TC tyres

[Ray White]

Be aware that radial tires put very different and often much greater stress on the bead of the rim. A lot of antique wheels have failed after running radial tires. I don't recall knowing anyone who has run radials on the original 2.5' TC rim so I can't say how it will hold up, but regular inspection for cracking might be a good idea.

It is many years since I worked as a tyre fitter so I am well out of touch but presumably, these radials would be designed for tubeless rims?? I would imagine an inner tube would have a short life with such a tyre on a TC rim.

[Duncan M]

Taking the camber out of the front axle would be straigtforward enough when fitting radials at front. Problem with radials on the back of a TC is that there is not enough room. Radials are too wide. "Section width." Maybe the TA has more room? For a TC, I am pretty sure you would need to remove the rear fenders (or modify them quite a bit, or fit cycle fenders) to run radials.

[Swanee]

Hi John, I haven't used those particular tires but I wonder if they are stiff enough for automobile use, being marketed as motorcycle tires. I also wonder how round or flat The tread might be. The max load rating seems adequate. The width is is a bit narrow for my tastes but I know one guy who used to run tires that size, so it does work.

Thanks Steve--good advice
I have had two inner tube failures on long trips in the last 3 weeks (older tubes--marked "made in EU") My dealer is now stocking Hartford brand (made in china) tubes for TC so I will give them a go. They look pretty good. Very hard to get 4.50 x 19 tyres in Australia at the present time
cheers
John

[Rob Reilly]

My new inner tubes for my TA ordered in May arrived yesterday, after 8 months. They are Hartford brand made in China. They have a TR135 type valve stem which is 5/8" diameter (c15.9mm). There are grooves in the stem which let out air between the tube and tire when the tube is filled.
My rims have a 1/2" valve stem hole (c12.5mm). My very old tubes with 1/2" stems do not have the grooves.
I understand the grooves are a more recent (1970s?) improvement in tube design.
My plan is to open up the holes to 5/8" with a series of drill bits in increasing 1/32" increments, 17/32, 9/16, 19/32, 5/8.
And of course deburr the holes afterward with a machinist's deburring tool. A half-round file would also work there.

[Franz Tenbrock]

the rust there is not good for the new tube
so clean it where the tube is
;-)

[Rob Reilly]

Yes of course, that is a picture as they were received with tires possibly 60 years old, notice the paint on the valve stem.
I am restoring all the wheels.

hole drilled out to 5/8" and de-burred inside and outside

test fitting the tube valve stem

I noticed the inside of the rim is stamped X287AJ and DRC 2.50 19 DL

[Rob Reilly]

One down, four to go.

[Duncan M]

Rob-
I am curious about what those American Classic Radial real life dimensions are, now that you have got one aired up. Section width and tread width? Overall diameter?
Thanks,
Duncan-

[Steve Simmons]

Mike Sherrell has been running radials for a while now, but they are a modern tire. He says the car was transformed and "rides on air". They look horrible to me with their modern square shape and modern tread pattern, although they probably ride and handle better than the vintage style like the ones Rob is using. Still, I'd rather have the proper look than that extra bit of ride and cornering advantage. It will be interesting to see how Rob's tires compare to the stock type. Ideally they would be compared A/B to a good set of bias ply rather than replacing old ones but any data is better than nothing.

[Rob Reilly]

Diameter 30", tread width 3-3/4", section width 5-1/2"; according to Coker. Seems about right near as I can measure with a tape. Ground contact patch might be an interesting thing to measure once I have full weight on the chassis.
These are called "bias look".
It will be many months before I can provide any driving impression. I am only beginning to deal with the body framing. As you say, there was nothing as far as TA/B/C on radials.

[Rob Reilly]

All five done; balancing next.
Coincidentally, 9 months ago when I placed my order with Coker, I had previously asked if anyone had tried radials, but did not find any report of anyone trying them. Just today I received the Issue #70 of Totally T-Types newsletter, and there is a report of someone who has them on his TC. They are Bridgestone Escopia 500 size 155/70/19R. He likes them, saying, "the car felt like it was on rails, more stable than I've ever experienced."

[Steve Simmons]

...there is a report of someone who has them on his TC. They are Bridgestone Escopia 500 size 155/70/19R. He likes them, saying, "the car felt like it was on rails, more stable than I've ever experienced."

That's Mike! Here's his report to the MG TC Owner's Club from a while back...

Some years ago in the US, I spotted a new small car with skinny 19” wheels. It turned out to be a BMW i3 electric car. On return to Australia I did some research, to find the tyres were 155/70/19”R.

Over subsequent months and years, whenever I located these tyres there was always only one available in the whole country.

