Is there a general consensus on wheel size for a MK1a Tiger

[dstephns]

I know this topic has been covered before and I have done a search but still have questions. My Tiger that I recently purchased is running LAT 70 repops and for the most part I like them. However one of the wheels appears to have been curbed hard and I'm not sure that it can be fixed without making the wheel difficult to balance. I believe these wheels are either 5.5 or 6" wide and are 13 inches in diameter. I also know that there is not a big selection in 13" tires so my question is do most of you guys stay with 13's or perhaps go to a 14" wheel. If you go for a 14" how do you like them and generally what style wheel do you run with. My Tiger is pretty stock looking and would like to stick to something era correct unless something really strikes my fancy. I expect opinions will run the gamut with these questions but that is OK. I enjoy the responses. thanks ahead of time.
Dave

 

[michael-king]

14'was the original upgrade... about 5 years ago peopel started going 15... now people are using 16. All require you getting a correct offset.. the front wheels are senstaive to this on both valence and suspension clearence.

As for style... most used panasport/VTO/Superlite/GB style whic are copies of the Uk minilite used on the worls rally cars and on most 60's brit cars. The other reaons for this was there were few other aftermarket options in the last 40 years.

recently oepeopl have started making other period style wheels... VTo do a libre style, rose petal, JBW do cosmic, dunlop D1, revolite.. companues are doing halibrand styles and BRM... so lots of options.

consider the look of th car.. when you go 14.. they look stock still.. at 15 you notice its a modificaiton... tall sidewalls keep the cars looking period.

 

[Moondoggie]

I know this topic has been covered before and I have done a search but still have questions. My Tiger that I recently purchased is running LAT 70 repops and for the most part I like them. However one of the wheels appears to have been curbed hard and I'm not sure that it can be fixed without making the wheel difficult to balance. I believe these wheels are either 5.5 or 6" wide and are 13 inches in diameter. I also know that there is not a big selection in 13" tires so my question is do most of you guys stay with 13's or perhaps go to a 14" wheel. If you go for a 14" how do you like them and generally what style wheel do you run with. My Tiger is pretty stock looking and would like to stick to something era correct unless something really strikes my fancy. I expect opinions will run the gamut with these questions but that is OK. I enjoy the responses. thanks ahead of time.
Dave

Dave,


I'm sure that I will hate myself in the morning but here goes.

When you picked up the car at Bill's shop you must have seen my BRG mark 1 and did you notice the wheels on my Tiger ?? They are 16 " wheels and they fill up the wheel wells like a good performance car should, by the way the wheels are copies of a Rootes wheel in development had Chrysler move ahead with a Mark II replacement. !3 " wheels on a Tiger just look dumb and even my lawn mower has bigger tires ( I'm going to pay the price for sure now ). If you are going to just park the car in the garage and never drive it than 13's are cool. But Shelby intended for the car to have 15's or 16's with a decent motor to rotate them...I wouldn't be caught dead driving a Tiger on 13" wheels here in Carmel Ca as the guys at the Baja Cantina on Thursday nights would make me park 3 miles down the road. Bigger wheels are MUCH better

Moondoggie

 

[Bullypit]

You Asked For It

OK, Moondoggie, you have hit a nerve. If you are worried about the guys at the Baja Cantina and their opinions I think you need to be finding a 58 Chebby.

I can accept 14's but anything bigger makes me think it should be a feature car in "Dub."

Just my opinion...

 

[Moondoggie]

OK, Moondoggie, you have hit a nerve. If you are worried about the guys at the Baja Cantina and their opinions I think you need to be finding a 58 Chebby.

I can accept 14's but anything bigger makes me think it should be a feature car in "Dub."

Just my opinion...

I figured as much........ 13's make the car like a toy !!!

 

[michael-king]

Bill (moon)

Each to their own... and your car is a stunner.. no doubt.. the custom wheels rootes derived are very cool. Dont worry about what others think.. it's what you like.. it's your car! That said... you are heading down a fast and furious crowd path.. you arent going to add blue lights under the sills and a big rear wing are you?

What i would take issue with is the shelby comment.. No way he wanted 15 or 16" wheels on the Tiger... maybe 14"... with the tall tyres of the time 15" required big flares.. look at the period 15" Tigers .. LM Tiger, Fraser Tiger both ran large flares to cover them. Thaks to lower profile modern tyres i think some of the 15" wheels suit the cars really well, but once they get larger the low profile tyres required make them begin to look very resto mod.

I personally like the look of a slightly taller sidewall on the cars as they suit the era.. i like 14" with a 195/60... or 15" with a 195/55 or 205/50 .. just my .02.. but I do take umberage with the shelby wanting the cars to have 15 or 16.. heck even the cobras and stangs didnt have 16"!

 

[Duke Mk1a]

16" too Big
14" too Small

15" just right.

