Whitewall tyres in the UK

[Markbhai]

Does anyone know where I can get nice white wall types in the UK.

I am looking for about a 20mm white wall as close to the original size as possible.

I have seen the Phoenix which is exactly what I would like but these seem quite expensive at around £150 each.

Thanks

Markbhai

[AGT]

Markbhai

I am also interested in finding whitewall tyres in the UK.

I had the Coker Phoenix tyres put on to a car which I brought over from the USA and they were brilliant. I swapped them on to another Pagoda which I have now sold.

The only place I have seen the right size of whitewall tyres in the UK is Vintage Tyres and they are looking for £250 (inc VAT) for the Phoenix. If you don't mind me asking where have you found them for £150?

Best regards
Andrew

1966 230SL

[Naj ✝︎]

Hi,

Try:

http://www.northhantstyres.com/

I've had 2 calls in the past week. They have just got in 185/80 x 14s.

Naj

[Markbhai]

These are not exactly the correct tyre (195x74SR14), which is why I am still looking for an alternative.

http://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/page/195__75SR14%20%20Hercules%20Whitewall.html

The ratio of these tyres is very close to the original, but will show a 0.5% speed descrepancy (i.e the speedo will show 0.5% too fast).

Regards

Mark

[Neil Thompson]

My car is on 185's I thought this was the correct size??, the difference of tyre wall height is less than 2mm between these two sizes I believe and so in theory the speedo will read the same on a brand new set of 185's and a set of 195's with a bit of usage, in my opinion splitting hairs! Especially the way the speedo needles bounce around anyway..

Neil

[Russell]

i know this is old but i have searched about tyres and this was the closest i could find.
was there any out and out verdict about what to use if you wanted to go whitewall.
is whitewall correct or just nicer ?

whats the right thing to do or is there no right. if not whitewall what else would you go and fit to a 64 230SL

[Neil Thompson]

Russell, Michelin MXV with a kerb ring, transform the car

Neil

[Russell]

Russell, Michelin MXV with a kerb ring, transform the car

Neil

thanks neil, i dont have the car with me as over in a garage and it was chucking down at the time but is there a size of those MXV. i do try to search on here but as there isnt a UK section i am not sure if people are talking about different import cars or not. some even are running 18 or 19 inch and all at seemingly different widths.
i do love a fat tyre myself but is there a specific size/model i go and find ? i google that and all i seem to get is USA sites or sites where there seem to be all sorts of flavours to choose from.

are those whitewalls ? or dont go for that ?

russell

[Larry & Norma]

Vredestein tyres are considered to be original fit, not whitewall though.
The company are remanufacturing classic tyres, dutch I think. They are
correct size (185) with the kerbing strip. Not easy to find, but I did get a set
last year, they work very well.
Larry

[Russell]

I just got the garage to go take a look and they say that they are 185/14 but no profile marked on them.
i would like white walls if i could get them.

[KevinC]

Aspect ratios were not considered back then. The tires that came on our cars would be 185/80/R14 in today's terms. "Closest" modern tires would be 195/75/R14. The Tech Manual offers execellent information on this subject ...

http://www.sl113.org/wiki/WheelsTires/TireSize

113's were mostly delivered with blackwall tires with whitewalls being an option (see your data card). My card showed my car was delivered with whitewalls so when it came time to change, that's what I opted for. Personally, I like a whitewall with star hubcaps and a black wall with alloys.

[Russell]

that info is perfect thank you. i am now having second thoughts about whitewalls as it is a cream car with cream hub caps. i think it could look a bit naff. i think whitewalls might suit a dark car.
one of those "you need to see it" jobs

the tyres we found are michelin MXV-P 185/80/14 which look like they will do the job but they are "classic". i dont have a clue what that means in handling terms. is it a euphemism for rubbish or are those the ones to go for ?

[mbzse]

Vredestein tyres are considered to be original fit, not whitewall though.

