<div dir="ltr">My personal opinion is the sidewall is too narrow and OD too small on a 65 or 70 series tires. <div><br></div><div>If you are not familiar with the calculation. The section height is the height of the tire measured from the rim to the outer edge of the tire; the section width is the width from sidewall to sidewall. A tire with the code xxx/65 indicates that the section height of the tire is 65% of its width. For example, for a tire with code 200/65, the section height is 200 × 65% = 130 mm. If no aspect ratio is stated then the default is usually 80.</div><div><br></div><div>The Michelin XAS 180 HR 15 calcultes to an 85 series tire and the original Road Speed RS5 5.90H15 calcultes to an 86 series tire. Once the tire is larger than 180 the lower aspect ratio is needed to prevent rubbing.</div><div><br></div><div>Not everyone agrees with me but I think Healeys look best with 80 series or better tires.</div><div><br></div><div>Harold</div><br></div><br><div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Tue, May 6, 2025 at 2:49 PM Stephen Hutchings <<a href="mailto:s.hutchings@rogers.com">s.hutchings@rogers.com</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div>Harold, that chart is really useful.<div>What I’m wondering, is if you opt for the 165 15 size- what height ratio works best?</div><div>I mean, some of the brands like Continental have a specification like 165 65 15.</div><div>I noticed that you said you find the Vredestein Classic 185/70 HR 15 look out of place…so you find the 70 height ratio too small?</div><div>I don’t want any rubbing.</div><div><br></div><div>Stephen BJ8<br><div><br><blockquote type="cite"><div>On May 6, 2025, at 11:52 AM, Harold Manifold <<a href="mailto:manifold@telus.net" target="_blank">manifold@telus.net</a>> wrote:</div><br><div><div dir="ltr">Mitchell,<div><br></div><div>Tires are a somewhat contentious issue in the Healey world. I do have a background in the automotive world and started with the basics to pick a tire. Originally my car had 4" wide rims which limited the tire choice to a 165 HR 15. I upgraded to 4.5" wide rims which opens up a number of possibilities. The second consideration is to match the sidewall height of the original tires for a couple of reasons. The profile of the wheel well on our Healey is basically the same for all models. The tires should have an OD close to the original Roadspeed 5.90H15 to maintain the right look. Another consideration is the tire is a part of the suspension system and the sidewall of the tire influences the ride. A lower sidewall tends to produce a stiffer and harsher ride.</div><div><br></div><div>I chose the Michelin XAS 180 HR 15 and am very happy with the look, ride and performance. If your BJ8 is a phase 2 with the raised suspension in my opinion the 165 HR 15 has too small a diameter and doesn't look at home within the wheel well profile. For the same reason I think the 185/70HR15 profile tires look out of place as well.</div><div><br></div><div>For comparison this is the table I put together to help pick out tires. All of these will fit a 4.5" - 5" wide rim. The wider tires could have clearance issues but reports are they do fit.</div><div><br></div><div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="485" style="border-collapse:collapse;width:364pt">
<colgroup><col width="187" style="width:140pt">
<col width="90" style="width:68pt">
<col width="113" style="width:85pt">
<col width="95" style="width:71pt">
</colgroup><tbody><tr height="17" style="height:12.75pt">
<td height="17" width="187" style="height:12.75pt;width:140pt;border:0.5pt solid windowtext;padding-top:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-left:1px;color:windowtext;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:bottom">Tire</td>
<td width="90" style="border-left:none;width:68pt;text-align:center;border-top:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-right:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-bottom:0.5pt solid windowtext;padding-top:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-left:1px;color:windowtext;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:bottom">Size</td>
<td width="113" style="border-left:none;width:85pt;text-align:center;border-top:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-right:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-bottom:0.5pt solid windowtext;padding-top:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-left:1px;color:windowtext;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:bottom"> Inflated
Diameter </td>
<td width="95" style="border-left:none;width:71pt;text-align:center;border-top:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-right:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-bottom:0.5pt solid windowtext;padding-top:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-left:1px;color:windowtext;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:bottom"> Inflated
Width </td>
</tr>
<tr height="17" style="height:12.75pt">
<td height="17" style="height:12.75pt;border-top:none;border-right:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-bottom:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-left:0.5pt solid windowtext;padding-top:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-left:1px;color:windowtext;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:bottom">Road Speed
RS5</td>
<td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;text-align:center;border-right:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-bottom:0.5pt solid windowtext;padding-top:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-left:1px;color:windowtext;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:bottom">5.90H15</td>
<td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-right:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-bottom:0.5pt solid windowtext;padding-top:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-left:1px;color:windowtext;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:bottom"> 26.0 </td>
<td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-right:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-bottom:0.5pt solid windowtext;padding-top:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-left:1px;color:windowtext;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:bottom"> 6.4 </td>
</tr>
<tr height="17" style="height:12.75pt">
<td height="17" style="height:12.75pt;border-top:none;border-right:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-bottom:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-left:0.5pt solid windowtext;padding-top:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-left:1px;color:windowtext;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:bottom">Michelin XAS </td>
<td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;text-align:center;border-right:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-bottom:0.5pt solid windowtext;padding-top:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-left:1px;color:windowtext;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:bottom">165 HR 15</td>
<td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-right:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-bottom:0.5pt solid windowtext;padding-top:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-left:1px;color:windowtext;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:bottom"> 25.4 </td>
<td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-right:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-bottom:0.5pt solid windowtext;padding-top:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-left:1px;color:windowtext;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:bottom"> 6.6 </td>
</tr>
<tr height="17" style="height:12.75pt">
