Wheels, yet another question from a newby

[rhysnolan]

Sorry folks! My wheels are in amazing condition inside the tyres, however I am left to wonder if moving away from 13" Wolfrace wheels might be a good idea. 185 size tyres in the 13" version are becoming more difficult/expensive.
My tyres are very good but old , not used since the mid 90s so I believe they should be replaced, so are there larger diameter alternatives that would be wiser?

[jon_wilkinson]

You will find you are quite limited in choice due to the 95.25mm PCD and available backspace before the wheels foul the track rod end. JBW wheels 15 x 5.5 minilight will fit without issues and a 185/55R15 tyres give you a similar rolling radius.

Other wheels can be fitted with spacers but you need to be carefull how far you go with the relatively small diameter wheel studs. A search of the forum should bring up threads with other wheels that fit. For example, I think MGF 14" alloys fit with a 20mm spacer on the fronts. Advice on here is that any spacer fitted needs to be hub centric.

Another factor to consider is due to the Roadster's light weight compared to the Marina base the suspension is not as effective and the tyres do some of the work. I've had 15" wheels on a previous Roadster but currently have 13" with soft sidewall tyres and the smaller wheel provides a much less harsh ride.

[martinclan56]

If you are putting your hand in your pocket then 15" wheels would be my choice. I bought some second hand 15 x 4.5 wire wheels ex Austin Healey. They come up on Ebay from time to time as owners upgrade to chromed ( yeuk) wheels. Of course you also have to buy the splined hub adapters but again these sometime come up on Ebay. They take 165 tyres of which there are plenty arround as they are a common classic car size.

I would stick with 13s. 185/60/13 and 205/60/13 are widely available in some very sticky compounds for not much cash as they are used in motorsports events such as hillclimbing and sprinting. Toyo, Yokohama and Nankang all make excellent tyres in those sizes. Cheaper than you think, but why skimp on tyres anyway? Theyre the only thing keeping you on the blacktop.

[rhysnolan]

I wasn't EVER thinking of skimping on tyres, just if the availability is low, as it seemed to be, then choices of decent tyres seemed limited. I think 205 would be over tyreing the car. 185 yes.

[andyf]

Daemon tweaks do a good price on Uniroyal Rain Experts which are an excellent all round tire for lightweight cars.

[jon_wilkinson]

Daemon tweaks do a good price on Uniroyal Rain Experts which are an excellent all round tire for lightweight cars.

+1 have them on mine (185/70R13) but from my local Selecta (Protyre) - always give me a good price.

Unless you intend using your Marlin in all weathers, I would go for a tyre like this Nangkang;

https://www.demon-tweeks.com/uk/nankang-ns-2r-tyre-2006294/

The grip is amazing in the dry, and good in the wet. Great value for money too. These are (fairly) lightweight sportscars so you need a sporty tyre! Just my opinion of course...

[andyf]

Any of these sticky tires will work well. The only additional thing I would say is that I would stick to a 70 profile if possible as the sidewall flex doe soften the suspension a bit and protects the wheels from pothole damage.

[rhysnolan]

Thank you all for your inpot, very much appreciated.

[billjackson54]

Not directly relevant to your search, I know...I too was looking for alternative wheels for a Roadster project earlier this year as I didn't want to lose the rolling chassis status while the wheels were refurbished. On the subject of tyres in general....not many years ago there was a horrendous Camper crash on the M5 where the tyres were found to be legal regarding tread depth but in fact 18 years old....the fronts had simply collapsed. I replace the tyres on my camper before next use and was recommended to replace tyres through aging at least every 5 years. One of my previous Marlins, a Berlinetta, had new Vredestein tyres while in my ownership....which were still on it 8 years after I sold it. I would suggest budgeting for a new set of tyres whenever you change your car.

[marlinmick]

I've had difficulty in writing these comments and still wonder if I'm doing the right thing in submitting them but here goes I'm ready for and probably deserve the the flack!

The subject of tyres on older cars, classic cars and kit cars fascinating especially were tyre age is concerned. I have just returned my Roadster to the road after a very long lay up.
The last time I used it was in 2004. I fitted new tyres then and they probably did about a 100 miles before the layup. In the 19 years since the car has spent the majority of that time on axle stands so no weight on the wheels in a dry garage and whenever I worked in there on other projects the tyres were covered from direct sunlight. I do appreciate that my tyres are old so I will keep a very close eye on there condition. I did a 50 mile run yesterday and all seems well the tyres were only just warm even with 28 degrees air temperature.
The roadster is a very light car at 750kg plus passengers at approx 150 kgs max is 900 kg so divide that by 4 leaves so only 225 kgs per wheel, so for now I will continue to use and monitor their condition.
I own a 1600kg caravan (not for towing behind the Marlins though) so the weight on each tyre is 800 kg and these have a lifespan of 5 years and if looked after carefully can go to 7 years at which time replacement is advisable I state advisable. I would replace them at 7 years because of the weight in one spot over long periods of inactivity and the infrequent use they get, and for me the journeys are usually a minimum of a 150 miles each way. I protect my caravan's tyres from direct sunlight.

Some years ago a friend of mine brought a 440 Volvo with very low miles and had only been used for local runs by the sellers wife, in its 8 years it had never covered more than about 15 miles in a single journey and that was only to the Dealers for servicing. Wind the clock forward to my friends ownership with the car still on its original tyres and fully loaded for a holiday journey in hot weather to Devon for a week and then back home to Derbyshire about 800 miles covered in that week.
On the return journey at about 20 miles from home the steering started to shimmy and vibrate getting worse the more he travelled. Eventually at a much slower speed he arrived home to find that all 4 tyres had gone slightly egg shaped. So obviously new tyres were called for. I only mention this story has the car and tyre use went from one extreme to the other.
I'm not endorsing or advising keeping old tyres on any vehicle.
As I said I will use my Roadster (I rarely do any more than 80 miles per trip) as it is but keeping a careful watch on the tyre condition, incidentally and to contradict myself entirely if I was envisaging a trip around Europe a set of new boots would be the first thing on the agender.

As an aside 3 years ago I brought an immaculate F reg Cabrio and have covered about 3500 miles in it since purchase with total milage now since build 7625, recently I had the front wheels off and just happened to notice the date code on the excellent Yokohama 205/65 x 15" tyres still with 6mm of tread, guess what MDM195 yes January 95 and still in perfect condition.
Again I see no reason to replace them apart from their age but at the first sign of any deterioration they will be replaced.
I think the state of todays roads will soon show up any defects and will be addressed as they arise.

I realise that my comments are subjective and will probably horrify the purists and I will leave myself open to ridicule.
But this is only and I stress only my opinion.

Regards to all,
Mick.

[copperleaves11]

I'm with you Mick on this one. I take the visual approach, any sign of cracking in the tread , change the tyres.

[MOC Chair]

Early this year I had new tyres fitted to Gwynevere.
Although the old ones were 20 years old, my local tyre dealer inspected them and thought they were still in good condition. Even the insides of them were surprising good. However the new classic tyres now fitted are much quieter on the road leading to much more relaxed journeys.

[duncan]

My Marlin is still not on the road - having some problems with the NZ Certifiers - but about the tyres

They were brand new in 1995 !! - the wheels were a bit rusty so I got the tyres removed to sandblast and paint the rims - the tyres were removed by my local tyre company and I had them take a good look at the tyres inside and out

They inspected the tyres and said that they appeared to be fine

When I do get it on the road I will be carefully watching the tyres - will probably replace them after its been on the road for a year or so - about when I intend giving it its proper paint job