I bought a set of Vredestein Classic Sprint 185-14 last August, see pic attached. The whitewall can be added/ordered as an option.
Several German (and Dutch?) companies sell these, very likely they ship goods to the UK. Or follow Naj's tip in reply No 2.  I am very pleased with the tires.
BTW, car is an original ZF 5-speed, and for sale  Contact me via pm or e-mail
/Hans in Sweden

.

[Neil Thompson]

The information is correct in that the size is 185 14 with no 'series' which would be 80 if not stated and in this case. This I believe to be the aspect ratio which is the height of the sidewall between the rim and tread as a percentage (ie 80%) of the width of the tyre, in this case 185mm so the height of the sidewall is 148mm.

Very personally I think whitewall tyres suit classics of any kind resident in sunnier climates than the UK.

Neil

[KevinC]

Russell,

I initially held the same opinion ...light cars didn't look good with ww's...but changed my mind after I saw them mounted. It almost suggests: "yes, this is a fine vintage car". (at least to me!). What's the actual color code of your car?

Kevin

[KevinC]

PS: You'll find over time that "Classic" is a eupahmism for "more expensive"

PPS: What's "naff"?

[Russell]

 
the paint code i know is light beige 181 with a brown 408 roof with a brown 437 soft top.
those pictures look great so now has me thinking.....oooh how annoying.

[Russell]

PS: You'll find over time that "Classic" is a eupahmism for "more expensive"

PPS: What's "naff"?

sorry "naff" is a bit not right. its where someone does something that they think is cool but in reality misses the mark. often where it cheapens something that should have been left alone.

[KevinC]

Russell..

Have you seen this car?... sold for $67,500 US. It was MichaelB's pristine 230SL... probably not "naff"!

 http://velocity.discovery.com/videos/whats-my-car-worth-mercedes-benz-230sl-concept-convertible.html

[KevinC]

Naff?...

[Paul & Dolly]

Russel,

If you have the original "2 piece"  hub caps, you really should concider the  tyres with a kerb ring.

Paul

[Russell]

Russell..

Have you seen this car?... sold for $67,500 US. It was MichaelB's pristine 230SL... probably not "naff"!

 http://velocity.discovery.com/videos/whats-my-car-worth-mercedes-benz-230sl-concept-convertible.html

Not at all and that just made my mind up so thank you. i said it might be one of those "you have to see it" things and that looks anything but naff so it is white walls all the way for me.
just have to find them in the UK now

[Russell]

Naff?...

  no i think the interpretation of naff is that you have SLIGHTLY gone off piste to make something look cool and it just doesnt work (in some peoples eye but maybe not yours of course)
i think your pictures opens up a whole new can of worms about what is cool or not. sadly i love custom cars and my daily is a lump of chromed up american muscle so no accounting for taste. my friends when they heard about the pagoda instantly had the same vision in mind and were cringing at what i might do with it. i can see where the guy is coming from. i will get my coat....
russell

PS
most will gladly be pleased i will be keeping my SL as stock

[Markbhai]

Russell

The cheapest whitewalls I have found are these at £73 each.  http://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/page/195-75sr14--hercules-whitewall.html

They are 195s though (not 185s) - I have seen 185s in the UK but they were closer to £200 each and given the difference I don't believe its worth the difference.

If you find any 185s cheaper, let me know as I (the starter of this thread) still have not taken the plunge.

Regards

Mark.

[Russell]

i would have thought you would need to be careful looking at 195 with the profile as that could seriously change the gearing. i have also heard some of the tread copies are horrendous to drive on in that the copy wasnt very good and also taken from a tyre that was less than useless in the first place. i am not competing in the lombard or anything but all the same i dont want to ditch it.
my friend got a set of classics for his and all was fine until it rained and then he couldn't stay on the road.
think i would need to now someone that has them fitted, whatever they were. £200 could look cheap

[KevinC]

Russell

The cheapest whitewalls I have found are these at £73 each.  http://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/page/195-75sr14--hercules-whitewall.html
They are 195s though (not 185s) - I have seen 185s in the UK but they were closer to £200 each and given the difference I don't believe its worth the difference. If you find any 185s cheaper, let me know as I (the starter of this thread) still have not taken the plunge.

