What tyre do you recommend for my Amazon? - Page 2

blind-dog-birtles · Apr 17th, 2009, 20:12

I want to stick with the original steel wheels, and plan to add white wall wheel trims (not white wall tyres as they're too expensive).

I'd leave the whitewall trims well alone, you'll all ways have one that bugs the life out of you, flapping about, making all that noise...yuk.

Lucien · Apr 17th, 2009, 20:21

Hi, I'm looking to stick with the stock tyre size. I thought it was "165/65 SR15", but having just looked on the spare tyre it doesn't say the height bit (65) so not sure now. I'm ashamed to say the tyre on at the moment is a Ceat, and it is split all over the place. Literally coming apart at the seams. Then again it has done no service since 1998.

I am looking for

Vintage looking but with modern technology
Good grip
Not too noisy
Nice tread pattern
Reasonable price (say somewhere between 50 and 100 per tyre)

The votes so far seem to be:

Firestone F560 165R15
Vredestein Sprint+
Michelin XAS

With the Vredestein being a good way in front.

Is Vredestein the way to go?

Alf ista · Apr 17th, 2009, 20:43

Lucien, as far as I am aware the standard tyre is a 165/80 R15. As you know the 165 is the width in millimetres and the 80 is a percentage of the width. Thats what makes the earlier post about a 205/75 tyre as being way too tall!! Anyway I too am looking for tyres and am interested in what people have to say. The Michelin XAS tyre looks fab but the price on Longstone is £149!!!For that I could get a white wall!!
If you have the standard 4.5inch steel wheel I would think that the widest you could go would be 185 with a 70 profile. Or you could get a 175 with a 75 profile. These should have much the same rolling radius. I was thinking about getting 175/75's just to get a bit more rubber on the road. Has anyone an opinion on this? Is it worth it or just stick with the 165's? Hugh.

amazon69 · Apr 17th, 2009, 21:06

I'd say the vredesteins fit all your criteria, and I got mine for about £40 each iirc. I don't know how easy they are to find near you, but I had no problems.

Derek UK · Apr 17th, 2009, 21:21

Firestone cheapest but hard to find as supposedly no longer made. Chunky tread.
Vredestein has few dealers but are available. Good pattern. Good rubber, they major in racing bike tyres now but have been making car tyres for a long time. About the middle of your price range. This is the Sprint + which is a 112mph tyre and not the Classic which is a 130mph spec. The Classic is also 2 to 3 times more expensive than the Sprint.
Have a read through here. Not Volvo but same size.
http://www.tr-register.co.uk/forums/...howtopic=15628
XAS. Excellent if you can afford it and can find them in 165. Overkill maybe for the Amazon especially at the price but don't let me stop you............

Another vote for the Vred Sprints. Another vote for keeping away from the WW add ons. Posin' 'n cruisin' only and when one gets damaged that's that. They also fret on the sidewalls and damge them especially if you get dirt behind them which is inevitable.

Kumho and Toyo 165's are also good value for money. You won't quite get the mileage out of them as the others but if they're good enough to rally with they can't be too bad. You could probably re bush the car and fit a new set of standard shocks for what you'd save over the Michelins.

classicswede · Apr 17th, 2009, 21:59

To throw a spanner in the works here - tyre sizes.

165 tyres were great when the amazons were first built but trends have changed and a 165 tyre is not realy wide enough for what the car is capable of.

If you have the stock 4j wheels then I would recomend either a 185 /65 or even a 195/60 or 195/65 profile. The 195 works very well and if you use a good tyre grip exteamly well.

If you have the GT 4.5j or the estate 5j wheels then you could even go to a 205/60 or even as wide as 215 on the 5j rim.

As to tyre brands if you like remoulds then both colway and kingpin are worth ago as I've personlay never had a problem with them. I hav heard from a lot of ppl about problems with balanceing buldging and tyres being out of round!

Branded tyres, as far as the big brands are conserned it's all a matter of tast. The improtant issue is budget tyres as some are good and some are hopless. two that I will name as being cack is barum domnt grip in the wet and worse wang lee's as they make a nosie liek a worn wheel bearing.

Alf ista · Apr 17th, 2009, 22:02

Thats really interesting Classicswede. However, do you find the extra tyre width makes the steering very heavy?

