Tires (again!)

[JonB]

So I suppose the 30+ year old Dunlop SP6s on my S4 are destined for the bin when it's back on the road, despite still having the little rubber hairs you find on new tyres and (from the looks of it) zero wear. Ha ha!

I'm going to have to make this decision myself soon enough... I have seen Blockleys and I don't trust them. The pattern looks like it'd be useless in the wet. Probably go for the Cintuatos, because Pirellis are way too much.

Have you read that thread started by Dougal Cawley of Longstone Tyres? He makes some good points.

viewtopic.php?f=42&t=41498

[jonnyg]

Jon, yes, I’ve seen the other thread and have been following Dougal’s comments and opinions; I wonder if he may post again now that the Cinturatos are available in 155x13 and in stock at Longstones? In the end I think it will come down to a choice between the Michelins and the Pirelli’s, I’m sure both will perform equally well for the limited demands I will place on them, so it will be a matter of cost and aesthetics.

[MACCA.GLM]

Hi DavidJ

I had the same dilemma on what to put on my sprint as the cost varies so much.Having had various discussion I whittled it down to 2. Falken and Nangkang . I went for 155X70X13 Nangkang TT recommended them from black circles tyres.Under £250 fitted for 4 tyres.Had them on 3 months no problems.

Hope this helps

Regards
G

[JonB]

In restoring a (relatively) low mileage S4 I am looking to recreate the original driving experience as much as possible. That means, I need tyres that closely approximate the feel of the Dunlop SP6s. Given that no Elan owner has yet done any comparative testing, that gives me a bit of a problem (then of course, I have the shock absorbers to worry about; there's life in them I think, but they would appear to be 53 years old). So, what to choose?

[alan.barker]

Jon,
For me at the back there is no choice Koni or Koni. But you won't like the price.
For the fronts you can choose from TTR with adjustable ones to play with later. When the bank balance has recovered from the Koni shock inserts.
Will you fit CV driveshafts with reduced travel Shock Inserts.
Alan

[JonB]

Jon,
For me at the back there is no choice Koni or Koni. But you won't like the price.
For the fronts you can choose from TTR with adjustable ones to play with later. When the bank balance has recovered from the Koni shock inserts.
Will you fit CV driveshafts with reduced travel Shock Inserts.
Alan

Yeah, I was afraid of that!

Most likely I will fit CVs though I have the option of a set of UJs with sliding splines as used on the 26R (correct me if I’m wrong). I’m having to think about those because I’m worried about the sliding bit binding when going over our grotty potholed roads. I gather it’s down to the amount of torque the joint is handling at the time, but the question on my mind is “Would I notice it?”

Anyway it’s all a while away yet.. so please let’s not hijack the thread.

[alan.barker]

I had dunlop sp sport aquajets for a few years but didn't like them too heavy steering.
Got rainexperts now and nice light steering + good price.
Alan

[mbell]

Given that no Elan owner has yet done any comparative testing, that gives me a bit of a problem

I've gone from softish/grippy modern standard tires, cheaper but not bad tires to Pirelli cn36 on my +2. It's very subjective to compare but I'd say the modern tires might have slightly more grip overall but break away is harder to predict and more sudden. The cn36 make the car feel a lot more "playful" , you get a bit more feel for when it's going break away and when it does it's more gradual and very controllable. So I think they make for a more enjoyable drive.

Of course they don't sell the cn36 in the right size for an elan but expect a similar trend for classic type tires over modern tires.

[dougal cawley]

Given that no Elan owner has yet done any comparative testing, that gives me a bit of a problem

I've gone from softish/grippy modern standard tires, cheaper but not bad tires to Pirelli cn36 on my +2. It's very subjective to compare but I'd say the modern tires might have slightly more grip overall but break away is harder to predict and more sudden. The cn36 make the car feel a lot more "playful" , you get a bit more feel for when it's going break away and when it does it's more gradual and very controllable. So I think they make for a more enjoyable drive.

Of course they don't sell the cn36 in the right size for an elan but expect a similar trend for classic type tires over modern tires.

Hi

We do sell the right size CN36 for the Elan +2 https://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/classi ... /elan.html

Great excitement! We have now received our first delivery of 155R13 Pirelli Cinturato CA67 for the none +2 Elan after 1969!

https://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/155r13 ... -ca67.html

at last the perfect tyre at a really good price.

[jonnyg]

Dear all, in case a bit of feedback might be helpful, I finally took the plunge about a month back and bought 5 new Pirelli Cinturatos (CA67, 155x13) to replace the old and hard Michelin XASs on my S4. I haven't been disappointed, and have found that the car now feels a lot better on new tyres, as you might expect; it's impossible to compare brand new Pirelli tyres with much older Michelin tyres, but I can only report that the ride and handling on the Cinturatos is very good. I'm running them at 26psi front and rear, as recommended by Vintage Tyres at Beaulieu (who did an excellent job with fitting and balancing). Oh, and they look really cool, too! Hope this helps if you're pondering which of the various tyre options to go for when making any future purchase. Jonathan

[dougal cawley]

Phew!

thyat is great to hear.

do you have any pictures showing the tread pattern you would be happy with me using on an advert or on our web site?