Regards

Mark.

Hold up a moment...what is it that you dont like about the 195 75 R 14's?

[Russell]

http://www.northhantstyres.com/main-tyre-pages/phoenix-tyres/18514-phoenix.html
these look right but a bit ouch !

why are these £250 a go when you can get maxxis 195/75/14 at about £85 each
is there something special about the phoenix at that price ?

[KevinC]

Interesting story....A company called "Coker Tire" in the US bought up a vast number of molds of no-longer produced tires and has since become THE source for original-type classic (there's that word again!) car tires. Since their production is  low and the tires are exclusive to them, they charge accordingly. The "new" tires that you are looking at are re-production Firestone Phoenix tires, not even produced by Firestone. See this link:

http://www.cokertire.com/185r14-phoenix-3-4-whitewall-tire.html

So guys dead-set on "originality" spring for the $1000 US. I don't disagree with them at all for going that route. I PERSONALLY don't see my car as a new car but a very nicely maintained used car and that's where I figure its obvious that wear and tear items aren't original anyway so I ended up buying five Bridgestone 195/75/R14 whitewalls for $300! So essentially decision came down to "Original-style" or a good quality "Aftermaket" brand.

Also, when considering TIRE SIZE check out this link below. Plug in 185/80/R14 vs 195/75/R14. In my mind, the a speedometer reading of a HALF PERCENT isnt an issue. My speedometer doesn't even kick in until I am doing about 20 mph! Old car quirks I am sure.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/tirecalc.php

Like so many things. the tire size and brand selection decision is a series of trade-offs and what is going to make YOU happy!

Kevin 

[Markbhai]

Hold up a moment...what is it that you dont like about the 195 75 R 14's?

Hi Kevin,

The only thing is that they are not 'correct', but since I have clearly not 'taken the plunge' then clearly correctness is not worth £180 per tyre extra to me.

Cheers

Mark

[Russell]

problem is here in the UK we dont have  that bridgestone tyre in that size. we seem to have a brand called maxxis which i have never heard of and they are about £80 a tyre for 195/75/14 or i have the coker Phoenix things at £250 each at 185/75/14
i now want whitewalls but i dont know enough  about tyres to tell what i might be buying for £80

i am used to paying £250 and above for a tyre for other cars i have but i am not being mean but i do get about four times the rubber on each for that money

i certainly dont want to pay £80 for something i cant keep on the road in the wet for the sake of a white circle though.

ho hum

[Neil Thompson]

Michelin MXV 185 14, expensive, no white wall, but correct for the car and transforms the drive. I took off some normal Michelins late summer and couldn't believe how much better the car drove - the sidewalls seemed much stiffer allowing less roll. Also the car felt very sure footed in bad rain encountered on the way home from the Euro event in Belgium.

Neil

[Russell]

yes from everything i have read so far Neil a good fit to the car and would be my choice for non whitewalls.

[Russell]

here is a an odd thing, I had a PM from Brian who has fitted 205/70/14 hankook whitewalls to his 1970 SL and says they are great with a slightly more planted look and great in the wet so i am assuming that he would have the 6" wheel as opposed to the 5.5" on the early 230's like i have.
has anyone fitted a 205 to a 5.5" 230SL era car.
they are the same diameter as the stock ones.
russell

[kampala]

My 250sl came from the previous owner with Phoenix tires.  They were the original owners of the car.  They always went to MB dealer for all service and dealer put these on just prior to my purchase. I have only owned this car for a few months and it's my first pagoda so can't provide a comparison with other tires.   Here's a couple of photos since this topic was about whitewalls.

Best,

Oz

[mbzse]

Michelin MXV 185 14, ... no white wall, but correct for the car

The Michelin 185-14, just like the Vredestein Classic's, can certainly be fitted with white-wall at an additional charge.
two vendors are:
http://www.oldtimer-reifen.com/en/
http://www.oldtimerreifen-moeller.de/english/index.html
/Hans in Sweden

.

