Unique Cars

TIRED OF CRAP TYRES?

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SO, LET’S say you’ve just bought yourself a classic car for those early morning spirited drives on long weekends.

Only problem is, it’s a car that has older 13 or 14-inch rims as stock, which means that finding a modern performanc­e tyre conducive to enthusiast driving is harder than drifting a B-double.

Many, many enthusiast­s have come across this problem. I circumvent­ed the it by doing what most do: going for a bigger size wheel to accommodat­e more rubber.

It’s not an easy decision to make, and finding the right aftermarke­t wheel that suits your car's aesthetic can be a nightmare, especially if your pride and joy is more than two decades old.

But, it can be done, and in the case of my own car, I not only kept the car looking original but drasticall­y improved the handling thanks to simply having more tyre on the road which, in turn, led to more mechanical grip.

However, there are a few things you need to take into account before you start loosening the wheel nuts.

For a start, each state in the country has rules about changing wheel and tyre sizes on your vehicle, and they vary from state to state.

This can be a real hassle if you’re buying a car interstate.

Something to keep in mind is older cars often rely on a decent sidewall as part of the suspension package – lose too much and it may ride like a dray.

You’ve also got to consider that if you do go for the upgrade, you either need to keep the total rolling circumfere­nce standard (get the calculator out and be sure) or recalibrat­e your speedo.

Clearance can be an issue if the rolling circumfere­nce or the width changes, and you'll need to check this out at full compressio­n on the suspension - with the front wheels turned. There are ways around this, such as rolling your wheel arches, but this can be very troublesom­e.

Bottom line is, upgrading your wheel and tyre sizes is a worthwhile strategy that can lead to serious handling improvemen­ts, but like most things, you need to do your research and find the combinatio­n that’s right for you. This is where a knowledgea­ble tyre shop can be very handy.

 ??  ?? HDT 20 INCH! HDT recently offered a range of "oversized" original style wheels
HDT 20 INCH! HDT recently offered a range of "oversized" original style wheels

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