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

[Moondoggie]

I would love to see a slightly higher profile tyre on your fronts.. to me the wheel fills out the guard but there is a lot of space around the permiter between the tyre and the guard... the wheel is filling out the guard.. the tyre not.. looks a bit like a space saver

Michael,

That picture is with the car on a lift so it was free hanging so here is a picture
with on the ground in my shop. It doesn't need any more side wall

Moondoggie

 

[Moondoggie]

Back in the day wheels cost a little over $100 for an entire set. Since Shelby's 1964 Tiger racing efforts unloaded about $30K from Lord Rootes, I imagine Carroll could have squeezed in a set of 15" wheels if he had wanted to.

bt
at the beach

For magnesium racing wheels even back as far as 1964 you are a way light.
You forget that Ford was supporting the Cobra effort with big bucks at the time so $30k to Lord Rootes might have seemed like a bunch but in reality it was squat. Ford had just spent millions $$$$ on the GT40 and got nothing to show for it in 64 and approached Shelby to take the program over. The Cobra that made him famous won FIA in 65 but was managed by Jack Sears in England with a budget from selling left over and used race car parts, Tigers were so low on the totem pole they were nothing to Shelby,,,but they could have been something with the right financing by Rootes....which was my point

Moondoggie

 

[hottigr]

...and I believe Buck's point was the lower center of gravity with 13" wheels.

 

[michael-king]

Michael,

That picture is with the car on a lift so it was free hanging so here is a picture
with on the ground in my shop. It doesn't need any more side wall

Moondoggie

Bill I know its on a hoist but I feel the same way when I see it in the pics you have shown in front of the old shop... Just my personal opinion . I prefer more sidewall on older cars and a closer tyre to guard gap

 

[tigerracer]

Back in the day, the Hollywood Sports Car and Sports Car Forum Tiger both ran 13" wheels. Both started with 13" Halibrands which both teams quickly broke. Rootes had Doane make racing wheels. SCF had trouble using those and instead installed two piece CT aluminum wheels.

Today the HSC car has sets of both 13" and 14" wheels. The SCF Tiger only runs 13" as does Tom Sakai. Dale runs 14" wheels since his brake package will not fit inside 13" wheels. Tom and the SCF Tiger run 60 profile tires. Dale has been racing a lower profile (55 maybe?). Lower profiles help cornering but the added sidewall stiffness effects ride quality.

Back in the day wheels cost a little over $100 for an entire set. Since Shelby's 1964 Tiger racing efforts unloaded about $30K from Lord Rootes, I imagine Carroll could have squeezed in a set of 15" wheels if he had wanted to. When Doane Spencer fabricated and homologated the HSC wheels in 1965 he could have opted for another size but chose to stay with 13". Perhaps both Carroll and Doane decided that raising the CG was not the hottest idea for for a road race car. One thing is for sure, Doane wasn't the kind of guy who missed a chance to improve performance.

I've also kept 13" wheels on our street Tigers. However I only use aftermarket wheels due to the historic breaking problems encountered by the stock Tiger wheels.

bt
at the beach

Hey Buck,
Let me clear up your misconception on me using 14" wheels, it has nothing to do with brake package size. My solid rotors are the same size as yours. I started using 14" wheels about 15 yrs ago because I could blister a new set of tires in one session at Willow Springs. Since the race orginizations allow 1" in dia and 1" in with, the fix was going to a larger diameter tire/wheel package.
If you look at the actual dims of my tires they have a taller sidewall than yours.

Dale