Morris Minor Owners Club

At the moment my Traveller is running on Toyo; 155R 14 tubeless tyres.

A friend has advised me that Camac radials; BN 313 145 R14 are good tyres, but I'm wondering if anyone has them fitted to their cars, and how they perform.

Any thoughts or opinions gratefully received.
Thanks.

You will get different opinions but speaking from my own personal experience, I have generally found that a Minor behaves better on the road with the correct size of tyre which, for a radial ply tyre is a 145 80 14. The Camac tyre is a cheaply made tyre of that size and best described as adequate. If that is all you want then they will be OK but you can purchase something better if you are prepared to spend a bit more. I didn't like the Toyo 155 80 14 tyres when fitted to my car. The tyre is a little wide for the rim. The car behaved on the road as if the tyres were very underinflated - which they weren't and I didn't feel secure in the car when driving moderately enthusiastically and with a load on board. I changed them fairly quickly for Bridgestone 145 80 14 tyres which made the car much more rewarding and enjoyable to drive. These will be a better tyre than the Camac but are more expensive of course.

Many owners have 155 80 14 tyres fitted because they are more readily available and less expensive. I have another Minor which is used as a cheap runabout and has cheap Nankang 155 80 14 tyres fitted. Although it doesn't behave quite as well on the road, they are perfectly acceptable and I would replace them with the same again if looking for a budget tyre. I prefer them to the Toyo.

There are also good quality tyres available via specialist outfits now, from Pirelli and Michelin. I would expect these to be very good but I have no experience of them. Like so much in life, you get (pretty much) what you pay for

Thanks MM.

When I tried Camacs, I found them soft walled and the always squealed going round (admittedly sharp) bends. Much better are Bridgestones, except they seem to start to crack after only a few years. If you can afford them, the Pirelli or Michelin are superb. With 155s, you may have problems getting the spare under the boot floor (varies form car to car). I agree that 145 80 14 is the best size.

Agreed, I would rank the common options similarly. Nankangs are perfectly fine, avoid Camac, Toyo and probably Barum. If you've got the cash go Bridgestone, if you're a millionaire go Pirelli Cinturanto or Michelin X.

I have 165 R14 Vredestein Sprint Classics on 5.5j/van wheels which are fantastic but do look a little large and come close to the kingpins.

I've got Bridgestone B381 145/80 R14 on my Traveller. They were fitted four years ago, the car has been driven daily and they still look 'as new' to me with lots of tread. The car handles well and I was very pleased with the improvement when I fitted the tyres so I can thoroughly recommend them.

With 155s, you may have problems getting the spare under the boot floor (varies form car to car). I agree that 145 80 14 is the best size.

That is a fairly sure sign that an over-size tyre has been fitted? It might be interesting to know what width rims all these tyres are fitted on. Rims used should be matched to the tyre width.

Many thanks to everyone for your comments and advice.

Cheers. Jonnie.