[Staowners] 165 x 16 white wall radials..........from where????

[George Simpson]

With your modern engine and 5 speed gear box, I'm sure 5th gear will be 
overdrive. Assuming the P.O. kept the S-T rear axle, this will give you 
more or less the same ratios as the original S-T engine/gear 
box/overdrive. However, I bet the Toyota engine will rev 20 - 30% faster 
than the Alpine. If all of this is true, then you will want to keep the 
tyres at about the same rolling diameter and  because a) if you have the 
original Alpine wheels, they are probably 4" or 4.5" which limits the 
width of the radials they will safely accept and b) if you went to a 
larger rolling diameter, the Toyota engine would not be able to reach 
its useful cruising revs. in 5th gear.

I looked in the UK's largest supplier of classic tyres but in the UK 
white wall tyres are a rarity and there was nothing:

http://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/
 
By separate e-mail, I have forwarded to you a recent exchange between 
Ernie Taube and myself when I was considering replacements for my cross 
ply tyres. Good luck

George
Cognac

_______________________________________
raymead at comcast.net wrote:
> Hello all........ I sort of asked this last week, but not exactly......
>  
> Does anyone know where I can find 165 x 16" whitewall
> radials???  (I check Coker and Tire Rack and they don't
> seem to have them)???
>  
> I seriously considered bias ply, but two things stopped me.
>  
> 1.  I really do want to drive this car a lot............
> 2.  Since it does not have its original engine/drivetrain (it has
> a Toyota overhead cam 4 cylinder and 5 speed - that I am
> already thinking of converting to fuel injection).... it seems to
> me that I may, on rare occasion, be able to drive it a bit
> briskly and therefore would just generally prefer radials........
>  
> Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!
> tks,  ray mead (in snowy Scranton, PA)
> '54 Sunbeam Alpine
> '64 Porsche 356C coupe
>  
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
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