Morris Minor Owners Club

About to fit new tyres to my traveller which has been off the road for ten years. Going by the advice on here I intended to fit 145/80 R14 Bridgestones, but I'm staggered how much the price has gone up over the last couple of years - cheapest now £98 + fitting. I can get 155 Nankangs for £44 each plus fitting. The car will not be driven hard and mileage is unlikely to be high. I'm sure that the Bridgestones would be better - but just how unsuitable would the Nankangs be in practice?

I wouldn’t have thought they were unsuitable at all. Although worth checking that 155 tyres as opposed to the standard 145’s are ok on your rims, you may find the slightly wider 8cwt LCV rims are best suited for that tyre width, admittedly not much in it.

I have 155 section Nankangs on one of my Minors and 145 Bridgestones on another. The car with Bridgestones does feel a little sharper on the road but honestly, the Nankangs are fine on a standard car being used as you suggest - and the cost saving is quite significant. I would say that they'll be fine and I'd do the same again. I keep the pressures at around 28psi and the car drives perfectly well. The cost of the wider wheels is also fairly high and for very little benefit.

I fitted some 155 Nankangs, and they cracked between the treads within 6 months,
Seller said they were a bad batch and gave me my money back.
Buy the Bridgestones.

My Nankangs are several years old now and show no signs of cracking As you say, you must have had a duff set - and at least you got your money back - quite rightly .
Modern tyres really don't seem to last like they used to though.

That's extremely helpful, thanks all. Sounds like it's going to be Nankangs, then!

I'll second the recommendation for Nankangs. I've bee running a set for quite a while now. No cracking and the handling is fine and no noticeable road noise. I'm sure the Bridgestones are better but at more than double the price, are they that good ?