Derek UK · Apr 17th, 2009, 23:58

I think the OP wants to stick with the original wheels which are 4J. GT's and estates both had 4 1/2J. No 5j on any Amazon. 5 1/2J a rare option and were of the later slotted type. I don't think the factory ever offered 5 1/2 for the early solid types but they could be found for comp use, rallycross and the like. The solid 4 1/2J estate wheel popular with PV rallymen as they can take an available 175 rally tyre. Tyre makers will say that you need at least a 5j for 185/65/15 so larger tyres won't get the support they need to work properly on a 4 1/2J. 18/65 probably OK, (I might consider a set of these but see below) but is smaller in diameter than a 165 so speedo error needs to be considered.
Personally (IMO) I think that when the suspension and dampers etc are good on the Amazon a good set of 165's on 4 1/2" wheels will provide all the grip you need when you can find a nice bendy B road. Wide wheels and tyres may give more grip but you lose the feel of what the car is doing and handling suffers. If the car gets away from you it isn't anywhere near as forgiving as a modern one. Road car dynamics have improved a lot over the last 40 years. Just adding a set of wide tyres to your Amazon won't help much.

Steve121 · Apr 18th, 2009, 10:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by classicswede

If you have the stock 4j wheels then I would recomend either a 185 /65 or even a 195/60 or 195/65 profile. The 195 works very well and if you use a good tyre grip exteamly well.

If you have the GT 4.5j or the estate 5j wheels then you could even go to a 205/60 or even as wide as 215 on the 5j rim.

IMHO doing this certainly should not be done, tyres sizes are recommended for particular rims for good reason.. SAFETY!
Just out of interest I spoke to the tyre fitter the last time I had some new ones fitted, and they would refuse to do it for just that reason.

Alf ista · Apr 18th, 2009, 10:55

Here is a link to a site with a lot of info about wheels and tyres and so on. I found it very handy. I think someone on here gave a link in another thread...

http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible_pg2.html

Apr 17th, 2009, 20:21	#12
Lucien VOC Member Last Online: Today 10:51 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Walton-on-Thames	Hi, I'm looking to stick with the stock tyre size. I thought it was "165/65 SR15", but having just looked on the spare tyre it doesn't say the height bit (65) so not sure now. I'm ashamed to say the tyre on at the moment is a Ceat, and it is split all over the place. Literally coming apart at the seams. Then again it has done no service since 1998. I am looking for Vintage looking but with modern technology Good grip Not too noisy Nice tread pattern Reasonable price (say somewhere between 50 and 100 per tyre) The votes so far seem to be: Firestone F560 165R15 Vredestein Sprint+ Michelin XAS With the Vredestein being a good way in front. Is Vredestein the way to go?

Apr 17th, 2009, 20:43	#13
Alf ista Premier Member Last Online: May 7th, 2024 10:28 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Co. Cork, Ireland.	Lucien, as far as I am aware the standard tyre is a 165/80 R15. As you know the 165 is the width in millimetres and the 80 is a percentage of the width. Thats what makes the earlier post about a 205/75 tyre as being way too tall!! Anyway I too am looking for tyres and am interested in what people have to say. The Michelin XAS tyre looks fab but the price on Longstone is £149!!!For that I could get a white wall!! If you have the standard 4.5inch steel wheel I would think that the widest you could go would be 185 with a 70 profile. Or you could get a 175 with a 75 profile. These should have much the same rolling radius. I was thinking about getting 175/75's just to get a bit more rubber on the road. Has anyone an opinion on this? Is it worth it or just stick with the 165's? Hugh. __________________ 1970 Volvo Amazon 131 with a B20A and an M40.

Apr 17th, 2009, 21:06	#14
amazon69 Premier Member Last Online: May 1st, 2024 16:28 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Falmouth	I'd say the vredesteins fit all your criteria, and I got mine for about £40 each iirc. I don't know how easy they are to find near you, but I had no problems. __________________ Falmouth, Cornwall. 1970 California white 131.

