TE21 tyre size and profile

Can anyone tell me what tyres were originally fitted to the TE21 and is there an exact replacement in today's marketplace ?.  I have looked at 185/70 and 80's and the car seems to sit too low and has trouble traversing some driveways without bottoming out. A tyre supplier here in OZ has said that Dunlop made a radial in 1965 that was much firmer than those available today, hence the car stood much higher. He went on to say that with the soft walls of modern radials, it will be extremely difficult to find a proper replacement. Posted by pdadd 18/02/2013 22:34:34

Philip  The handbook gives the tyre size as 6.40 X 15 I believe the modern equivalent is 185X15 note no fancy profile stuff.Vredestein do a fairly good example see previous correspondence on tyres on this site. If your car is low at the back it may be the rear springs are tired and need replaced,you can get another 1/2" of clearance by removing the spacer blocks ,if fitted ,between the axle and the spring. In my experience the car will handle much better if you can get a slightly nose down stance with stiff rear springs. Posted by Peter Martin 19/02/2013 11:29:21

Thanks Peter for your input. Will look at Michelin or Pirelli 185/70 15's and take your advice re the springs. Posted by pdadd 21/02/2013 04:15:06

Philip  Have a look at <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.longstonetyres.co.uk">www.longstonetyres.co.uk</a><!-- w --> ,they even ship free to OZ at the moment !. I spoke to a very helpful guy there and discovered the following 1 the original 6.40&quot; X 15 tyres had an overall diameter of 678-683mm depending on brand 2 a  typical straight 185 tyre has an overall diam of 675mm 3 a typical185/70 tyre    &quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;640mm  My conclusion fit straight 185's to get as close to original diam., ride height  , &amp; overall car gearing.  Peter Posted by Peter Martin 21/02/2013 09:46:26

Peter,  I did look at the Longstone site but decided to use a local supplier. Your precise and well presented information exceeds my expectation and I must thank you again for this. I run 185/70's on my TA21 DHC and have determined by use of a GPS, a variation of about 3 to 5% in road speed. I had Michelin 175's on my Grey lady saloon and it was easier/far better to drive than with the 185's, but neither of these cars has power assisted steering. Phil Posted by pdadd 22/02/2013 09:49:30

It may be worth having a look at the following article about tyre sizes, from the Moss Motors site. It gives explanations and comparisons of older cross-ply and later radials, including dimensions. It is extremely informative.  <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.mossmotors.com/graphics/products/PDF/Tire_Wheel%20Sizing.pdf">http://www.mossmotors.com/graphics/prod ... Sizing.pdf</a><!-- m -->  In case the link does not work, I can e-mail you a pdf copy of the article.  Giles Lacey Posted by lacey giles 22/02/2013 10:21:55

Hi all  I need to replace the old tyres on my TE21, so am very much interested in this discussion!  Having done a quick web search the nearest I can find to the original diameter is 185/80 R15 (Diameter 677mm) and 195/70 R15 (Diameter 654mm)   Both are light commercial tyres, which is fine for me as I drive my classics gently. None of the car tyre sizes are tall enough, so in my opinion would look wrong on the TE21.   The only way to get even closer to the original diameter would be to go to 205’s. Would that be too wide for a T21?   Kind regards  KC Posted by KCS 23/02/2013 10:19:01

I fitted a set of 185/80x15 to my TE21. I seem to remember calculating that the overall nominal diameter only differs by about 3mm from the original 185x15 Posted by greg124 28/02/2013 09:49:35

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to my question. Kumho 185/80's have been fitted a) because they are readily avilable here in OZ and b) they have performed well on my TA21 DHC. I have concluded that there is no direct Radial equivalent to the original 6.40 Cross Plies. Last week I climed into the loft and retrieved an original cross ply and compared it with the radial 185/80. The cross ply stands between 15 to 20 mm higher than the radial. The rim to tread is 14mm higher and when under the load of the car, the cross ply deforms about 14mm whilst the radial deforms between 20 to 25mm. The softer wall of the radial also suggests that it will deform even more under actual road use conditions, hence the revolution dimension each turn will be considerably different to that of the cross ply. Add to this the tread width difference --- the radial is about 40mm wider on the road than the cross ply, means that this greater surface area will give significantly better braking, but cause greater strain when attempting to park the car if the vehicle does not have power steering. It is possible too that the required tyre pressures in the radials may vary between the brands. I usually run at 36psi but when I fitted a soft wall Pirelli to one of my cars, the agents insisted that I run these at 52psi because of the materials used in the tyre. Because of all the above, I now use my GPS to determine the correct speed of the car. Posted by pdadd 23/03/2013 01:48:49

[quote=&quot;pdadd&quot;:fb4f6sd2] It is possible too that the required tyre pressures in the radials may vary between the brands. I usually run at 36psi but when I fitted a soft wall Pirelli to one of my cars, the agents insisted that I run these at 52psi because of the materials used in the tyre. [/quote:fb4f6sd2]  All my post-war classic’s (all English) run on radials. I have found that you have to determine the correct pressures for yourself, as it differs from brand to brand, exactly as you suggest.   I put the car on a smooth flat surface and experiment with different pressures until I get just the right amount of bulge and tread footprint.   The original cross ply recommended pressures are generally way too low for modern radials, and will put tremendous strain on the steering components.   Kind regards  KC Posted by KCS 24/03/2013 08:24:19