/thread.

 

[Moondoggie]

Bill (moon)

Each to their own... and your car is a stunner.. no doubt.. the custom wheels rootes derived are very cool. Dont worry about what others think.. it's what you like.. it's your car! That said... you are heading down a fast and furious crowd path.. you arent going to add blue lights under the sills and a big rear wing are you?

What i would take issue with is the shelby comment.. No way he wanted 15 or 16" wheels on the Tiger... maybe 14"... with the tall tyres of the time 15" required big flares.. look at the period 15" Tigers .. LM Tiger, Fraser Tiger both ran large flares to cover them. Thaks to lower profile modern tyres i think some of the 15" wheels suit the cars really well, but once they get larger the low profile tyres required make them begin to look very resto mod.

I personally like the look of a slightly taller sidewall on the cars as they suit the era.. i like 14" with a 195/60... or 15" with a 195/55 or 205/50 .. just my .02.. but I do take umberage with the shelby wanting the cars to have 15 or 16.. heck even the cobras and stangs didnt have 16"!

Michael...lol

At the time the Cobra's were running 15" halibrand wheels. Had Lord Rootes come up with a racing budget for Shelby you can bet those wheels would have been first priority..and I believe the sports car forum car and the Hollywood 55 car run 15 " wheels in the historic races. 16's just become an evolution from 15's today because you can buy performance tires and it's very difficult to see the difference of a half inch on these cars.
Not to worry Michael no blue lights and big wing for me other than the performance wheels & Brakes this Tiger is a 100 point concours car

 

[Moondoggie]

16" too Big
14" too Small

15" just right.

/thread.[/QUOTE

Yeah if you are just a top loader,,,why push it too hard...

 

[michael-king]

Michael...lol

I believe the sports car forum car and the Hollywood 55 car run 15 " wheels in the historic races.

Nope.. the SCF74 car runs 13" panasports. In period the SCF ran 13" halibrands with very tall tryes.. same goes fort he HSC55 car... though due to the 55 car still having its flares (the scf74 car had them removed) I htink it runs a slightly larger replica halibrand wheel for hsitorics maybe 14"?

Anyway.. its all personal preference... and you need those big wheels for those BIG brakes

 

[Warren]

Gents , Gents

Who needs just one set of wheels and tires? like surfboards and motorcycles different days demand different.

 

[Duke Mk1a]

Yeah if you are just a top loader,,,why push it too hard...

You seem to forget that my engine makes MORE HP and MORE torque than yours.

15" are PERFECT! and, as stated, have to have 15" for Wilwood brakes.

 

[cobrakidz]

13's make the cars look very low to the ground, I personally like 15's. My beater Tiger has 16's but with flared fenders it looks good (to me).

 

[Tiger tamer]

15" Superlites. I like the look of 15" wheels & 50 series tyres, but go with what you like, it's your car.



you arent going to add blue lights under the sills and a big rear wing are you?

Whats wrong with that ?

 

[P. Scofield]

I love stock wheels!

 

[leepear]

You guys are funny. The Sunbeam was an inexpensive mild mannered British sports car. In stock form women call it cute. We have tried to make it look bad with our hood scoops, roll bars, lowering it adding aggressive wheels and tires. It looks good many ways because we like the cars. That is why we own them. Stock 13 inch wheels look great and so do period correct wheels. It is the wheels that make the car interesting and wheels like pie cutters look great to me. I have to go stock on my car because my tiger looks stock. Here is my old tiger with 13's. I liked that. Lee

 

[Moondoggie]

You guys are funny. The Sunbeam was an inexpensive mild mannered British sports car. In stock form women call it cute. We have tried to make it look bad with our hood scoops, roll bars, lowering it adding aggressive wheels and tires. It looks good many ways because we like the cars. That is why we own them. Stock 13 inch wheels look great and so do period correct wheels. It is the wheels that make the car interesting and wheels like pie cutters look great to me. I have to go stock on my car because my tiger looks stock. Here is my old tiger with 13's. I liked that. Lee

Yeah and one can make the same argument with the Cobra which was another girly British sports car until Shelby put a V8 in the thing. Some of us have just pick up from where Lord Rootes refused to go and where Shelby was headed....

Moondoggie

 

[Moondoggie]

You seem to forget that my engine makes MORE HP and MORE torque than yours.

15" are PERFECT! and, as stated, have to have 15" for Wilwood brakes.

To make bigger wheels look right you need to lower the car so that the wheel fills up the wheel well. like this

 

[hottigr]

I love my wheels, but I would need to lower my car about 2 inches to achieve Moondoggie status- here's a picture from about the same angle with 13" wheels- if I ever have to take the front end apart, it's going DOWN!

 

[TAH_Tiger]

16" too Big
14" too Small

15" just right.

/thread.

I agree. Mine is on the left with 15's and car to right has 14's