A question of taste in tires: I understand that E-Types were exported to the US with white sidewalls. Home market was blackwall. Is that right? Why was that?
And how wide a whitewall? Through the '50's they were pretty broad on stately patrician craft as well as hot rodders. Into the '60's they became more modest; what is that saying?
Not that my car will ever be a concours-mobile, but what is the judging status of redline tires?
Thx,

Submitted by salparisi@veri… on Thu, 07/31/2008 - 22:36

Hi Earl,
I'm new to this forum,and don't know which is "correct"---I can just give you my experience and preference--
Purchased my 70 E-Type Roadster in 1972 (5,000 miles on the odometer)
had Dunlop 185 VR 15 SP Radials on it--- including the spare--whitewalls,about 1/2 in wide,so I can only assume that the car came from the factory with them----drove the car all the time for about 5 years---replaced them with the exact same tire
handled great and looked great--anyway,white walls are my preference---but the majority of
E-Types that I've seen--all have black walls-- hope this helps in some way
Sal

Submitted by Myobb@freenet.de on Thu, 06/26/2008 - 01:10

When I bought my LHD Series 2 Roadster in 2000 (in of all places Cardiff, Wales) I found the car running of whitewall tyres. I traced the cars history back to Florida & California (it was a black plate car) & since the tyres were very very old, assumed the tyres were fitted in the US. This was subsequently confirmed by the second owner (a St Petersburg, Florida, lawyer who fitted them in 1983). The whitewwalls were about 2 inches in width & were replaced (immediately!) by the standard black tyres which I prefer.

Submitted by SC38-21185J on Tue, 06/24/2008 - 01:02

A couple other things come to mind. Assumming these are new wire wheels, I would smear clear silicone sealant on the inside spoke nuts just to seal them from moisture. And for sure, do the same on the inside of the center hub, otherwise grease will penetrate the nuts and start flowing outward with the centrifugal force...ugly. But yes, lay a protective rubber mat/band down to cover the nuts. The tire guys should be able to get one for you.

They should be able to spin the wheel up to speed for balancing. The issue then becomes do you want weights hammered down on the outside chrome rim, or just on the inboard side of the wheel? Adhesive weights are also available, but these tend to fling off after awhile.

I recently produced a video for Bugatti owners, and was interested in seeing that in the "old days", they would wrap a bit of round lead solder around the appropriate spoke. If it was too heavy, they snipped a bit off until they reached the right weight....very labor intensive.

Submitted by wcjssj@comcast.net on Sat, 06/21/2008 - 15:42

Hi Earl

Your tire shop must have fairly modern equipment and the proper cones to balance the wheels. Unless your wire wheels are specially made and sealed at the spokes for tubeless tires, you will need new tubes. People are using the Michelin tubes. You also need something to protect the tubes from the ends of the spokes. If your wheels dont have something, people use bicycle tubes of the proper size that are split open around their circumference.

Good luck

Curt

Submitted by annette_close@… on Sat, 06/21/2008 - 09:36

Thanks, Curt. I'm in Deutschland for now and the Vredestein are really popular and available. Avons are breathtakingly dear.
Regarding the sidewalls, the E at the New York Auto show in '61 sported what looked like 2 inchers. Most of the adverts from the period show blackwalls tho.
185s are concours spec? We can do that. The local tire shop had never dealt with a wire wheel. Anything I should be careful for?

Thx again, Earl

Submitted by wcjssj@comcast.net on Sat, 06/21/2008 - 02:29

Hi Earl

I have seen many Etypes and never seen one with whitewalls. Most people are buying the Vredestein 185 x 15 Sprint Classic blackwall tires and are very happy with them. If you want to meet concours specs then you need 185s; the brand is not important. I got mine at British Wire Wheel (1-800-947-3943). Their lead hammer is a bargain. Be sure someone with the modern European equipment mounts them.

Good luck

Curt