After Many Many years I have my 66 E type on the road.
Now I need new wire wheels and tires.
Suggestions for both?
5" or 6"?
Where to get tires installed and balanced without damaging rims?
Just driving for fun.
Thank you
Bill

 

Many E owners seem to like Dayton wires

https://www.daytonwirewheels.com/wir...s/spline-drive

There are several vendors for these, review them and see what works for you.

I still have the original wires on my 69 S2 coupe. I have replaced the tires several times over the 36 years under my care. I didn't care for the original 185/15 size, they looked 'spindly' to me. I moved to 205/75/15s and others have had success with 205/70/15s. Since the current tires on my E are 5 years old, I have ordered new ones. It is important to get the same size for the spare. I believe I read somewhere recently that different tire sizes mounted on the rear wheels could create problems with the rear end/suspension.

Here is info on tire sizing:

https://www.lesschwab.com/article/ti...-sidewall.html

When I replace tires, I also replace the rim bands. Other owners line the wire wheels with tubed silicone or duct tape. There are many vendors, here's one of the usuals:

https://mossmotors.com/452-750-rim-b...d48747c6d56d2c

It may or may not be necessary to replace the tubes/rim bands when replacing the tires. My SO worked for Goodyear for many years, so he has a better familiarity of the rubber industry and rubber degradation. Replacing tires, tubes and rim bands is what gets done. These elements are what is between you/the car and the road.

Finding a tire shop that will take on an E is a different matter. You must be very careful to find one that has the proper cones for the tire mounting machines. Perhaps your local Jaguar/british car club has recommendations. A tire shop near me would only do them if I brought them the wheels. They would NOT put the car up on a lift. Taking a car like an E to a standard shop of any sort is a risk. How many of their employees know how to drive stick???

There will be many suggestions on tire brands and sizes to consider. Do careful research!

 

Bill,

I replaced all (5) tires on my '69 OTS with Michelin XVS 185/15 and Michelin tubes all from Tire Rack. Quick delivery to my garage, fair price and recent manufacture.

I chose black walls, but for a few bucks extra they offer white walls as well.

Phil

 

Hi Valerie,
I see that you chose tires sized 205/75/15s. Have you had any issues with any of the tires rubbing? Also, I agree with you that all five tires should be the same size, so, any issues with the 205/75 fitting in the spare tire well or the cover fitting in all the way? I have 185s now on my 68 FHC, and the spare tire just fits in the well. I cannot imagine anything larger fitting in there.

 

Hi and I have had 205s on this car for over 35 years. I did find a chart that gave the physical dimensions of tires of various sizes. Will try to find that and post it. Like you , I knew I needed a spare, but concerned that it would not fit in the spare tire tub. By chance and good luck, my shop had one sitting around, and they could do a trial fit. I can take a photo of that and post it.
OK, not the chart I was thinking of, but it works
https://www.calculator.net/tire-size-calculator.html?ctw1=185&car1=70&cws1=15&ctw2=205& car2=75&cws2=15&ctype=2&x=Calculate#compare
The 205 will then be 1/2 inch larger than the 185 on all sides to equal the 2 inch size differential in the chart. See if you have a 1/2 inch gap all the way around your spare when it sits in the tub.

 

Thank you, Valerie. I appreciate it. I'll be doing some measuring this week.

 

Here are two photos of the 205 in the spare tire tub. The first shows that it is a 205/75/15 and the second shows it in place. This is in a 1969 S2 coupe, built Aug. 69. Note the position of the tire hold down clamp. The bag that holds the jack and related and the tire hammer all fit in allowing the boot board to close.

Hope this helps.

 

Thank you, Valerie. A picture paints a thousand words. I think the spare tire tub in your series 2 coupe is the same size as the one in my series 1.5 coupe. Your photo shows that there is just enough room to hold the 205s. And that is enough. Your photo is very helpful. Thanks again.

 

So the final question would be .. if a 205/175/15 fits will the 205/50/15 fit ?

 

I believe you can input various tire specs and it will give you the measurements. IIRC the 50 in your case would mean that the sidewall is 50 % of the 205, which would change the overall diameter of the tire. ... about 23 inches???

 

Valerie - Slightly off topic question but why didn’t you ask your tire shop to balance your wheels from the inside so the weights would be hidden?

 

Might be hard to see in my photo, but that IS the inside/backside of my spare and the weights ARE mounted there.. check the inner hub where the spokes connect.

 

^
Apologies for missing that. You have a beautiful car by the way.

 

Thank you for your kind words. With the help of members on this forum as well as J-Ls, I manage to keep him running well (he's now 56 years old and I've had him for 36). With the same sort of OCD care, I'm hoping the F will do as well!

No issues with missing the orientation of the wheels and your mentioning it did remind me to make sure putting the weights on the insides is done with his upcoming tire change this month. One never knows what drops off the memory when you've done it so many times before, thank you! And, I should probably get that spare out and clean it up!

 

JohnRmclean... j


So the final question would be .. if a 205/175/15 fits will the 205/50/15 fit ?



Just thinking... if you use a low shoulder tire, you will lower the entire car and will that impede full opening of the car's bonnet???

Factory tires are the 185 (70) 15s you may want to check that tire size chart/link

 

Thanks Val ..well noted .. I'm still piecing together my rear end so while the topic is of interest it will be a bit before I actually get to that stage. I'm about 3 years into a 2 year rebuild going on 5 if you know what I mean. Going to be VERY busy this summer.

 

Best wishes on the restoration... they are always lucky cars that are found and taken care of by an enthusiast. It's like they say... any job.. double the amount of time and move to the next increment... so what you thought was going to be a 15 minute job, is now doubled to 30 (2 x 15) and moved from minutes to HOURS... so it's now a 30 hour job. UGH. My favorites are the "iceberg" jobs.. where you thought you were dealing with a small project (10%) and the majority of it (90%) ends of being hidden or not readily apparent.

 

Well said ..I have found many Icebergs on this one , in fact I think a previous restorer was actually and Eskimo who worked on it during the last Ice Age!!