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MG MGA - Photos of MGA with 185 tires?

Anyone have photos of a MGA with 185/70 tires? I'm considering installing a set in the near future to replace my 165 set. I'm wondering if they look out of place, especially on 48-spoke wheels. I do have 4.5" rims so fit should not be a problem.

This was brought on by an experience recently when I had to slam the brakes and the car took a very long time to stop because the tires had little grip.

Thanks!
Steve Simmons

Steve,
Would siping the tires help?
I understand that Discount Tire can do it; I guess most shops can, but they claim that it improves handling and grip of the tires.
Mike
mike parker

Do give more info!
Steve Simmons

Steve,
Check out this link.
http://www.discounttire.com/dtc/brochure/tire/tireSiping.jsp

I have never had this done, but 4x4 off-roaders do it quite often. There is literally boatloads of info on the net, check google.
While I have given discount tire info, I believe that most companies do this, with "Safety Sipe" equipment(I think I have that right)so it should be the same regardless of who you use.
Good luck
mike parker

From what I understand, extra siping(ie slitting the tread with a razor) is mainly supposed to improve traction in the rain and snow. These are conditions I try to avoid in my MGA. I have seen articles that say it reduces dry traction, but I don't know. Most of the articles about siping are about the offroad 4x4 tires which don't have much if any siping from the tire manufacturer. Just my opinion, but since street tires have siping designed in by the tire manufacturer, to think that the average tire installer at the local discount tire store is going to improve things just doesn't sound right to me. I may be wrong.
Jeff Schultz

Hmmm... thinking about this logically, it seems like you would lose traction. On a smooth, dry road the best traction would be given by a smooth tire, like a racing model. Tread is only there to dissipate water and debris. The taller the tread the more tread flex you get and the more grooves the less rubber on the road. I agree it would probably help a street tire to perform in slippery conditions but it doesn't seem like it would help for summer street driving. Maybe I'm wrong?
Steve Simmons

I thought smooth tires on race cars are so that the tires don't grip too much, resulting in a broken axle.
mike parker

The reason for slicks on a race car are to obtain maximum traction. On dry pavement, the more rubber touching the road, the higher the traction.
Jeff Schultz

Precicely. More rubber on the road equals more traction. Also when the tread of a tire flexes it causes the car to slide sideways as contact is lost.

You can roughly equate it to rock climbing shoes which are soft and completely smooth for maximum contact with the rock However hiking boots have knobs for handling loose debris and channeling water.

Tire compounds are designed with certain amounts of traction at certain speeds to control grip versus drift, but if a tire is capable of outcornering the car it's mounted to then something is wrong with the setup! ;)
Steve Simmons

<<I had to slam the brakes and the car took a very long time to stop because the tires had little grip>>

What tires do have now (make/type and AGE)?
What makes you say you had little grip? Did you block the tires?

The long brake time could also have been caused by the brakes itself or a slippery road (oil, molten asphalt, rain etc.) (or even your stripped splines! LOL).

My point is that I like the sleeker 165's on an A and know that fresh tires grip much better than 10 year old ones.
Willem van der Veer

Steve,

go to this website and scroll down to the "Fat or Thin?" discussion - you may be in for some surprises.

http://www.chris-longhurst.com/carbibles/index.html?menu.html&tyre_bible.html

Regards,

Joe
Joe Cook

I have an old 1600 MGA rusty driver with TR6 redlines and wheels on it, looks cool runs great. Just no sharp turns. Looks cobra-esque.Also have fake KOs on them.Twin Cam cobra-esque? If I have a pix I'll show ya.
WCW

The age of the tyres is VERY important for the grip. Ideally tyres should never be more than six years old.

I have compared the grip of 12 year old tyres on my midget with the almost new tyres on my MGB, both of the original, narrow type (145 and 165). The difference is shocking - particularly if the road is wet, or even damp. Plenty of tread on both.

Tore


Steve,

I'm digitally "challenged" but will have the MGA at the Coronado festival of speed on saturday the 9th. It has 185-65 tires, close. They're Bridgestone potenza re950s on 5 inch 60 spoke tubeless daytons.

Look for the red 57 with the competition windscreen and two people in lots of warm clothes from the drive.

If I can get help I will attempt to post some pics.

Tom
Tom M

Willem, the tires are brand new Dayton Daytona Metric Radials. No, it wasn't the splines spinning! LOL! I would have noticed that one. ;) The brakes are fine as well since they can lock up the wheels, unless perhaps the rears aren't working properly but they seem ok.

It isn't that they took a "long" time to stop, just a much longer time than a modern car in front of me would have, if there had been one. It was a very fast stop brought on by a signal that changed quite unexpectedly and quickly on a long, fast stretch of road. My B would have stopped in half the distance.

Tom, I'll look for the photo. Thanks!
Steve Simmons

Well, I'm no tire pro, and this all makes sense to me. I understand that the channels are for water drainage, so maybe that is where I am thinking that traction is better with channels in the tires =>less water, less hydroplaning. That makes sense. BTW, I notice comparisons of older tires vs. newer tires, but have not seen anything regarding original comparisons. It seems to me, and I could be wrong, but with the particular size tire we are talking about, today they would be considered lower end tires, unless you get the actual classics, etc. What are the wear and traction characteristics of the older tires vs. the new tires, and could this be some of the reason for the differences you are seeing?
mike parker

Mike,

I am definitely no tyre pro either! But I imagine that the technological advances in the tyre industry have been so great that even a rock bottom modern tyre will compare favourably with what was offered by the great makers in the sixties and seventies. Just as any supermarket motor oil today is probably a lot better than the great oil brands of thirty-forty years ago.

But it sure would be interesting to see a direct comparison.
Tore

Steve, if you are having to reduce pedal pressure to prevent front or rear wheel lock then larger tires might be of help. If you are able to apply full pedal pressure and still aren't locking the wheels, then I'd look towards the lining material for potential improvement. Both the A and B use similar size master cylinders and calipers, so line pressure should be comparable. Disc diameter is pretty close to the same also, so a difference in braking force that you can feel is most likely due to glazed linings, or a harder lining material.
Bill Young

No, I can lock the wheels. The stop in question required pumping the brakes to keep from locking them. The narrow tires just don't have the grip that wider ones have. A softer compound rubber would solve the problem but noone makes high performance 165 tires anymore so I'm stuck with passenger car tires. I sure with Michelin still made those 175s.
Steve Simmons

Steve, Vredestein still lists a 165 R 15 in their Sprint+. I have heard from friend who used this brand that they gave excellent traction as well as handling. Might help your braking.
Bill Young

Steve

Check the Vredenstein website at www.vredestein.com/ and check the "Passenger Car Tyres" and then the "Tyres for Classic Cars" tab. There you will find a listing for a 165HR15 which is a high performance tire with a 130 mph rating. They also have a 165SR15 which has a 113 mph rating that Bill mentioned.

FWIW

Larry

Larry Hallanger

Thank you. I'll check them out.
Steve Simmons

Steve, since you are planning on scrappin the 165s you might want to look into getting this solution that you can apply to the tires which softens them and increases traction. You are a bike guy; check w/ a motorcycle shop, some roadracers use the stuff.

I don't know what it is called, but in CA you are bound to be able to find it somewhere.
Jake

Interesting. I'll look into that! I need new spare tires on three cars and just my luck they are all the same diameter wheels. :)
Steve Simmons

This thread was discussed between 28/09/2004 and 01/10/2004

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