Rims & tyres

[Styria]

Probably a little more than two years ago, I was basically forced into purchasing the Taiwanese made SPEEDY wheels (rims) at a cost of $1100.00. That price included some good quality used tyres (Nankangs) and although I had been led to believe that I was buying second hand rims, when I came to pick them up they were in fact new.

Despite being extra careful, it didn't take long for me to damage one of the units against the higher edge of a driveway. Luckily enough, it was minor enough to repair the damage bu a "wheel repair" specialist who came to my home, and after spending some one hour on the job, and $160.00 later, the repair was just about invisible. Great job, but I got to thinking - not an easy process for me at my age. Anyway, what if I damaged a rim that would be beyond repair ? Where would I get another one from ? Speedy no longer made those rims, and I could foresee that one damaged unit could result in the remaining three becoming 'useless' - I am sure you know what I mean.

So I contacted Neale's Wheels (highly recommended), the supplier of the rims in the first place. I explained my position, and they did in fact have two units still in stock. It was an opportunity that I could not let go as it was cheap Insurance in case of a mishap. The price was a very reasonable $A175.00 (for one, not two) and I picked it up the other day...



The quality of those rims is superb, and in my opinion, they even look good on Gleaming Beauty. What's left for me to do now is to purchase the second remaining rim and that should see me out.



One of the appealing features of these rims is the ease in which they can be cleaned. There are really no sharp edges or difficult to reach crannies, and if so inclined, one can even reach to the inside of the wheel to remove road grime and brake dust. Regards Styria

 

[Styria]

When in fact I picked up this new rim the other day, I took the opportunity to also purchase two wheel bolts - I had lost one (due to not tightening up the bolts properly - very bright !) and naturally I was going to fit the bolt. No such luck as unbeknown to me the bolt had actually broken off. This of course meant that I had to remove both caliper and disc rotor, and I ground a screwdriver slot to try and remove the broken portion still in the hub. Luckily it worked, but after refitting the wheel, I noticed a slight of what I thought was 'out of round' vibration.

I was also aware that both rear tyres were exhibiting considerable wear on the inside. This was something I had noticed previously, and prior to fitting the Speedy Wheels, and I said to myself to keep an eye on this. As can be the wont, I missed the boat - the wear factor beat me to it, so what I neede to do was to reverse the tyres in an effort to equalize the wear. Okay, off to the tyre place, but alas, it was too late. The tyre on the left was starting to open up.

As can be seen quite clearly, one side is exhibiting



far more wear than the other side, and I think it is all due to the fact that the rear suspension on "Gleaming Beauty" was set too low. Does anyone have any suggestions other than that ?

Now, a word about those tyres. Nankangs, 2.35.40.18 - they have probably done about twenty thousand kilometers, and there is still plenty of depth of thread left in the middle - easily another eight thousand - if it weren't for the premature wear. Now, those Nankags - I have found them almost impossible to spin, even in the wet and going uphill, and I cannot speak highly enough about the quality I have experienced. They are Taiwanese made. In contrast, just for the time being, I have fitted 14" Bundts to the rear, with 225.65.14" Toyo tyres, and they are simply not in the same class traction wise. Thus, when I get my second new Speedy Wheel, it will be Nankangs again. A very good tyre. Regards Styria

 

[motec 6.9]

Hi styria its going back a few years now but back in 97 when i was running a toyota Maxi taxi in Canberra the tyre shop that i was getting my tyres from suggest i try these new to Australia tyres they were called Nankang anyway on the commuter bus they lasted for 80000km which was 15000 more than the prev Goodyears so yes i was impressed by them anyway tyre use went from 4 sets a year to 3 sets a year plus they were 20% cheaper

 

[BenzBoy]

Now, a word about those tyres. Nankangs, 2.35.40.18 - they have probably done about twenty thousand kilometers, and there is still plenty of depth of thread left in the middle - easily another eight thousand - if it weren't for the premature wear. Now, those Nankags - I have found them almost impossible to spin, even in the wet and going uphill, and I cannot speak highly enough about the quality I have experienced. They are Taiwanese made. In contrast, just for the time being, I have fitted 14" Bundts to the rear, with 225.65.14" Toyo tyres, and they are simply not in the same class traction wise. Thus, when I get my second new Speedy Wheel, it will be Nankangs again. A very good tyre. Regards Styria[/QUOTE]
On my ML I am using Continental. The curent ones have just turned over 60,000 ks and look like they are about 75% worn. I have had exceptional wear from any set of Continentals that I have purchased. Having read about the US recalls of Nankang I hesitate to use them - especially since there was no-one prepared to back up the mandatory reacll and consumers were left without the benefit of a refund or replacement.
Regards,
Benz-Boy