Apr 17th, 2009, 21:59	#16
classicswede Trader Volvo in my veins Last Online: Today 12:40 Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Anglesey	To throw a spanner in the works here - tyre sizes. 165 tyres were great when the amazons were first built but trends have changed and a 165 tyre is not realy wide enough for what the car is capable of. If you have the stock 4j wheels then I would recomend either a 185 /65 or even a 195/60 or 195/65 profile. The 195 works very well and if you use a good tyre grip exteamly well. If you have the GT 4.5j or the estate 5j wheels then you could even go to a 205/60 or even as wide as 215 on the 5j rim. As to tyre brands if you like remoulds then both colway and kingpin are worth ago as I've personlay never had a problem with them. I hav heard from a lot of ppl about problems with balanceing buldging and tyres being out of round! Branded tyres, as far as the big brands are conserned it's all a matter of tast. The improtant issue is budget tyres as some are good and some are hopless. two that I will name as being cack is barum domnt grip in the wet and worse wang lee's as they make a nosie liek a worn wheel bearing. __________________ http://www.classicswede.org www.classicswede.co.uk

Apr 17th, 2009, 22:02	#17
Alf ista Premier Member Last Online: May 7th, 2024 10:28 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Co. Cork, Ireland.	Thats really interesting Classicswede. However, do you find the extra tyre width makes the steering very heavy? __________________ 1970 Volvo Amazon 131 with a B20A and an M40.

Apr 17th, 2009, 20:12	#11
blind-dog-birtles Member Last Online: Nov 12th, 2023 10:50 Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Wakefield	I want to stick with the original steel wheels, and plan to add white wall wheel trims (not white wall tyres as they're too expensive). I'd leave the whitewall trims well alone, you'll all ways have one that bugs the life out of you, flapping about, making all that noise...yuk.

Apr 17th, 2009, 21:21	#15
Derek UK VOC Member Last Online: Today 12:27 Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Chatham	Firestone cheapest but hard to find as supposedly no longer made. Chunky tread. Vredestein has few dealers but are available. Good pattern. Good rubber, they major in racing bike tyres now but have been making car tyres for a long time. About the middle of your price range. This is the Sprint + which is a 112mph tyre and not the Classic which is a 130mph spec. The Classic is also 2 to 3 times more expensive than the Sprint. Have a read through here. Not Volvo but same size. http://www.tr-register.co.uk/forums/...howtopic=15628 XAS. Excellent if you can afford it and can find them in 165. Overkill maybe for the Amazon especially at the price but don't let me stop you............ Another vote for the Vred Sprints. Another vote for keeping away from the WW add ons. Posin' 'n cruisin' only and when one gets damaged that's that. They also fret on the sidewalls and damge them especially if you get dirt behind them which is inevitable. Kumho and Toyo 165's are also good value for money. You won't quite get the mileage out of them as the others but if they're good enough to rally with they can't be too bad. You could probably re bush the car and fit a new set of standard shocks for what you'd save over the Michelins.

Apr 17th, 2009, 23:58	#18
Derek UK VOC Member Last Online: Today 12:27 Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Chatham	I think the OP wants to stick with the original wheels which are 4J. GT's and estates both had 4 1/2J. No 5j on any Amazon. 5 1/2J a rare option and were of the later slotted type. I don't think the factory ever offered 5 1/2 for the early solid types but they could be found for comp use, rallycross and the like. The solid 4 1/2J estate wheel popular with PV rallymen as they can take an available 175 rally tyre. Tyre makers will say that you need at least a 5j for 185/65/15 so larger tyres won't get the support they need to work properly on a 4 1/2J. 18/65 probably OK, (I might consider a set of these but see below) but is smaller in diameter than a 165 so speedo error needs to be considered. Personally (IMO) I think that when the suspension and dampers etc are good on the Amazon a good set of 165's on 4 1/2" wheels will provide all the grip you need when you can find a nice bendy B road. Wide wheels and tyres may give more grip but you lose the feel of what the car is doing and handling suffers. If the car gets away from you it isn't anywhere near as forgiving as a modern one. Road car dynamics have improved a lot over the last 40 years. Just adding a set of wide tyres to your Amazon won't help much.

Apr 18th, 2009, 10:55	#20
Alf ista Premier Member Last Online: May 7th, 2024 10:28 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Co. Cork, Ireland.	Here is a link to a site with a lot of info about wheels and tyres and so on. I found it very handy. I think someone on here gave a link in another thread... http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible_pg2.html __________________ 1970 Volvo Amazon 131 with a B20A and an M40.

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