OLD SCHOOL TYRES

OLD SCHOOL TYRES

Author
Discussion

s3c chris

Original Poster:

288 posts

129 months

Saturday 1st April 2017
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Hi.

Just a thought......

I've been looking at some old TVR spec sheets and it appears that the original Griffith Had 235/50x16 tyres as standard on the rear wheels.

Toyo still make this size and from the pictures I have seen they seem to fill the rear wheel arch and probably give a degree of comfort too.

Ideal for someone of my age! With 225/45x16 on the fronts it would give a correct visual look as well.

I just wondered if any of you have used this size tyre? The other alternative is the increasingly popular 235/45x17 rear tyres.

The other thing I have been wondering about are rear offsets. I know and have seen et 25 rear wheels with 225/50x16 tyres that work without catching so can the original et33/35 offset be reduced if running standard size tyres? Say to et30 with 235 or 245 widths?

Regards Chris.

s3c chris

Original Poster:

288 posts

129 months

Sunday 23rd April 2017
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Just to add to the above...

I have been running around with 5mm spacers on the rear for a couple of weeks. With 245/45x16 tyres on the standard ET35 Estoril wheels there appears to be have been no rubbing on the arches.

I'm tempted to order Et30 or even ET25 wheels for the rear and either use 235/45x17 tyres although the 235/50x16 still looks tempting, the only trouble being that only Toyo make tyres in that size and I'd really like the AD08r's, I know they are good from all reports.

Decisions!

OleVix

1,438 posts

147 months

Sunday 23rd April 2017
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I want to use that 235/50 size as well but T1r is an outdated tyre, especially regarding wet grip

I now run 16" Imolas all around with 5mm spacers front and rear, works fine. Was thinking of running 225/50 all around or maybe 205/55 on the front... for comforts sake smile

RobXjcoupe

3,151 posts

90 months

Monday 24th April 2017
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s3c chris said:
Just to add to the above...

I have been running around with 5mm spacers on the rear for a couple of weeks. With 245/45x16 tyres on the standard ET35 Estoril wheels there appears to be have been no rubbing on the arches.

I'm tempted to order Et30 or even ET25 wheels for the rear and either use 235/45x17 tyres although the 235/50x16 still looks tempting, the only trouble being that only Toyo make tyres in that size and I'd really like the AD08r's, I know they are good from all reports.
There are two pairs of 9" wide 16" diameter revolution rfx currently on the eBay for Ford fitment and et21
Not sure if 9" wide wheels will fit on the front of the Chim though?


Decisions!

OleVix

1,438 posts

147 months

Monday 24th April 2017
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I have 8 in the front one one of my sets and thats pushing it

SILICONEKID345HP

14,997 posts

230 months

Monday 24th April 2017
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235/50/16 and 235/45/17 are very close the same size .

These will work very well .

245/45/17 also fit , seen thenm on a few TVR s .

Edited by SILICONEKID345HP on Monday 24th April 21:56

s3c chris

Original Poster:

288 posts

129 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
Thanks for the replies.

I went to Burghley a few weeks ago and the more I look at Chimaeras and Griffiths the more I like the 16" wheels all round.
I tried 255/40x17 on the rear of mine and whilst they didn't appear to rub at all I just felt they looked "overkill" on what is essentially an old fashioned classic design.

I know it will be limiting the tyres to T1R but the 235/50x16 looks right and fills the each and still retains a nice side wall height.
I have always thought the 245/45x16 a little low and according to the Toyo website the 235 is actually wider and the recommended wheel is 7.5" too which is a bonus. Surely the Toyos aren't that bad? Lots of TVRs have them and indeed is the only available make in either 245/45x16 or 235/50x16 at the moment.....

So do I go for et 25, 30 or 35 on the rear wheels, that is the question!

Chris.

RobXjcoupe

3,151 posts

90 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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What wheel design are you looking at for 16's then? smile

s3c chris

Original Poster:

288 posts

129 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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Hi Rob.

I'm afraid I'm being very boring and still like the Lenso BBS lookalikes.
I know they are frowned upon by purists but the original OZ are far too dear for me.
I did have a set in 16 fronts and 8.5x17 rear but I personally didn't think they looked right, hence the 16" all round.

Fernhurst have a beautiful Griffith SE at the moment and it just looks lovely, wish I could afford it but I think I have missed the boat on a Griffith now.....

My 2000 Chimaera is still on it's original shocks and springs and does seem a little high at the back, hence my debate over the et question. If I do go for the 235's I still may have to revert to the 245's at a later date.

Regards Chris.

RobXjcoupe

3,151 posts

90 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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Wheel snobbery isn't for me, yes original oz wheels are ok, but they are expensive so let the purist keep them wink
I personally like a slightly stretched tyre on a wheel. So a wider than standard wheel with a width size smaller.
So if it was me, a 7.5j front wheel with a 205 width tyre and a rear 8.5j with a 235 or 225 width tyre. That's if I can get a staggered wheel set in a style I like.
I did wonder to do a five stud conversion using a 5x108 Ford pcd and centre bore to use jaguar staggered wheel sets. Brake discs can be Ford/Jaguar standard size front and rear or use the upgrade r type Jag brembo calipers versions.
With regards to your offset thoughts I think you are safe with et30. Et25 will work also but use a slightly narrower tyre to help outer wheel arch clearance with 7.5j/8j width wheels.
Just my opinion smile



s3c chris

Original Poster:

288 posts

129 months

Friday 26th May 2017
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Hi.

As i started this thread (along with a few others!) about tyre sizes I thought I would update it.

I have gone round in circles looking at wheel and tyre combinations but still kept coming back to the BBS style wheels.
I did initially try 8.5x17 on the rear but for me personally felt that the deep dish didn't look quite right. Had the dish been equal front and back I think it would have looked ok but you can only achieve this on the TVR with custom made split rims which were way beyond my budget.

