 195/65/15 is often used as an alternative with the standard on Plus 4 models to achieve a little more ground clearance and better filling of the wheel arches, but this happens on the base of wider rims.
I am also very happy with Vedestein T Trac 2 in the size of 165/80/15 and I will get the third set next spring. Unfortunately I have not been able to find 175/75/15 on the internet. You would have to try 175/70/15 to see how that looks visually in diameter.
Here you get an impression on page 3 of the link.

https://www.reifenrechner.at/index....15&2rb=175&2rh=70&2durchm=15

The T Trac 2 have very good grip and I don't miss more width except maybe when braking very hard before fast corners. (the 165/80/15 have improved my neuro ABS:) But you get used to the car very well and a good 165/80/15 adds a lot to the overall driving pleasure of a 4/4. Don't worry about 165 widths not performing well. You'll be surprised, and in the wet it's much better than wider tyres anyway concerning the light weight of the car.

I have looked for these but they are not available - all I can find in this size is P6000 which I’m not keen on. And I do agree re safety - with only 4 points of contact I want to make sure the road to car connection is as good as possible

I have an older 4/4 but have gone to 5.5 wide wheels. I have 195/65 on the front and 205/65 on the back. The 205 is at the top limit of acceptable tyre for rim.

I use the Avon ZV7. There are reasonably priced and to date I have not found the limits of their grip, wet or dry - I drive all year round in all weathers. I have also not found any issues with steering and run at 22psi - I actually think it's a little lighter than the previous Conti's I had on - I had to run them at a higher pressure.

I like them so much I have fitted them to my Corsa - I can now take corners and roundabouts with much more confidence. However, I don't drive my car like Carlos Fandango - I enjoy driving at pace, but appreciate I'm on public roads and not my own private racetrack.

When the rears have worn, I will probably go down to a 195 - I've just altered the rear to allow me to carry a 195 spare, so it makes sense to have all the tyres the same size.