Morris Minor Owners Club

Funny how times change, I as a yoof, was always told to avoid Japanese bridgestone, because they use a harder compound and dont grip well, thats why they are so cheap.
Now I visit my local tyre dealer and cant help but smile when he says, bridgestone are the second most expensive tyre available from a choice of 8 manufacturers for a reason, intimating quality.
Personally for the modern car, I go for Pirelli made in carlisle, or Avon tyres made in Melksham.
I dont know if they make the sizes required for a Moggie as I havent had to change mine yet, but when I do they will be British made.

145 80 14 bridgestones are the way to go for standard rims

I've got 165/70/14 Goodyears on van wheels (4.5J)

Wouldn't change them for the world. Very pleased with the handling (vert shocks and arb).

Wot's an 'arb'?

Anti Roll Bar.

Ta!

TFM 150K (Dave will be pleased I know) Just about to shod these with 165/80 14s exactly what has come off been on there for 15 plus years no tubes. Tyres just starting cracking on the walls

I ran my traveller on 155 Toyo's for several years and they were excellent - until I put 145 Bridgestones on. By far the best for a moggie I think

These rims are 4.5 j van wide rims nearly 2" wider than the standard traveller rim

RussLCV wrote:These rims are 4.5 j van wide rims nearly 2" wider than the standard traveller rim

No tubes? What's the current thinking on that?

Some say tubes cause hot spots. Some say no tubes risks the tyre suddenly deflating and coming off.

Did you drive it hard?

Last 15 years no tubes no issues

Last 18 years, tubes, no issues! Previous 18 years, no tubes, no issues! (Well, last 36 years, the occasional puncture! )

So no problems either way.

32 years, never had a puncture. Am I doing something wrong???

Tempting fate here but... been driving since 1979 and only had two punctures needing roadside wheel changes in order to complete journey.

Umpteen, but I have driven 30k miles a year for nearly fifty years. Probably the planet getting its revenge on me Can't remember any in any of my moggies, though.

Mr Wilsons experience is similar to mine - except that 95% of my mileage over slightly more years has been in moggies of one sort or another. Close inspection of Russ's wheels (picture above on 28th Feb) indicates that he is about to take a certain amount of risk running without tubes. The type of wheel that has a flat bit inside the rim which then drops straight into the deepest well is (was) designed to be run with a tube - the pressure in the tube then assisting the other factors that keep the rim of the tyre seated against the rim, particularly in the event of a sidewall impact. Modern wheels have a dimple around the wheel before the deepest part (have a look at the reproduction wheels that ESM and the like are doing and you will see that these have the same design) which helps to keep the tyre sidewall up against the outer rim and this type of wheel can be used without a tube. This theory is not MY theory, it is a theory which was developed by the tyre industry.
So what about running "tube-type" rims without tubes? Many people have done this for millions of miles (between them, not individually) without any problems at all. That included me until I read the "theory" in the motoring press about 40 years ago, just about the time that most people were moving from crossplies to radials. I went back to using tubes. To the best of my knowledge, all Minors were provided with tubes originally - they were all issued with crossplies too if memory serves me right, so an adherence to original spec is not always very sensible (or very comfortable, if it comes to that)!

Not wishing to dispute any long held theory, the idea of pressure in the tube helping to keep the tyre in place is true but the air in a tubeless tyre must do a similar thing. Sidewall impact is of course a risk without a tube but again I've had a devil of a job before now trying to break the seal between wheel and tyre when replacing, they invariably stick together over time.

I've been thinking of fitting a tyre pressure monitoring system.

Not a cheap Chinese thing that involves sticking something on the outside of the valve. Those are pretty useless.

A "proper" high quality one has dedicated valves and the transmitters are inside the wheel.

But of course that means going tubeless and I'm on standard van wheels. Got them from Charles Ware and they point blank refused to fit them without tubes.

Hmm. I need to think about this.

Hmm, tyre pressure monitoring. Sent me mad on my wife's ex,unlamented Golf. If the pressure dropped by a smidgeon we had to reprogramme the blooming computer! It was a horrible car. Well built to be fair,but horrible. And boring. And I couldn't get in or out without clattering my head.
The tyres were ok though.