tyres

[neil.henderson]

Hi All,
I seem to be asking a lot of questions on this forum - sorry, but I am new to P3's and really want to get my car on the road before the Australian winter starts................
My nearside front tyre is badly scrubbed on one side so will not pass a roadworthy check (roadworthy is the Australian MoT). All 4 tyres on the car are currently Dunlop Gold Seal tyres 5.50/16.

So, I have some questions:-
a) are the current tyres the correct size?? I read on the NZ website that they should be 5.75/16.
b) I suspect the current tyres are crossply which concerns me a bit, but am I being realistic in hoping I can get radial tyes of the correct size?
c) Is there a tyre maker, size that most P3 owners prefer?
I am happy to pay for good tyres - I like safety

Regards Neil
p.s. my car is is a 1949 P3 75 4-light

[P3Steve]

Hi Neil
Ask as much as you like its what were here for, in a bit after breakfast I'm going down to my garage to do some work on the old girl so will check out my tyre size for you, for the speeds we do in the P3 I think crossplys are ok as the car was originally designed for them and I’ve heard that redials can make the steering feel heavy and put a strain on the steering gear but I’m no expert so would like to know what the others think

[marnol74]

Hello Neil,

I've just checked my owner’s handbook which appears to have a supplement regarding tyres. It states that for both 60 and 75 models, both 16 and 17 inch wheels can be fitted. For 16" wheel rims it recommends 5.75/16 and 5.50/17 tyres for 17" wheel rims respectively. I too will check my P3 and see which size and brand are fitted; I replaced mine a few years ago with new cross plies (Avons I think as these are what the owners manual stated as being original equipment).

My personal view is that that fitting cross plys preserves the original stance of the vehicle and unless you have fitted performance upgrades I would think that they are more than adequate for trundling along at respectable speeds associated with the P3. Radials will undoubtedly improve the road holding however, I am sure, as mentioned by Steve that they would make your steering more heavy as the sidewall is not as rigid as those of cross plys. I fitted radials to my Stage 1 Land Rover and have since converted to power steering! Having said that, it wasn’t too bad and I did see a P3 with radials fitted only last weekend at the Whitewebbs show.

I hope that this helps.

Matthew

[Paul Gregory]

Hello Neil,
I run my P3 on crossplies as well, though as it is a fairly early one it is fitted with 17" rims. I've been using 525/550 x 17 Firestones for quite a while and have no complaints about them. I am aware that some people have fitted radials, but I haven't seen a need to go that way. I have changed to radials on my Cyclops, but I can't see me doing that on the P3.
Regards
Paul