SLIP SLIDIN’ AWAY
Richard’s tyred of the thought of more E-type spending
S JAGUAR E TYPE FHC
‘New Goodyear 4000s…’ reads the advert and the price is tempting. Or it is until a friend reminds me that the ‘4000’ hasn’t been produced for a decade. ‘That stretches the de nition of new to snapping point,’ he smirks, happy to burst my bubble.
Dry grip from my current Goodyears seemed to be ne but a slide on a wet roundabout was a wakeup call. Thinking it might be a diesel spill causing the lack of grip, I put the E into the next roundabout and had to correct more tail-out action. Not good.
A look at the date stamp on the sidewall lozenge and I was embarrassed to nd that they were 15 years old. They looked perfect but had gone hard. So I began researching what’s available and discovered a wide selection of 65 pro le tyres from all of the top manufacturers. I decided upon a set of Continentals. But since I have wire wheels my rst call was to Longstone Tyres to buy a new set of rim tapes and tubes.
‘No Michelin tubes for a 65 pro le,’ they said, ‘and we don’t recommend a 70 tube in a 65 tyre.’
Things had just become complicated. I like the originality of a ‘70’, and I like the way they look – and indeed if I want to compete in any Historic Rally Car Register events they are period correct – but now my options are limited. Sure, Dunlop and Avon make period correct tyres, but I’d be looking at £1500 or so for a set. And with the modest miles I drive they would be time-expired long before they’d worn out so I wanted something around the £500 mark.
A web search brings up plenty of modern 70 pro les; but these days
70 pro le is often a van tyre, such as
‘It begins to spit and zz like a kettle on the boil as it gets warm’
The blue E-type shows o
Firestone’s Vanhawk or Continental’s Van Contact – ‘boots’ with very di erent priorities, being hard rubber for high mileages. And then there’s the question of speed ratings. If you need a soft grippy summer tyre then your options are limited. As well as van tyres, the other 70 pro le tyres that I was o ered included 4x4 tyres, such as General Grabbers and Avon Rangers with tread patterns that look all wrong on a classic sports car.
My friend Martin, founder of Olney Classic Car Club, recommended
Orbit Tyres in Wellingborough as being both knowledgeable and careful when tting tyres to centrelock wire wheels. Richard from Orbit was very patient as I narrowed my decision down to o erings from Uniroyal, Yokohama and
Toyo. Then someone suggested that I look at Pirelli’s Scorpion Verde. It’s a tyre designed for modern crossover cars and its soft compound and slightly rounded sidewall remind me of ‘60s Dunlop race tyres. It comes out well in tests, with just a few remarks about it not lasting as long as some of the harder tyres – which of course is perfect for a classic where we gladly trade high mileage capability for grip and performance.
So despite the extra cost I’m now pleased that I chose 70 pro le Pirellis – they ll out the wheel arches properly and work very well on the twisty bits even in the wet. In fact, I’m allowing myself a smile of satisfaction for money well spent when an email arrives from the Motor Sports Association: ‘Pirelli is now o ering 20 per cent discount to all race licence holders.’
D’oh!