WHEELY GOOD
A CLASSIC CAR'S 'BOOTS ON THE GROUND' SHOULD REALLY MATTER
We all know that restoring or even freshening up an old car can be a long and often frustrating journey. Though there’s a hell of a lot of satisfaction to be had once you get behind the wheel. And of course literally the last thing we get to is probably the most important part of the package: the wheels and tyres.
At the risk of stating the obvious, they’re a critical part of your steering, suspension and braking performance and your only means of getting the power to the tarmac. Nevertheless, many of us suffer from ‘restorer exhaustion’ and just run out of money, talent or interest when it comes to this final, crucial, stage. All too often it’s on the ‘I’ll get to it one day’ list.
Weekends have been spent scouring wreckers and parts warehouses, rif ling through endless boxes at swap meets and trawling the internet to assemble the he parts to bring your ride back to life. .
But what about the tyres? s? While it is tempting to throw hrow the original hoops back on because cause they look okay, have lots of tread d and hold their pressure, think again. n.
Like the rubber seals on the doors, windows and wiper blades, s, tyres lose their effectiveness and d you might find, at an awkward moment, they are about as useful as roller skates.
Though no company has s put a safety limit on the age of a tyre, as a rule of thumb have a think nk about f linging them at the end of f their warranty period, which is usually up to five years. Certainly by 10 years we’re talking about something hing that should be tossed.
We all know that driving g wears out tyres. And we all know that some wear out faster than others depending on your driving g style, the roads being used and the weight and size of the vehicle. But we may not
“YOUR TYRES ARE A CRITICAL PART OF YOUR STEERING, SUSPENSION AND BRAKING PERFORMANCE”
all know that one of the biggest enemies of tyres is exposure to sunlight, as it breaks down the chemicals used in their construction and explains why race tyres are delivered and stored in black bags.
A tip for readers living up north with more sunlight hours – get your car out of the sun. And for everyone who rarely drives their classic, jack it up and store it in the dark during the long breaks.
The problem for many is you can’t just schlep down to the local tyre store and get classic car tyres off the shelf. Chances are, they may not make them anymore.
It’s a dilemma facing many classic car owners and if your vehicle pre-dates the 1970s, there’s a fair chance it originally rode on cross-ply (or bias-ply) tyres, even though radials had been around for a long time by then.
To be precise radials first surfaced in 1949 with Citroen 2CV and Lancia Aurelia as early adopters,
including them as standard fitment.
So what is the difference between a cross-ply and a radial tyre?
Both are made by laying bands of rubber fabric over each other, with both having a unique construction method along with vastly different ride and handling characteristics.
The names hint at the difference; with a cross-ply tyre, the layers of rubber crisscross each other running at an angle of 45 degrees to the centre line of the tyre’s tread, while radial tyres have the layers overlapping each other and running at right angles to the centre line as well as around the circumference.
Radial tyres are considered safer as they generally have a lower profile, with a wider tread, stiffer sidewalls and a bigger footprint, which in turn provide better traction.
On the other hand, cross-ply tyres usually create less road noise and are softer than radials, due to the extra f lex of the sidewalls.
Owners of older cars should