Meanwhile, my Dunlop B5s were rapidly wearing thin, then we got the news that no more were to be made, and my experience with the several copies available has not been good. I don’t mind 16” wheels on my Café Racer but not on my 600,000+ mile TC which, apart from a few sojourns across Australia and back has always been on 19”s in the 62 years I have owned and driven it. This led to a renewal of interest in the BMW tyres known to me as Bridgestone Ecopia 500 155/70/19R.

My local Bridgestone outlet (on Canning Hwy Victoria Park) was most helpful in finding some 23 of these tyres in South Australia. Armed with this information I bit the bullet and ordered one to try. Off came the old Dunlop B5 and on went the 19” radial, an easy fit. It looked the business although the diameter was a bit smaller and it did look a bit modern, but overall I liked it and ordered the other 3. A week later they arrived and all 4 went on to TC/9491. The tyre itself was soft and compliant and needed the minimum of balancing weights. Spinning them up on the front of the jacked up car was the first revelation – they were round! A tentative brisk run around the block and a brief run down the freeway had me convinced they were going to be good.

A Club run followed on the weekend involving a spirited 60 miles or so over undulating, twisty roads. Running with 30psi front and 32 rear, I could not believe the difference: It was like riding on air, the car felt like it was on rails (to coin a phrase), more stable than I’ve ever experienced, and pulled the car up beautifully when a panic stop presented itself. I’ve yet to try them in the wet, but I bet they are going to perform better than anything in my Dunlop past.

And he had a couple photos...

[Ian R]

I just read an article in the recently published, Issue 70 of Totally T-Type 2 Magazine.
The link is:
https://ttypes.org/nineteen-inch-radial ... 55-70-19r/

The author, an Australian noted that the BMW I3 is fitted with modern 155/70/19R tires & so fitted a set on his TC and gives a glowing report.

I own a BMW I3 & sure enough, the front tires are 155/70/19R.
This has got to be a cost effective solution to the TA / TC tire problem.
On my BMW I3, these are great tires.
I’m going to buy a set for my TA.
The worst thing is that they get unmounted & used on the I3 !

[Duncan M]

Easy enough to remove the rear fenders of a TC. Easy enough to get some wider 19" wheels from Bob G. Those i3 tires will not fit on a stock 2.5" rim, and there is no way they will fit inside the stock rear fenders. But I guess we all know that.

see specs>>
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.js ... 57QR9EP500

[Duncan M]

Interesting to note Mike Sherrell's late 49 TC appears in the pic above to be done up in the "other" lighter green. Judging by the radiator slats. Bravo Mike!

[Rob Reilly]

A question occurred to me; what about tubes? I can't imagine this Bridgestone was intended to be used with a tube.

My American Classic radials are clearly marked Tube Type and have a molded pattern inside, the intention of which seems to be so that the tube should not be abraded by the inner surface if there is a flexing movement. The tubes are for radials.

[Steve Simmons]

That's a good point. Tubes made for bias-ply tires are not appropriate for use in radial tires. They can overheat and fail. I'm not sure that you will find tubes for radial tires in our size, but I haven't looked either so maybe they are out there. A good idea might be to grind the inside of the tires smooth to cut down on abrasion / friction. This may void the warranty though.

That said, this may only apply to the tires Mike is trying. The tires Rob has, being made in a vintage style, might have the insides constructed to be safe with old style tubes. It would be worth asking about. I don't think anyone is making "normal" size inner tubes that aren't rated for radials anymore, but (assuming again) I think the tubes for our sizes are still made for bias-ply, because there has never been a need to change. Definitely worth looking into before any high speed work or long trips.

[Rob Reilly]

Surprisingly, I took a couple of pix of the inside of a tire. I didn't think to take one of the tube, but they were supplied by Coker and are for radials. There is a warning on the tube boxes about checking inside the tires for labels, stickers, and any other foreign objects that could hurt the tube. I suppose that is why tires come wrapped in a plastic strip, to keep out foreign objects in transit.

[Steve Simmons]

That's both surprising, and welcome that they are making radial tubes in this size!

[Duncan M]

Rob-
Thanks Rob, I have seen what the website says for section width on your radials. The numbers on section width are notoriously wrong in those website listings for vintage car tires. I have been looking for appropriate radial tires for a TC for years. Never found anything that would likely fit, except (round) motorcycle radials. I know you have a TA.

Websites lists my (made in Vietnam) Universal 475/500 x 19 bias ply tires as having a section width of 4.12-4.5 inch depending on which website you look at. In fact, they are actually 5.2 inch section width when mounted on a stock TC rim. If they were even 1/8" fatter section width they would rub all day on my car. That is why I am curious for an actual measurement on a stock sized rim with those particular radials mounted.

Pics of the 5.2" (actual) section width bias ply mounted on a stock rim in the back of a TC.