 

[TJ 450]

The subject of tyres is always an interesting one. I've heard that the Nankangs are known for their hard compound and good wear characteristics, as well as being a good "burnout" tyre (which is the opposite to what you're saying). Certainly, they probably have a range of tyres, of which yours may be the better.

As I recall, Bill has Nankangs on his AMG replica 6.9.

The wheels sound like a bargain and the ease of maintenance is a plus.

Tim

 

[Styria]

Hi BenzBoy, I certainly can't advance any arguments or suggestions regarding the findings in the US, nor any issues involved as far as recalls are concerned. I can only speak from my own perspective, and on that basis I certainly don't have any reason to complain or criticize.

I see in one of the other recent threads on tyres that the Continentals do not fare particularly well but, of course, are we in a position to compare like with like ? I simply don't know. It would be interesting to know the price of the same size Continentals - could it approach the $400.00 mark for each tyre ? The Nankangs I bought normally retail for $225.00 each, but I was lucky enough to only pay $150.00 each through my contact at the Tyre King. I simply could not pass up that sort of deal - and as I said,I was more than satisfied with their performance, particularly in the wet. Regards Styria

N.B. I also maintain that tyres supplied to manufacturers when cars are new have a longer working life. Perhaps someone may have some thoughts on this.

 

[SEL_69L]

The wheel well in a W116 will accommodate up to a a 215mm wide tyre. I have 126 15 hole pattern wheels on my 6.9, and the car is fitted with 15 inch wheels. The screw down locking bolt had to have an extra six inches of threaded rod welded to it to extend far enough down to the female threaded receptor, so that the wheel could be properly anchored in the wheel well. The wheel also requires a disc of rubber about 3mm thick so that the screw down anchor will not leave a rather grievous circular scar in the outside face of the wheel.

At least I have a complete matching set of 5 wheels on the car.

I am not keen on having a mismatched set of wheels/tyres, because:
1) At the front, mismatched tyres will make the car difficult to steer, and is most probably illegal,
2)Missmatched tyres at the rear will put stress on the limited slip diff.,
3)Missmatched tyres front to rear can imply, if you need to replace any tyre on the road, say for a puncture, you get into either of case 1 or 2 above.

I am not keen on having tyres wider than 215mm because if the suspension goes down and for some reason cannot be pumped up, the front tyres will clash with the wheel arch. For this reason, I always park my car with the front wheels in the straight ahead position.

 

[WGB]

My car has 225 section16 inch Nangkangs fitted and while they seem to work well in controlling the car directionally I am not happy with braking performance wet or dry.

When they are worn out I will not be looking for another set.

When my car is sitting on it's bump stops it is still driveable and steerable and the tyres do not rub in the arches and I usually do not leave it parked in the straight ahead position.

Admittedly the gap between tyre and wheelarch is measured in millimetres at the front with the wheels on lock but it is still there and due to the castor the car rises at the front when lock is applied.

Bill

 

[Styria]

hi Bill, thanks for coming in on this subject. As I said in another post, are we always able to compare like with like ? In this case, 16" vs. 18", and possibly, as well, a different tread pattern.

As previously stated, I found them excellent in the wet, and just about impossible to spin. As a matter of interest, Bill, did you have the Nankangs fitted, or was it by Chris, the previous owner ?

Presently, at the front, I have had some Chinese tyres fitted when I changed them last time, but I cannot recall their name presently, but will find out. Again, I find them "okay", but quite noisy. When one comes to slow down for traffic lights, it's like an electric motor starting to hum more slowly as you come to a halt. Regards Styria

 

[John S]

Styria, the increased wear on one side of your rear tyre may be caused by misalignment, rather than ride height. It may pay to have the alignment checked.

 

[Styria]

Styria, the increased wear on one side of your rear tyre may be caused by misalignment, rather than ride height. It may pay to have the alignment checked.

