Morris Minor Owners Club

Does anybody know where I can get tyres ??
They must be cross-ply 520 x 14.
Hens' teeth spring to mind!

I see ESM do them at £70!!!
http://morrisminorspares.co.uk/shop/ind ... bd3ff8a059

Why, at that price you could almost buy a set of radials!!??

But they are Dunlop D75's

Crossplies?? you must have a deathwish!

Willie wrote:Crossplies?? you must have a deathwish!

I must admit I wondered why too.
I can understand is a concours vehicle but if used everyday then radials are a sensible upgrade.
I bought a car fitted with crossplies that came with a spare set of radials.
After a few days of crossplies I decided that the condition of the local roads meant the crossplies were almost dangeous and promply fitted the radial.
It completely changed the vehicle from being horrible to drive to pleasant.
I've no experince of crossplies on a Minor so maybe someone with them fitted will give their opinion on the differences between the types ?

It's a case of "supply and demand".
Crossplies aren't common anymore on saloon vehicles so you will be in the hands of the specialist tyre suppliers and the subsiquent high prices.
Have you though about putting a wanted advert for good used tyres if you really want them and aren't prepared to pay £70 each ?

Paul Humphries

My car has always had cross ply tyres and has been driven almost every day since it was made on 3oth August 1955. Apart from driving modern euro boxes and landrovers of various different sizes - all with radials I find the morris on cross plys OK. You are made more observant of road conditions and cambers and I know you definitely have to watch the ice in winter and the same time watch your distance. But you have to do that on radials anyway ----don't you ??? Perhaps I'm an old fogey but if you have been taught to drive on a skidpan on cross plys double declutching at the same time you should know what you're doing What's this "death wish" business anyway.

I'd agree with Willie - driving a Minor on crossplies compared to radials is a very different thing. Having done both, I'd never consider radials, (due to stopping distance, ability to corner more accurately and the ability to go which ever direction you choose even if the road has lorry ruts etc...). I'm certainly wouldn't consider myself over cautious and am happy to drive within the limits of standard brakes - even fully loaded on hills (although it does take more effort and concentration)

If you really really want crossplies, there's a link to where you can get them.

rayofleamington wrote:I'd agree with Willie - driving a Minor on crossplies compared to radials is a very different thing. Having done both, I'd never consider radials, (due to stopping distance, ability to corner more accurately and the ability to go which ever direction you choose even if the road has lorry ruts etc...). I'm certainly wouldn't consider myself over cautious and am happy to drive within the limits of standard brakes - even fully loaded on hills (although it does take more effort and concentration)

If you really really want crossplies, there's a link to where you can get them.

I really,really want cross plies-too old to change. I'd be grateful for a link, thanks.

PM sent.

RAY Surely in your previous post you meant that you would never consider
CROSSPLIES?? Radials not only vastly improve the ride and safety but also make the car much less noisy, If you drive a car on crossplies it sounds as though all the wheel bearings are shot compared to the radials. The other point is that all the other cars on the road are using radials so crossplies put you at an immediate disadvantage. The radials
also do at least double the mileage and they are cheaper.

RAY Surely in your previous post you meant that you would never consider CROSSPLIES??

yes - that's what I meant to say

hi

try ringing this guy,
he has both new and used ones for sale

01278 671903

Unless they have been recently produced - the rubber on old Xplies will have 'gone off' with age - and will have almost NO grip, and very probably 'sidewall veneer cracking' - which potentially fails MOT. Seriously - get radials - they are so much better for ordinary road use.

I learned to drive on a Minor with crossplies, and I thought they were fine..........until I drove a Minor with radials.
I'd never go back.

bmcecosse wrote:Unless they have been recently produced - the rubber on old Xplies will have 'gone off' with age -

The Firestone radials on my Minor are like this even though they have decent amounts of tread left.
I enquired about matching replacements and was told Firestone haven't made that size for years so any I will find will be NOS.
A full set of new TOYO tyres from one of the mail order specialists was cheap enough for me not to worry and they should provide many more years of motoring before replacing is needed again.
Tyres deteriate faster if exposed to sunlight so if you have spares cover them up as even off a car they will still age if kept outside.
Worse thing with my Firestones is I reckon the car was standing for a while as the deteriation, besided the sidewalls cracking, seems to be in mainly one area - which would have been in contact with the ground.

Paul Humphries

OK OK OK!!! You have ALL convinced me. So many folk can't be wrong.

Thanks for all your inputs.

I will get five new radial tyres fitted to the car.

Anybody know what to do with spare tubes or do you need tubes for radials al well?

Anybody know what to do with spare tubes

Blow them up and use them as floats for the swimming pool? ;)

Matt wrote:

Anybody know what to do with spare tubes

Blow them up and use them as floats for the swimming pool? ;)

the tyres of the tubes ?

Excellent. Let us know what you think of the transformation. No, provided that your rims are in good condition internally, including the valve hole, you will have no problems without tubes. try 25 front and
26 rear pressures to start with.

Willie wrote:Excellent. Let us know what you think of the transformation. No, provided that your rims are in good condition internally, including the valve hole, you will have no problems without tubes. try 25 front and
26 rear pressures to start with.

I'll keep your email for reference re the pressures etc. At the moment its easy to remember cos its 22 all round. Do radials even have tubes? Where do I look for valve holes? "I know nothing".
I have my birthday coming up soon (don't be nosey)and last year I got a chrome exhaust so you know what the hinting is going to be about this year.