<td height="17" style="height:12.75pt;border-top:none;border-right:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-bottom:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-left:0.5pt solid windowtext;padding-top:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-left:1px;color:windowtext;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:bottom">Michelin XAS </td>
<td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;text-align:center;border-right:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-bottom:0.5pt solid windowtext;padding-top:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-left:1px;color:windowtext;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:bottom">180 HR 15</td>
<td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-right:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-bottom:0.5pt solid windowtext;padding-top:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-left:1px;color:windowtext;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:bottom"> 26.8 </td>
<td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-right:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-bottom:0.5pt solid windowtext;padding-top:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-left:1px;color:windowtext;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:bottom"> 6.9 </td>
</tr>
<tr height="17" style="height:12.75pt">
<td height="17" style="height:12.75pt;border-top:none;border-right:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-bottom:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-left:0.5pt solid windowtext;padding-top:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-left:1px;color:windowtext;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:bottom">Vredestein
Sprint Classic</td>
<td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;text-align:center;border-right:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-bottom:0.5pt solid windowtext;padding-top:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-left:1px;color:windowtext;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:bottom">165HR15</td>
<td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-right:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-bottom:0.5pt solid windowtext;padding-top:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-left:1px;color:windowtext;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:bottom"> 25.4 </td>
<td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-right:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-bottom:0.5pt solid windowtext;padding-top:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-left:1px;color:windowtext;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:bottom"> 6.6 </td>
</tr>
<tr height="17" style="height:12.75pt">
<td height="17" style="height:12.75pt;border-top:none;border-right:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-bottom:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-left:0.5pt solid windowtext;padding-top:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-left:1px;color:windowtext;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:bottom">Vredestein
Sprint Classic</td>
<td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;text-align:center;border-right:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-bottom:0.5pt solid windowtext;padding-top:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-left:1px;color:windowtext;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:bottom">185HR15</td>
<td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-right:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-bottom:0.5pt solid windowtext;padding-top:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-left:1px;color:windowtext;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:bottom"> 26.7 </td>
<td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-right:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-bottom:0.5pt solid windowtext;padding-top:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-left:1px;color:windowtext;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:bottom"> 7.4 </td>
</tr>
<tr height="17" style="height:12.75pt">
<td height="17" style="height:12.75pt;border-top:none;border-right:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-bottom:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-left:0.5pt solid windowtext;padding-top:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-left:1px;color:windowtext;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:bottom">Vredestein
Sprint Classic</td>
<td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;text-align:center;border-right:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-bottom:0.5pt solid windowtext;padding-top:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-left:1px;color:windowtext;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:bottom">185/70HR15</td>
<td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-right:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-bottom:0.5pt solid windowtext;padding-top:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-left:1px;color:windowtext;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:bottom"> 25.2 </td>
<td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-right:0.5pt solid windowtext;border-bottom:0.5pt solid windowtext;padding-top:1px;padding-right:1px;padding-left:1px;color:windowtext;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:bottom"> 7.4 </td>
</tr>
</tbody></table></div><br><div>Hope this helps. The list has been quiet for a while so maybe this post will start a tire controversy!</div><div><br></div><div>Harold</div><div><br></div><div><br></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Mon, May 5, 2025 at 6:34 PM Hank Leach via Healeys <<a href="mailto:healeys@autox.team.net" target="_blank">healeys@autox.team.net</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div>I use that tire on my BJ8 as it is closest to the original bias 590s. The 180 may affect your speedometer reading and could rub the sidelight wires but many use that size no matter. Anything bigger for sure will rub. Here is the look of the 165 with 60s in the the wheel well. Hank<br>-------------------- <br><br>From: "Mitch Simmons" <<a href="mailto:simmonsmitch23@gmail.com" target="_blank">simmonsmitch23@gmail.com</a>> <br>To: <<a href="mailto:healeys@autox.team.net" target="_blank">healeys@autox.team.net</a>> <br>Sent: May 5, 2025 at 4:50 PM PDT <br>Subject: [Healeys] (no subject) </div>
<div>Hello,
<div>anyone have recent experience with .....Michelin XZX 165SR15 tires? I am considering them on my 66 BJ8......LMK....I have Dayton 60 spoke rims......Also considering Michelin XAS 180HR15...BUT not sure they will work with 4.5 inch wide rims (any experience with those would be appreciated ..as well</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Thanks</div>
<div>Mitchell</div>
</div>
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_______________________________________________<br>Support Team.Net <a href="http://www.team.net/donate.html" target="_blank">http://www.team.net/donate.html</a><br>Suggested annual donation $12.75<br><br>Archive: <a href="http://www.team.net/pipermail/healeys" target="_blank">http://www.team.net/pipermail/healeys</a> <a href="http://autox.team.net/archive/healeys" target="_blank">http://autox.team.net/archive/healeys</a><br><br><a href="mailto:Healeys@autox.team.net" target="_blank">Healeys@autox.team.net</a><br><a href="http://autox.team.net/mailman/listinfo/healeys" target="_blank">http://autox.team.net/mailman/listinfo/healeys</a><br><br>Unsubscribe/Manage: <a href="http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/healeys/s.hutchings@rogers.com" target="_blank">http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/healeys/s.hutchings@rogers.com</a><br><br></div></blockquote></div><br></div></div></blockquote></div>