[KevinC]

here is a an odd thing, I had a PM from Brian who has fitted 205/70/14 hankook whitewalls to his 1970 SL and says they are great with a slightly more planted look and great in the wet so i am assuming that he would have the 6" wheel as opposed to the 5.5" on the early 230's like i have.
has anyone fitted a 205 to a 5.5" 230SL era car.
they are the same diameter as the stock ones.
russell

My car had 205's on it when I bought it. I didn't care for that much wider of a look but that's just me. I dont believe that size will fit on the spare tire holder in the trunk. The diameter is actually 9mm in diameter smaller than the 185/80/14's....

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/tirecalc.php

[KevinC]

Never heard of these guys but maybe some ideas...?

http://www.groupbuytires.com/s?searchRank=-price&searchPage=1&field_product_site_launch_date_utc=-1y&field_availability=-1&field_browse=3211746011&searchSize=12&searchNodeID=3211746011&searchKeywords=195+%2F+75+%2F+14&field_keywords=195+%2F+75+%2F+14&refinementHistory=brandtextbin%2Csubjectbin%2Cprice

[Russell]

Russel,

If you have the original "2 piece"  hub caps, you really should concider the  tyres with a kerb ring.

Paul

sorry just noticed this Paladin. Enlighten me as i dont know why ? this is the onlypicture i have of the car taken dnkeys years ago and it isnt too clear but what do you mean by two piece

[KevinC]

Russell,

"Early" cars like ours had a combination of center "hub caps' and "trim rings" while later cars had a full one piece "wheel cover" therefore not requiring the outer ring. I am noticing in  the pic of your car that the trim are missing. These rings had a tendency to stick out pretty far thus encountering "curb rash" if the driver wasnt careful. The rub strip on the Firestone Phoenix extended out even further than the trim rings so one would scrape the rubber sidewall of the tire before the expensive ring.

Here are some details... check our the exploded view of the 2-piece version...

  http://www.sl113.org/wiki/WheelsTires/Hubcap

The pictures that Oz posted above show the 2-piece version off very well. Perhaps its the lighting or angle of the pic but it also looks like the rub strip is partially missing in the top pic.


Kevin

[KevinC]

My 250sl came from the previous owner with Phoenix tires.  They were the original owners of the car.  They always went to MB dealer for all service and dealer put these on just prior to my purchase. I have only owned this car for a few months and it's my first pagoda so can't provide a comparison with other tires.   Here's a couple of photos since this topic was about whitewalls.

Best,

Oz

Oz, Others may say other wise but Firestone themselves has not produced the "Phoenix" tire model in years which may suggest either of two things: these are new Coker reproductions that cost them about $1000 US to put on your car or that they are extremely old. You may want to have them double-checked by a third party for safety reasons.

[KevinC]

Hi Kevin,

The only thing is that they are not 'correct', but since I have clearly not 'taken the plunge' then clearly correctness is not worth £180 per tyre extra to me.

Cheers

Mark

Gotcha Mark. Agree on this end.

[Russell]

ah ok kevin now i am looking at it i can see the difference. i am into a set of those rings then for sure. looking at mine i couldnt tell i was missing anything.
i am still in a quandary about the tyres for sure.
the whitewall phoenix cokers are a horrendous price £250 a corner and not a clue how they handle
or
i can go for some 205/70/14 hankook at cheaper but price but have no idea if they will fit the smaller 5.5" wheel as opposed to the 6" that they were fitted to later
or
i can do the michelin MXV-P 185/80/14 with the bump strip that people say handle well.

[relbhcb]

Coming in late to the discussion, but in the UK you can also get some Vredestein 185HR14 to fit - I have just put them on my 1964 230SL and they are fine so far. They include a "rubbing strip", and are much less than the Michelin.

http://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/search?searchMethod=searchTerm&searchScope=site&searchUrl=&sortBy=&category=&searchTerm=1027&x=26&y=9

[Larry & Norma]

The Vredesteins are cheaper still at mytyres.co.uk
Look under 'old timer tyres'

[Dave H]

Looking for the same thing myself... Following a link from an earlier thread I e mailed mail@oldtimerreifen-moeller.de.
They instantly replied this morning. They specialise in whitewalling tyres by vulcanisation.
They can give you 20 or 40mm whitewalling on any tyre.
They can supply vredstein 185 R14 H90 sprint classic with ridge for Euro 210.
With a VAT registered number that would be export price to the UK ie minus 20% mswt.
Works out at around £140 in real money.
Mytres.co.UK are a penny off £90 for the same tyre in black only.
Both company's  have them in stock as of this morning.

