I have competed this year in class O in my 1951 Dellow which has a 100E engine and Willment OHV conversion. Neither of these were fitted as standard in 1951. All other running gear is original. If I had not entered in class O I would have been in class 8. I think the car would have been outclassed by more modern machinery and would have been under far greater stress on the re-starts. I have managed so far to get by with only one broken axle. I don't want to go to the extent of changing either engine or axle so have been quite happy to stay in class O and enjoy my outings. The problem now is the Edinburgh where I want to try class 8 and my Michelin X Taxi tyres must go. Has anyone got any sensible suggestions as to the best tyres to use as I am completely out of touch these days. Tyre size at present 175 x 16 on original Ford wheels.
Robin Barlow.
Go down to 15" wheels on the back. The lower gearing will help compensate for the lack of power. Buy a set of Firestone F560's to fit them. The easiest solution to the wheel fitting problem is a set of early VW wheels which will fit, but scroll back through the discussions on this site to an old one entitled "Tyre Size Recommendations" and read the caveats about fitting these wheels, and where to find them.
ReplyDeleteDellow classification is a problem which we are trying to
ReplyDeleteaddress as many Dellow owners have gone back to Class O but then found they do
not do the original hills so have given up all together. New owners are put off
by the weak axle and lack of ready spares. As for tyres I use Pirelli Cinturatos
if you can get them or Henley SG cross ply.
Mudplugger2
If you dont wish to change from 16" wheels you could try the 16" Firestone ANS. The ANS tyre has only recently been placed on the approved list, but the 16" version is being used on some of the Liage's, and the 18" sizes on A7's. The ANS is cross ply tyre, so no radials on the front. They are inported from the USA via the vintage tyre outfits such as VTS. Their expensive so Simon's suggestion of 15" wheels etc may be cheaper. Dudley
ReplyDeleteMark is right about Pirelli Cinturato 185x16's working well - but they must be on the wide rim 16" Ford van wheel, and preferably wider. BUT ..... the current price is an eye-watering 짙200 each plus VAT - and the sidewalls are weaker than some other radials. Crossply 6.00x16 Henley SG's worked well but they may have gone the way of the dodo. Dropping to 15" is a possibility but if you are on a standard 5.55 diff then you'll find top gear pathetically low. 18" Ford van wheels enable you to use the excellent Michelin DR in 475/525x18 size but they are priced at 짙152 plus VAT each.
ReplyDeleteWith the demise of Matador 15x185 tyres the only one left seems to be the Firestone F560. Are there any other reasonable 15" tyres in 185 or less that are available?
ReplyDeletePeter, I could let you into a secret about Jupiter and Vredestein. But then I would have to take you outside and shot you!!!!
ReplyDeleteWould they be the famous 'Jupiter Dark Horse' brand from Korea? Currently on eBay are these tyres 260185284794. Are they by any chance legal?
ReplyDeleteI purchased my jupiters from a high st tyre dealer. And yes they are legal.
ReplyDelete"Dropping to 15" is a possibility but if you are on a standard 5.55 diff then you'll find top gear pathetically low." Why should Robin be worried about that? After all, he's only got to drive the beast back to Aberdeen!
ReplyDelete"After all, he's only got to drive the beast back to Aberdeen!" Strewth!
ReplyDelete" I purchased my jupiters from a high st tyre dealer. And yes they are legal." I wasn't asking if Jupiters were legal - the item number refers to some Yokohama tyres that look eminently usable. Have ACTC seen any of these yet?
ReplyDeleteTo check if a tyre is approved or not you should look at the ACTC Tyre List.
ReplyDeleteThe latest version can always be found on the NEWS page of the ACTC website.
To get a tyre added to that list it has to be approved by the ACTC Tyre officer - Pete Hart. He almost certainly won't approve a tyre from a photograph, and certainly not one on e-bay that is declared in the advert to be an "All Weather" pattern. On that rare occasion when a tyre is approved from a photo it is usually because the tyre in question is so obviously such utter rubbish that no one in their right mind would want to use it except on an undriven axle.