What tyres fit on -67 Mk1?

[aki74]

What kind of experiences do people have on fitting tyres to Mk1? I need to get new tyres and have been checking the alternatives. There are not many, mostly 185 or 195*14, but BF Goodrich for example has 205/75R14 that fits on rims 5-7 inches. Doesn't Transit have 6 inch rims? Mine is with dual wheels, original tyres have been 6,5*14.

I'd like to get tyres with as large overall diameter as possible as the standard 195R14 that I have now look too low to me and also reduce the ground clearance.

So, will 205/75 tyres fit ok?

[Rolo]

Doesn't Transit have 6 inch rims?

My Mark 1 did, although it also came with one wheel that was smaller than 6".

It could have been 5 or 5.5".

You didn't say if your Transit is a single or dual rear wheels and you need to keep in mind there is such a thing as a minimum distance between dual rear wheels.

[100ps_drw_hicube]

You didn't say if your Transit is a single or dual rear wheels

he did

Mine is with dual wheels

[Rolo]

You didn't say if your Transit is a single or dual rear wheels

he did

Mine is with dual wheels

You see?

Being a fast typer and reader has its disadvantages but it's just as well that I mentioned in passing that minimum spacing between dual rear wheels, isn't it?

[Rolo]

Aki74:

When Bridgestone was still making 205R14 8ply tyres I was using them and just managing with minimum rear wheel spacing (my camper was much lighter then) but as far as I know all one can find nowadays, at least in Australia, are the 195R14 and 185R14 LT tyres that fit in rims betwen 5 and 6 inches.

As for that 205/75R14 tyre; doesn't the "/75" part mean it's a lower profile tyre that's only three quarters of the height, which will make your Transit even lower?

I know that my Toyos 195R14 are 666mm overall diameter and the 185R14 is 650 mm; what's the overall diameter of that one?

[Rolo]

I just made a quick google search and I found these 205/75R14 tyres are 26.1" in overall diameter, which according to my calculations makes them only 3mm smaller than my 195R14 STANDARD profile radials.

What am I missing here with my assumption that the "/75" part means it should be of a smaller diameter?

http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:2DR ... =clnk&cd=5

[aki74]

I'll have to check what I have on the rims now. They are bit mixed, some are retreated and so on. That link was good info.

I quess I started this with too little facts. When I get home I'll get the measuring tape and check the rims and present tyres. And then I have to dig in to this bit deeper. My understanding was that 75 ment the ratio between tread and profile, thus 205 having higher profile.

The rim size 14" narrows the selection of makes down quite a bit and even further as I'm looking for all-season M+S tyres. Thread should be as "off-road" as possible to help me get up the steep hill I have to my house in the winter and there's some muddy places too I'll pass now and then. BF Goodrich has the legendary All-Terrain in 27x8.5R14/C size, dia. 26,6" that would be nice if they'd fit. But the price is propably too high so I'll revert to the usual romanian or chinese makes. They won't get so many kilometers on them anyway so anything too good is waste of money.

[daddy cool]

This topic might explain the tyres better

[aki74]

Ok, here is all you need to know about tyres: http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible.html

And this I have now learned myself:

The old imperial 6.5x14 ment that the crossply tyre was 6.5" wide (at it's widest point) and had also 6.5" profile. It was "100%" and would now be marked as 165/100R14.

Increasing speeds in the 60's forced the tyre manufacturers to lower the profile to have better cornering characteristics. Thats when we got the /80 or /82 tyres and now we are going somewhere under 55 as the rims keep on swelling.

So the original tyre for my Transit was 27" high. Closest to that would be 195/85R14 but that seems to be impossible to find. Most commonly awailable is 195/75R14 with -5,47% in rolling radius compared to the 6.5". And it affects on the speedometer with the same precentage too.

[Gunslinger]

thats a good link thanks

now, for what little i know on this subject

1) mk2 wheels tended to have round holes in the rims mk3's had square'ish holes, comparing the 2 side by side reveals a slight difference (i forget what now)

2) twin rear wheel transits should have tires designated with a 'C' at the end of the numbers ..... C for commercial

3) i would use 8ply and not 6ply ones, 6 plys tend to 'squash' easier and thus reduce the gap between the 2 at the back during heavy loading

4) i would not recommend anything over 185 width on the rear of a mk2 or mk3 as they will almost certainly 'kiss' at the bottom .... not good

thats about all i know really

[Rolo]

It seem there is actually no fixed standard for aspect ratio when it is not expressly stated in the tyre size. Different manufacturers use slightly different figures.
The english MOT (road-worthiness test) manual states: Unless marked otherwise, "standard" car tyres have a nominal aspect ratio of 82%. Some tyres have an aspect ratio of 80%. These have "/80" included in their size marking e.g. 165/80 R13. Note: Tyres with aspect ratios of 80% and 82% are almost identical in size and can be safely mixed in any configuration on a vehicle.

Aki74:

No wonder I was so confused; well,.. still am as a matter of fact. ;0

What about those huge mud tyres which are radial and obvioulsy well over 100% aspect ratio?

[aki74]

The result is that I'll get Bridgestone Blizzak 195R14C tyres wich have 82% profile. They will cost 90 euros/each + fitting. Cheapest would have been some korean or chinese tyres starting from 60 euros up. German web-service had something for under 50 euros.
By putting some extra money on them I expect to get better winter traction and I hope they will last longer without hardening/breaking down.

[madmark]

my transit came with snow tyres fitted , they are 195 ,i am still running on them dont know what the difrence is they are still radial tyres!

[Gunslinger]

those of you with twin rear wheeled versions and 195 tyres on i would be interested to know which ones, as i would like some that size but an worried about them kissing at the bottom

as for snow tyres, werent they stronger sidewalls ? and had different tread rubber that wasnt so susceptible to the cold temperatures ?

[Rolo]

those of you with twin rear wheeled versions and 195 tyres on i would be interested to know which ones, as i would like some that size but an worried about them kissing at the bottom

Right now I have 195R14 8ply Toyo tyres all around but when Bridgestone was still making them I was using their 205R14 8ply; they were a lot closer together and while they may have kissed on big bumps I never suffered any problems with them although I might not want to even consider them now that I'm carrying a lot more weight and driving more often on unpaved roads.

I remember seeing somewhere a table showing minimum distances recommended between dual tyres and for some reason the figure of 10-12mm comes to mind (for this particular wheel size) but I wouldn't like you to quote me on that.

A google search should bring up something but surely the weight they carry and their air pressure should also come into the calculations.