[KevinC]

ah ok kevin now i am looking at it i can see the difference. i am into a set of those rings then for sure. looking at mine i couldnt tell i was missing anything.
i am still in a quandary about the tyres for sure.
the whitewall phoenix cokers are a horrendous price £250 a corner and not a clue how they handle
or
i can go for some 205/70/14 hankook at cheaper but price but have no idea if they will fit the smaller 5.5" wheel as opposed to the 6" that they were fitted to later
or
i can do the michelin MXV-P 185/80/14 with the bump strip that people say handle well.

Descisions....decisions... a lot of folks say that the repro Firestone Phoenix handle just fine. My theory was that tire technology has come so far since these cars were built that even a mid-grade tire like my Bridgestones will do the job unless you are running in an Autocross regularly. I had high end speed rated tires on a tuned Audi TT at one time but that's what the car was designed for. As I mentioned, I had 205/70/14s on my stock original steel wheels when I purchased my car and they fit just fine ...just too wide for my tastes and the trunk (boot) fitment. There are a handful of suppliers that handle name brand and off brand 195/75/14' whitewalls here in the US. Not sure why you can't get them in the UK. Had you considered the Hercules tires mentioned earlier in this post? Maybe research reviews on those? Don't know if I have helped you here or not! 

[KevinC]

What don't we like about these?

http://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/page/195-75sr14--hercules-whitewall.html

[Markbhai]

Russell

Good point regarding the tread, I hadn't considered that.  The gearing is not someting to be overly concerned about, it is only a tiny amount of difference and not something which would have any significance, indeed 195's are quite widely used as 185's are not so easy to get hold of.

It would be nice to hear if anyone had used the Hercules Tyres?

Cheers

Mark.

[Russell]

What don't we like about these?

http://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/page/195-75sr14--hercules-whitewall.html

i think for most might be nothing more than i am looking at tyres for £250 a corner that people know or suddenly we have tyres at £73 that to be honest i have never come across. i dont reall know enough about tyres to be able to make a call. a bit funny really as i am used to just going to buy whatever it is supposed to have but there are way too many options to choose from  my brain hurts
well it is good to know that the 205's fit. that hercules isnt a household brand here for sure.

it got more confusing with dave finding those vredstein's too

[kampala]

Oz, Others may say other wise but Firestone themselves has not produced the "Phoenix" tire model in years which may suggest either of two things: these are new Coker reproductions that cost them about $1000 US to put on your car or that they are extremely old. You may want to have them double-checked by a third party for safety reasons.

Kevin, thanks for the insight on Phoenix.  They must be the Coker ones as they are clearly fresh and you were spot on with the cost as I have the receipt and its just over $1000 and it states that they had to be ordered and mounted a couple of weeks later.  Also, must be the photo as the rub stripe is in good shape ... didn't know I had a rub stripe until you mentioned it.   best

Oz

[Russell]

not sure about the vredesteins after reading this thread

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=1159000

[SIbby]

I have owned my 250SL for three years and thought I should check out the tyres even though they still had plenty of tread. Our favourite tyre dealer who looks after many classic cars in Adelaide said that they were 1989 tyres and therefore dangerously perished and should be changed.

He recommended 185/75R14 89S SUMITOMO SC890 WSW. They were at the very reasonable price of $125 Australian.  They were also white walled - a feature that I had not previously considered but the price and availability won the day.  They look great and drive well.

My car is traditional white (originally horizon blue) and I agree that the white walls are too white at present but hopefully they will better match the car as they get older.

I presume that these tyres are available in N America and Europe but they do not seem to get a mention on the forum.