I have also felt that the standard fit 245/45x16 tyres looked a little small in diameter unless my car just sits too high on it's standard spec springs and shocks.....

So after much deliberation and help from people on here, especially robxjcoupe, (thank you) I have actually settled on a set of wheels. They may not be to everyone's taste but I like them and feel that they suit the shape and style of a Chimaera or indeed a Griffith which obviously came fitted with genuine split rims from the factory.

In the end I chose 7.5x16 rims front and back,standard et25 on the fronts and slightly less than standard et 30 for the rears which pushes the wheels out an extra 5mm over standard. My car already had 225 fronts so I have gone for 225/45x16 tyres and on the rear I have gone for "old school" 235/50x16. Toyo are the only manufacture offering these sizes but after saying that they are also the only one offering the standard TVR sizes anyway. I realise they are no longer cutting edge technology but they seem to perform well enough on our cars and my driving skills would probably not notice the difference!

An interesting point is that the smaller 235/50 tyre is actually wider than the 245/45 that was fitted to my original wheels. This size actually looks bigger all round and definitely fills the arches better. Whether the "smaller" size will affect the handling remains to be seen as I haven't driven the car far enough to tell what they feel like on the road, but I'm hoping the higher sidewall will marginally improve the ride over our potholed roads. Time will tell....

Thanks for all your help on what may have seen some silly questions and just so you can see
here are a few pictures....

Regards Chris.

s3c chris

Original Poster:

288 posts

129 months

Friday 26th May 2017
quotequote all
Not sure if I uploaded the pictures properly but if you click on the image you can see a few more. I'm computer illiterate as you can tell!

RobXjcoupe

3,151 posts

90 months

Friday 26th May 2017
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Your car looks fab! smile

Engineer1949

1,423 posts

143 months

Saturday 27th May 2017
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must say i do like these wheels have black ones on my wedge and have two sets of genuine bbs wheels with centre nut fixing for the cerb racer


john

ChimpOnGas

9,637 posts

178 months

Saturday 27th May 2017
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Not the best photo but I think it gives a good idea of how my Chimaera looks on 16" Imolas front & rear.



And fitted with the following tyres...

Front: Uniroyal RainSport 2 - 205/50 R16 87V

Rear: Uniroyal RainSport 2 - 225/55 R16 95V

In 1860 John Boyd Dunlop came up with the brilliant idea of the pneumatic tyre, in recent years it seems there's been a trend to limit the effectiveness of this genius invention with low profile and run flat tyres both of which do nothing for ride quality. Personally I like my tryes with a decently high side wall and filled with plenty of air, with the ride height set correctly not only does a higher profile tyre choice fill the Chimaera's wheel arches properly but also delivers a far superior ride in a car that lets be honest can always benefit from a bit more compliance and suspension refinement on the road.

If I was looking to gain a few tenths of a second advantage on the track I might consider lowering the profile of my tyres, but I see my Chimaera for what it was designed to be, not a track car but a classic British GT sports car and one that I use solely on the road. A set of Ben Lang's latest spec Mk2 Tuscan 'S' Bilstein coil overs bespoke sprung and valved to my car complete the picture of supple ride combined with superb real world/real road surface handling.

Since applying the above tyre and suspension combination the car is not only more comfortable, but because I'm no longer banging and crashing over our poorly surfaced roads my Chimaera is also notably faster from A-B in the real world where super smooth track surfaces just don't exist. Forgetting the cosmetics for a minute, its really all about being honest with yourself on how you genuinely use your Chimaera for most of the time and what you really want from the way it rides and handles, it may not suit everyone but I went for a tyre and suspension combination that matches my personal needs and expectations.

Higher profile tyres, quality Bilstein suspension, the Brembo brake upgrade, a lighter clutch, an 18lb lightened billet steel flywheel, a V8D Stealth camshaft and my gear linkage mods have all come together in one cohesive package to transform the overall driving dynamics of my 45mpg dual fuel TVR leaving me delighted with the end results and simply ensures I use and enjoy the car more.... which is surely what its all about?

Horses for courses I guess wink

Edited by ChimpOnGas on Saturday 27th May 12:54

Engineer1949

1,423 posts

143 months

Saturday 27th May 2017
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well said that man

RobXjcoupe

3,151 posts

90 months

Sunday 28th May 2017
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Mr gas. Your fitted tyres are only rated at 149mph? Is that correct?

Classic Chim

12,424 posts

148 months

Sunday 28th May 2017
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RobXjcoupe said:
Mr gas. Your fitted tyres are only rated at 149mph? Is that correct?
Other than when driving Lambo's Dave a sensible chap and I'm sure he has no intention of doing 150 mph so he should be safe.
Mine are the same on the fronts Rob. You'll need a bloody long road or Spa racetrack to get much over 150 mph in one I reckon. I'm not aiming at going to those speeds on road tyre's so I don't have a problem with it, or the insurance company. I do like how compliant they are at 148 mph though hehe

RobXjcoupe

3,151 posts

90 months

Sunday 28th May 2017
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Classic Chim said:
RobXjcoupe said:
Mr gas. Your fitted tyres are only rated at 149mph? Is that correct?
Other than when driving Lambo's Dave a sensible chap and I'm sure he has no intention of doing 150 mph so he should be safe.
Mine are the same on the fronts Rob. You'll need a bloody long road or Spa racetrack to get much over 150 mph in one I reckon. I'm not aiming at going to those speeds on road tyre's so I don't have a problem with it, or the insurance company. I do like how compliant they are at 148 mph though hehe
But his tyre sizes are available with higher speed ratings.
As he says horses for courses :s