At last - minilites and wider tyres combo on my S1

PostPost by: dunclentdr1 » Wed Feb 14, 2018 5:57 pm

At last!

Have been concerned about a hill climb season running my original 1964 steel wheels - just a set of rivets stopping the wheel centre coming out under extreme loads (thanks to those who have alerted to this risk).

Anything wider than 145 width tyres on the 4.5 inch wide steel bolt on wheels rub on my S1 so have been wondering how to (1) use modern minilites wheels which all seen to be at least 5 inches wide (2) how to fit some wider tyres and (3) doesn't cost me a fortune.

So, here is the combination that finally seems to work -

1) 13x5 minilites - bought mine from JBW in the UK - ?75 each, bolt on!

2) Yokohama A539 175/60/13 77H tyres - ?57 each, widely avaliable

So far they have plenty of clearance at the front and I think they will work at the rear with a slight grind of the wishbone corners. They fill the wheel arches nicely from an aesthetic perspective.

Wheel studs protrude less than on steel wheels but I get 6 and a half turns of the nut to tighten so think that is OK. May have to fit 10mm studs, need to check if that can be done with hub in situ.

Will post pictures and updates as all 4 wheels get fitted and tested, I know others look for a combination like this that works.

David
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PostPost by: Certified Lotus » Thu Feb 15, 2018 1:44 am

David, I have been using the same tires on my S1 for almost a year with steel wheels and a 150 HP TC with no issues. I do have TTR axles, spline shafts (no donuts), and coil over shocks.
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PostPost by: dunclentdr1 » Thu Feb 15, 2018 1:52 pm

So far so good, clear the rear wheel arches, just needs a little ground from the bolt heads/corner of lower wishbones, fingers crossed!

David
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PostPost by: 661 » Thu Feb 15, 2018 4:32 pm

My son uses the 50 profile version of these on his classic mini and they are fantastic.
I'll be using Avons on the 26GTS
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PostPost by: dunclentdr1 » Thu Feb 15, 2018 4:53 pm

That's good to hear Graeme - plan is to also use Avons on my GTS too.

This little car is doing hill climbs this year, 150hp, nice running gear/suspension set up and scruffy paint, stealth!

Have really been looking for a safer wheel option and better rubber for the events, still using original arches, fingers crossed this works out.

David
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PostPost by: cudabenefast » Thu Feb 15, 2018 8:39 pm

Hi, FWIW, have tried AVONS on a mix of cars over the years and have back to back tested with other brands at a circuit (albeit on an RS1600 tarmac rally car) and found that in 13" this tyre was quicker per km in the dry by some margin and was light years ahead in the wet. It is also much lighter without tubes on each corner and quite a bit cheaper than AVONs.

Quick search shows it is available in your size at https://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/motorspo ... track-tyre.

I have used a later version in 14" on my S4 for 4 years (a total of 40,000+ miles) and they still have 50% useable tread.

Cheers Peter
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PostPost by: dunclentdr1 » Thu Feb 15, 2018 8:55 pm

Thanks - they look good, listing says 14s only - I need 13s!!

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PostPost by: cudabenefast » Fri Feb 16, 2018 2:54 am

David, there is a 175 x 60 x 13 made so might be worth bit of chasing.

Peter
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PostPost by: 661 » Fri Feb 16, 2018 7:25 pm

cudabenefast wrote:Hi, FWIW, have tried AVONS on a mix of cars over the years and have back to back tested with other brands at a circuit (albeit on an RS1600 tarmac rally car) and found that in 13" this tyre was quicker per km in the dry by some margin and was light years ahead in the wet. It is also much lighter without tubes on each corner and quite a bit cheaper than AVONs.

Quick search shows it is available in your size at https://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/motorspo ... track-tyre.

I have used a later version in 14" on my S4 for 4 years (a total of 40,000+ miles) and they still have 50% useable tread.

Cheers Peter


Interesting.
Are we talking about the CR6ZZ?
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PostPost by: cudabenefast » Fri Feb 16, 2018 10:43 pm

Yes. I forgot to say they also have a very good ride.

If you run 14 x 5 - 6 then this is better again.
DUNLOP MOTORSPORT DIREZZA Z2
14 175/60R14 79H 174 569 5.0 - 6.0
14 185/60R14 82H 189 582 5.0 - 6.5

If performance is a priority over price and longevity then the Michelin TB5 in 13" and 14" is also great for "shorter" duration events but we didn't use ultimately use them because they were marginal in lasting over a multi day tarmac rally where we were allowed one set of tyres.

My experience and opinion based on my testing and others may have other views.

Cheers Peter
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