Elan +2 tyre quandary

[normanjsmith]

I have good intentions - I want to get my +2 going again this year after having a rest since 1987.
Tyres on it are 185/70 X 13 Pirelli CN36 which date back to 1975. To my mind this size looks a bit big and bulky and would be more at home on something like a Mk3 Cortina.
Decent 165 X 13's appear to be no longer available here and FF Michelins are expensive. My spare is an original, barely used 165 X 13 Goodyear G800 which has a diameter of 575 and rolling circumference of 1798.
Michelin 165 X 13 XAS FF have a diameter of 600 and rolling circumference of 1824.
Can anyone explain this discrepancy?
It therefore appears that a 175/70 X 13 (which is readily available) with a diameter of 575 and rolling circumference of 1807 is a more suitable replacement.
Another possibility is 185/65 X 13 with a diameter of 571 and rolling circumference of 1793.
I have no problem with rear spring platform clearance when using 185's because I have magnesium Minilites which have a setback of 4" instead of the standard steel wheel's 4 3/4". This also means there is adequate clearance between the rim and the wishbones.

Any thoughts?

Thanks
Norm

[simonknee]

Vredestein Sprint Classic, quandary over.

http://www.vredestein.com/car-tyres/cla ... ssic/info/

EDIT

Eeek they don't have much 13 listed any more, not good.

[simonknee]

But using google to search mytires rather than their own search engine I have found this:

http://www.mytyres.co.uk/cgi-bin//rshop ... -180964__X

[simonknee]

And more digging reveals this as their currently stocked list

http://www.mytyres.co.uk/rshop/Tyres/Vredestein/Sprint

Where's my 155 R13 78H

[PaulRB]

Hi
I when I re-commissioned my +2 put on 185 CR6ZZ Avon tyres I have found them very good But if I were doing it again I would have got the 165 version see http://www.avonmotorsport.com/historic/historic/cr6zz

[Spyder fan]

I hope the following will be of some help.

The original 165/R13 tyres fitted to +2's had an 82 profile and the diameter is 601mm.

185/70/13 are a bit short with a diameter of 589mm but not much difference (12mm)

I think you will wonder why your ride height doesn't look right if you fit 175/70/13. (26mm)

I use 14 inch Minilites with 185/65/14 tyres on my +2 which equals 596mm, so almost spot on. There is a little more choice of stickier/cheaper tyres at 14 inch as well. I use Yokohama C Drive which cost around ?65 each.

For 13 inch wheels the Dunlop Aquajet 165HR13 is still available which has an 80 profile 596mm although quite pricey http://www.classictyres.com/item/389/16 ... --road--tl

All the above is from research to solve the ride height issue / big gap in the wheel arches issue that stems from Spyder using a 60 profile tyre on all the 14 inch Minilites they have supplied to customers and is especially apparent on cars with new springs.

(EDIT I originally put 185/60 tyres below, they are in fact 185/65, sorry to confuse)

My car below on 14 inch Minilites and 185/65 tyres

My car at a different angle different 14 inch wheels but still on 185/65 tyres

Car below with 14 inch wheels, new springs and wrong profile tyres.

[mbell]

I went through this here in the US recently and the selection is a lot more limited than in the UK. You may want to specify where you are in the world (Ireland?, Australia?) as it significant impacts your options.

In the end I went for 175/70 as I found one available from one on the main tire shops here and was soft, euro made and cheap enough that I could replace them later if I wasn't happy.

[Davidb]

Another vote here for Vredestein sprint classics. Very good grip dry and wet.

[normanjsmith]

Thanks for the replies. I failed to mention, however, that I am in Australia which does limit choices.


I still don't know why my 48 year old original equipment 165 X 13 Goodyear G800 is 25 mm smaller in diameter than new tyres in that size. It was fully inflated and measured carefully.

Norm

[normanjsmith]

I'm still trying to decide what size tyres to use on my +2.
The attached photos show that the original 165 X 13 G800 is noticeably smaller than what should be a comparable 185/70 X 13. It appears to have an aspect ratio of 75 rather than 80 or 82.
A 175/70 X 13 would be a close match with the G800 and a 185/65 X 13 would be only slightly smaller.
Any more comments?

Thanks
Norm

[Spyder fan]

Norm,
That is really odd. for the G800's to have a diameter of 575 they would need to be 75 profile (the exact measurement is 578 for 75 aspect).

here is a very handy tyre size calculator http://www.tyresave.co.uk/tyresize.html

Another topic on elan.net here lotus-suspension-f42/tyre-poll-t24740.html

Scroll down to Jeremy Drapers post and look at the photo of his car with an original G800 tyre fitted to steel rim one end and a modern 14 inch Minilite at the other.

Maybe it will help and give inspiration.

[mbell]

I based my end tire size selection on availability and price. I was going to go Vredestein sprint classics in 165/80r13 but these were going to cost $200 a corner. Which seemed just a bit too much for me and decided that a euro made 175/75r13 that would be easily available should i need a replacement and was a lot wallet friendly ($40 + fitting etc) was a sensible thing to do.

So before deciding on tire size I really think you need to look at the availability and pricing "local "to you.

Personally I stay aedway from 185 as there was a chance there may be rubbing issues

[simonknee]

Blimey those 70's Pirelli have some tread crazy on them don't they! Do you think water ever finds it's way out of the maze or just becomes lost forever??

[normanjsmith]

The G800's were replaced well before they were worn out because they were treacherous in the wet.
The Pirellis, despite having no longitudinal channels, were a marked improvement.

Norm

[Wevster]

I went for Pirelli P3000, 165x13 original size only T rated though,(35 mile an hour speed limit in Guernsey!) look cool at ?50 a corner.

Kev.