Is there an forum view on tyre age?

Sibby

[Garry]

Have heard some say 5 - 7 years and others 7 - 10 but no one suggests more than 10 years old.

I changed mine at 8 years even though they had done only about 10,000km (6000 Mls)  Just not worth the risk and you can see the tire starting to perish at about that point. 

[Brian Davidson]

Russell. look at the hancook website.it is very informative. then ring dougal the owner of longstone and ask his advice. the larger 205s wont fit on the boot tyre carrier. i sent a couple or e mails to you by the wrong route and got admonished by Peter.Brian.

[Iconic]

well it is good to know that the 205's fit.

Russell,
I wouldn't assume the 205s fit. IMHO you should check to see exactly what wheel width you have and then seek the advice of an expert.
I would not put 205s on a 5.5 inch wheel (certainly not without checking first).

[Markbhai]

I have read today that the Maxxis MA1 is a whitewall and is a 185/14 tyre too.

I have yet to find out how much these cost, but will update tomorrow if I get the anwer.

Mark.

[Russell]

yes wise words about the 205 on a 5.5" i am just not sure.
i dont recall there being a well in my car but might have time to go there soon and take lots of pictures. i guess if i had a standard spare that was different in size to a 205 it would get me home.
the hankook looks a good tyre that loads of people have used and half sensible money. all the other whitewalls seem unknown makes or a £250 a corner.
i might phone the guy from longstone as suggested

[KevinC]

I have read today that the Maxxis MA1 is a whitewall and is a 185/14 tyre too.

I have yet to find out how much these cost, but will update tomorrow if I get the anwer.

Mark.

They dont show the 185/80/14's but have these at... £ 72.00 + VAT

http://www.northhantstyres.com/RTS%20final/1957514.html

[Garry]

I have a set of 2" Coker ww's to fit as per the original advertisements and videos but have not had a chance to fit them yet, as I work my way through bigger problems of engine rebuild and some rust issues now.

Will not fit them till early in new year to see how they look.

[Larry & Norma]

Being a little concerned about my Vredesteins after previous link I had a look at them and
sure enough they have the radial grooves as seen by some owners. All my tyres exhibit this
to a greater or lesser extent. I then visited a tyre shop to get a professional opinion. Unbiased
as he did not supply them and would have gained by supplying replacements quote ' Nothing to
worry about, these are moulding marks where the tyre is assembled in two halves. This can be
much more evident on tyres with high side walls such as the Vredestein classic tyres'
So for those with Vredesteins don't panic

[Russell]

i just got a very concise response from a very well respected tyre supplier. a newbie here so i am not sure of the forum rules and as i haven't asked his permission, i wont say his name but thought his views might be handy to anyone else looking. Happy to PM anyone who it is.

There are a few points
•   A 1964 car would not have fitted 205/70R14 tyres because they had not been invented yet.
•   Earlier 230, 250, 280 and 300 Mercedes cars would have fitted 185R14 tyres which is more suited to a 5.5” rim
•   A 205/70R14 will fit on a 5.5” rim but 6” would be more stable.
•   We have a 195/75R14 Hercules (£ 73 + VAT) that we often sell for these cars. and is a bit closer in width to the 185R14
•   We can supply 205/70R14 Hankook white band tyres (£ 72 + VAT)
•   The car will drive much better on 185HR14 Michelin MXV-P (£ 199 + VAT). They are much better tyres.

To Summarise I heavily recommend, as a classic car driver, to fit the Michelin 185HR14 MXV-P it is miles better than anything else and the car will drive the way it should with a suitable speed rating. White wall tyres are not as good as a good branded European tyre. specially Michelin.

If you really need the white band we can supply either the 205/70R14 or the 195/75R14 but I feel that the 195/75 would be a little more suited to your rims.

[mdsalemi]

Russell,

The white walls can be added or vulcanized onto any tire of your choosing, including the MXV tire.  Yes it adds up, but it can be done.  There are a couple of places here in the USA that do it.
The MXV was a reasonably priced tire until it went "off production" and into the Michelin Classic department and low volume. Price skyrocketed!
Porta-Walls are an option: http://www.portawalls.com/index.html  Though I don't think they are as good for long term use as a true tire.

