Dennis Clark asked:
I'm wondering whether to get the Minilites 15x 6.5 from Rick at SS, or the
Panasport SS 15x6. The Tiger
is a stock 260 except for F4B and Holley 4B, and I want to have the same
size wheels and tires on front and rear. Anyone have a recommendation of
which is better (strength, price, appearance, availability, etc.)? Also
need a tire recommendation to fit under stock fenders (not flared),
195/50? 205/50?
Any info appreciated,
Dennis Clark
Dennis,
I installed a new set of Panasports on my Tiger about four years ago. The
following is a copy of the info I posted to the list at that time. The
availability of the Panasports may have changed since then.
As far as a comparison between the two wheels, I have never heard anyone
complain about their Minilites, and I have always been completely satisfied
with the Panasports, 2 sets. The authentic Minilites may be a little more
expensive than the Psports though.
Original posting:
Originally 3 types of 15" Panasport wheels were available for the Tiger,
15x6 24mm offset, 15x7 22mm offset (rear only) and 15x7 15mm offset (rear
only). Upon ordering I was informed that 2 offsets were currently
available. The 15x6
24mm and a new 15x7 20mm. This is the configuration I went with. I mounted
195/50ZR15's on the 15x6's up front, and 205/50ZR15's on the 15x7's on the
back. A 55 series tire was recommended by Panasport, but I couldn't get the
tires I wanted in that aspect ratio. The new rim/tire combo bolts up
without any frame or body contact. The inner sidewall on the rear tires
clear the leafs by 1/2". The 55 series tires would have been really tight
on the front edge of the front fender arch when turning with any body roll.
The inflated diameters of the tires are 22.7" on the 195's and 23.1" on the
205's. BTW I installed BFG Comp TA ZR's.
In addition:
If you run a 15"x7" up front you will probably get contact between the tire
and the lower edge of the front valance. Everyone I've talked with
regarding 15"x7"s mounted up front said they had to trim or bend the sheet
metal slightly in this area. If you run more offset up front to try and get
a 7" width, the inside of the rim may hit the upper control arm in the
vicinity of the ball joint. Fellow Lister Dick Barker runs 7"s up front on
his street car, and I think Brock Tella does too. If you guys are out
there, correct me if I'm wrong.
>From the previous post you can see that I run two different sized wheels
front to rear. This makes rotating tires a pain in the arse. If you run the
above listed 24mm / 6" wheels on the back, it may look silly (too narrow)
and the greater backspacing may cause tire to leaf spring contact. If you
get serious about Panasports and want to know if the 6" will fit on the
back, let me know and I'll swap my wheels front to rear too see if it will
work or not. I do not know if Dick and Brock run the 7" 15mm, 20mm or 22mm
offsets. The 15"x7" 20mm might work up front.
Mike Sutter
'66 Tiger
P.S.
Too bad we wont hear back from Dick Barker on this.
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