I was just wondering, having not bought tyres for 5 years or so, if the sizes are in metric now? I imagined so as Brussels would have clamped down on that wouldnt they?
Just made me think as I was fitted some of those god awful Halfords wheel trims to my Mazda, which say 13 inch but need some serious modification to fit a 13 inch wheel! 101 uses for a hammer...
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The tyre width is in millimetres (metric), the tyre diameter (for the wheel) is in inches (imperial) and the tyre profile (tyre diameter minus wheel diameter) is expressed as a percentage of the tyre width. So take you pick.
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The only "all metric" tyres I have ever purchased were those on my 1984 MG Metro; in the depths of my mind (Owned from new and run for eight years, the car was none the less sold by me back in 1992) I recall the tyres were Michelin TDX 160/65TR340.
As an aside, Michelin and Dunlop collaborated to develop the TD seating system that located the tyre between the normal outer flanges and two inner beads. This resulted in tyres that had limited runflat capability but the advantage that they remained on the wheel in the event of a blow out (and disadvatnage that they were a pig to remove without wheel damage)
The same type of tyre in larger sizes were also fitted to some Maestro and Montego models from the then Austin Rover stable.
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Thanks for that - seems an oversight by Europe - it wont be long!
useful info for a pub quiz tho!
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I think BMW used metric tyres on some of their cars back in the early 90's and now they are both expensive and difficult to get hold of.
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I think BMW used metric tyres on some of their cars back in the early 90's and now they are both expensive and difficult to get hold of.
They did; the Michelin TRX.
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Just did a browse and found some other makes that also used the TRX range of tyres: www.longstonetyres.co.uk/trx.php
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TDX were used on Granadas in 70/80's.
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Cross-plies do not come in metric sizes.
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In the late '80s Jaguar went through a phase of using metric tyres, mostly on XJ40s. I think the diameter was 390mm, which is about 15.3 inches. The tyres were shockingly expensive, especially out here in New Zealand. I have heard of prices of several hundred dollars each for metric tyres. Almost all of them have now been converted to imperial 15 or 16 inch rims, with tyres at only expensive, not heart-stopping prices.
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In the late '80s Jaguar went through a phase of using metric tyres,
Didn't certain models of Metro also do the same? Or am I getting confused with Michelin being the only tyres you could get for the Metro as they weren't a common size?
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Didn't certain models of Metro also do the same?
Err, please see my first post, DD!
You're excused by lateness of night! ;-)
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Err, please see my first post, DD!
Oops! sorry SjB.
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