[KevinC]

i just got a very concise response from a very well respected tyre supplier. a newbie here so i am not sure of the forum rules and as i haven't asked his permission, i wont say his name but thought his views might be handy to anyone else looking. Happy to PM anyone who it is.

There are a few points
•   A 1964 car would not have fitted 205/70R14 tyres because they had not been invented yet.
•   Earlier 230, 250, 280 and 300 Mercedes cars would have fitted 185R14 tyres which is more suited to a 5.5” rim
•   A 205/70R14 will fit on a 5.5” rim but 6” would be more stable.
•   We have a 195/75R14 Hercules (£ 73 + VAT) that we often sell for these cars. and is a bit closer in width to the 185R14
•   We can supply 205/70R14 Hankook white band tyres (£ 72 + VAT)
•   The car will drive much better on 185HR14 Michelin MXV-P (£ 199 + VAT). They are much better tyres.

To Summarise I heavily recommend, as a classic car driver, to fit the Michelin 185HR14 MXV-P it is miles better than anything else and the car will drive the way it should with a suitable speed rating. White wall tyres are not as good as a good branded European tyre. specially Michelin.

If you really need the white band we can supply either the 205/70R14 or the 195/75R14 but I feel that the 195/75 would be a little more suited to your rims.

Russell,

Certainly feel free to post supplier/service shop recommendations as you see fit. The group understands that you are simply passing on their information as a service to other owners and that they should always make purchasing decisons based on a pool of information as opposed to one person's advice. Still, receiving a good recommendation has always weighed heavily with me personally.

Also, I would suggest that your local tyre supplier have you some very good advice ..except that possibly you can't set white walls and blackwalls necessarily in seperate categories of "quality" as all of the premium brands made whitewalls at one time or another...and who knows...they might even bring them back?? Interestingly you can buy Cooper whitewalls still from a supplier in the US. Of course, he was dead-on concerning the width... the three digit designation "185", "195", "205" and so on is the width in centimeters of each particular model.

Kevin

[Russell]

The Michelin 185-14, just like the Vredestein Classic's, can certainly be fitted with white-wall at an additional charge.
two vendors are:
http://www.oldtimer-reifen.com/en/
http://www.oldtimerreifen-moeller.de/english/index.html
/Hans in Sweden

Well in the end i took the advice of several here like Griffin who rated the Michelin tyres and hence went for those. Dougal at Longstone tyres also endorsed it and gave good advice so i would buy from them without hesitation. alas.........for some reason i still wanted whitewalls and they dont do them retro fitted so i took Hans's advice in the end, i went to the guys above and have bought the Michelin with the whitewalls fitted and all €268 each plus tax. easy people to deal with as well.
so....after all that, i got what i wanted in the end all ways round, apart from the price.

[KevinC]

Russell,

Don't forget to post pics once they are mounted!

Kevin

[Russell]

Russell,

Don't forget to post pics once they are mounted!

Kevin

will do kevin, i went to see her now she is back and i think my first looks enthusiasm are now for sure grounded. i think a fair bit of work is needed to get this on the road but ho hum
i might be posting here a fair bit more than i first thought. at least i can close this post until they are on as decision made. thank you to everyone that got me there, much appreciated as i think i might have the best of all worlds because of it.

[TR]

Russell,

I also look forward to seeing the photos.  What width of white wall did they put on your MXV-P tires?  3/4 inch perhaps?

[Russell]

Russell,

I also look forward to seeing the photos.  What width of white wall did they put on your MXV-P tires?  3/4 inch perhaps?

yes i went for 20mm. you can get bigger but i didnt want to chance it and get it wrong. its a beige car so could have looked odd

[TR]

Thanks for the feedback Russell.  Your choice of the 20mm wide white wall strip makes sense.  Hopefully it looks like it "belongs" on the tyre, (as opposed to having been added to the tyre).

