Tyre choice

[tyasman]

I am always intrigued by the comments about tyre selection on the forum. I have a '70 S4 which is fitted with the tyres which came on the car when I bought it. They are in excellent condition. I am a reasonably fast road driver (usually in the dry) and have no problem with the handling, which frankly, is better than I am. My tyres are Pirelli P1000 165/80. What's the general opinion of these tyres? I have them at 18 psi on the front and 23 at the back. Am I missing out on something?
Thanks

[m750rider]

What I've found is that the car (I have a 1969 S4) is so light and balanced that the original size tires work fine. But it is hard to find anything but low performance tires in that size any more. As a result, I have changed to a 70 series Sumitomo tire, that just barely fits in the wheel well and doesn't hit the spring perch in the rear. It is a reasonable performance tire.

P1000 is not a tire we have here in the US so I can't comment on it, although a quick search indicates it is a "family oriented" tire - whatever that means. Sounds like an underpowered sedan tire but what do I know?

I also find that tire pressure of 18/23 is also about right. Too much pressure and the car gets jumpy.

[msd1107]

I started out with 155-13 using 18/23 like you.

At tyre replacement time, I went to 5.5" wheels, 165-13 tyres, and 28/33 tyre pressure. The combination of the wider wheel, up sized tyre, and greater tyre pressure improved the cornering, gave lighter and more sensitive steering, and more precise handling

If you can afford them, Michelin XAS FF tyres are a modern day high performance replacement for the original Dunlops.

David
1968 36/7988