[hauser]

There's another important factor to consider when ordering custom WW tires other than what width WW to go with.  One has to consider the distance from the edge of the rim.  This is where i failed not giving this small detail more attention.  I went with their standard 1" from the rim.  Once it was all together with the hubcaps something was a little off.  After looking at the car from all different angles I figured out the WW was too far out from the rim.  Perhaps I should have gone 1/2" instead.  Wouldn't be so bad if it hadn't cost me $2K.

[TR]

Hauser,

You are bang on about needing the proper distance from the edge of the rim to the white wall.  I have the original spare that came with my car and took that measurement just yesterday.  The white wall starts at precisely 1/2" (well, according to my trusty tape measure) from the edge of the rim.  From the outer portion of the white wall to the beginning of the rub strip it measured ~3/8", and to the center of the rub strip was ~5/8".  Wish I had been able to make you aware of those measurements earlier.

Based on having cost $2K I assume you are also running the Michelin MXV-P?  BTW, my understanding is Coker bought the molds from Michelin along with the right to manufacture that tire ... not certain that's correct though.

[hauser]

Tom

I went with a plus 1 wheel and tire combo.  I am running a 205/65/15 tire on a 15 x 7" MB wheel. 

The 15" MB hubcaps weren't cheap and neither were the wheels.  In time I'll come out ahead then having to buy $300+ per tire. 

I went with a Michelin Primacy = $100 per.  I'll never wear a set of tires out within the safe life of the tire.

With this set up the car drives better than ever.  I'm very pleased with the outcome.

[MrAZ]

Russell,

The white walls can be added or vulcanized onto any tire of your choosing, including the MXV tire.  Yes it adds up, but it can be done.  There are a couple of places here in the USA that do it.
The MXV was a reasonably priced tire until it went "off production" and into the Michelin Classic department and low volume. Price skyrocketed!
Porta-Walls are an option: http://www.portawalls.com/index.html  Though I don't think they are as good for long term use as a true tire.

Portawalls are glued-on whitewalls typically of miserable quality.  Www.dbtires.com in South Carolina vulcanizes on the whitewalls on standard brands of radial tires.  They will also buff off the molded-on tire lettering for a really clean look.  It looks like they have 195-75-R14 Michelin X and Cooper tires in our Pagoda size for about $200 each. 

[Russell]

Thanks for the feedback Russell.  Your choice of the 20mm wide white wall strip makes sense.  Hopefully it looks like it "belongs" on the tyre, (as opposed to having been added to the tyre).

i hope so too, they have been delivered now so i will get a chance next week to go check what they look like off the car. there are two processes, one is like a stick on whitewall and the other involved vulcanising (welding) the whitewall to the tyre but you can only do that i am led to believe on brand new tyres. i think it is something to do with you then removing the film or something and the rubber needs to be fresh. The outfit i have bought them from is a top supplier so i am expecting good results. fingers crossed

[Drewtee]

Russell,

did you manage to take a picture of your tyres and are you happy with them?

I am also looking for Michelin whitewalls so will likely go to Hans recommendation

Andy

[UJJ]

Here is more NAFF
No problem to find this tire (no ww though)

[Russell]

Russell,

did you manage to take a picture of your tyres and are you happy with them?

I am also looking for Michelin whitewalls so will likely go to Hans recommendation

Andy

no sorry Andy but i am very happy with the tyres, they look great in the wrappers..... had some bad news as when the car was further inspected she has a floor pan made by fred flinstone. the lot has had to come out so she is a bit delayed at the moment while parts got shipped in. a wrong fuel pump fitted, blah blah blah, i am sure everyone has heard it all before here but we are now at the point where we have finally stopped going backwards, all the parts are in, and we now go the other direction.
cosmetics taking a back seat at the moment to getting her running and usable. new hood and carpets on order. will then take a look at the other small parts maybe later in the year as "winter jobs"
russell

[jameshoward]

Here is more NAFF
No problem to find this tire (no ww though)

Wow. What's that? It's stunning.

[jedwards]

I put red-walls on mine, for obvious reasons.