JohnS, the $64,000 question - how do you check the rear wheel alignment and what parts would one replace ? Seriously, I don't know so I am looking for advice from the knowledgeable. Regards Styria

 

[TJ 450]

AFAIK, the rear wheel alignment isn't adjustable, and is only corrected by replacing worn parts.

Ride height is probably the most obvious cause... what does the camber look like?

Tim

 

[Styria]

Hi Tim, the way I see it, as well, is that it becomes a matter of replacing worn parts. Admittedly though, I see none that could, or would actually, cause excessive camber other than the height adjustment.

I have been lulled into a false sense of security. The workshop that carries out my wheel alignment usually also measures the perpendicular (upright ?) position of the rear wheels, and they have assured me that the wheels were straight. Yet I do know, judging even by naked eye, the wheels seemed to be laying in on top for quite a long time now, and I am also convinced that I have not been the victim of an optical illusion and have actually now raised the rear suspension of Gleaming Beauty to a position that seems more appropriate. Regards Styria

 

[John S]

If the rear ride height has caused the wear to the inside of the tyre, wouldn't both tyres be worn to a similar amount?

 

[Styria]

If the rear ride height has caused the wear to the inside of the tyre, wouldn't both tyres be worn to a similar amount?

JohnS, they are just about equal in wear. but it's only one that is actually starting to 'strip' the thread - only minutely, but nevertheless I felt uncomfortable keeping them on the car - hence the temporary replacements that I have had on hand. Those are actually the rims (NOT tyres) that were on the car at time of purchase. Regards Styria

 

[SEL_69L]

Styria, as you may remember, I had you raise the ride height on my car by about 20mm about 4 years ago, so that my car would not bottom out over my driveway hump. The wear pattern on my tyres since then is absolutely perfectly OK since then. The outside diameter of the 215 65 15 tyres on my car are within 0.6 of 1 percent of the correct specification for the standard fit tyre of 215 70 14. I have been running the car with 36 psi tyre pressure for the last eight years.

To calculate the OD of a tyre, multiply the tread width by the aspect ratio x 2, to allow for top & bottom, and add then wheel diameter to it.

(215x.65x2 + 15x25.4) = 660.5mm
(215x.70x2 + 14x25.4) = 656.6mm, works out to only 1.95mm difference in ride height

The difference in this case 0.59 of 1 percent, which is negligible and well inside the tolerance for tread wear.

 

[Oversize]

Tyre sizes specified on the sidewalls are nominal values only & are dependant on the rim they are fitted to, temperature & pressure. The only sure way to determine the OD is to check the NJOY Tyre Fitment Guide. Interestingly it doesn't mention the 6.9 or 215 tyre, rather a basic 450SEL with a 205/70R14 95H/V fitted. The OD of this tyre is 644mm. It lists a 6.5 x 14 rim; were these standard on a 450, or just the 6.9? Options listed include 225/65R14, 235/60R14 & 235/55R15 (obviously on replacement wheels). The Tyre & Rim Association lists a 215/70R14 as having an OD of 658mm. In Victoria the maximum legal change in OD is +- 15mm. The load rating must not be less than stated on the tyre placard 1610lb (97)! Out of interest, has anyone actually measured the wheel arches to find out what could theoretically be fitted?

 

[Styria]

I am not fully conversant with the limits imposed by body width and suspension components that may be affected by excessive tyre/rim width. I do know that 2.35.40.18s fit quite comfortable, and I think the rims are eight inches wide - I should really go and measure the width, shouldn't I ? Well.....

As you may be aware, I have refitted the standard size 14" Bundts to the rear of Gleaming Beauty, with 2.25.65.14" Toyo Tyres, but I am still running the 'fancy' Speedy rims with the 18"ers on the front. To say the handling is 'different' is an understatement.

Traction in the wet, at the rear, is chancy at best. We have had a bit of rain in Sydney during the last couple of days, and I have come to treat the road surface, when wet, as a bit of an ice rink. Seriously, I could turn this thing around (Gleaming Beauty) 180 degrees in the twinkling of an eye lid. In the dry, the 'chirping' of tyres is very easily accomplished - not that I am all that impressed by that. Admittedly, the Toyos aren't all that new (still plenty of tread, though), but the difference in handling capabilities and safety between the aftermarket set-up and "original" (perhaps XWXs excepted) is remarkable. Presently, I am waiting for the second new spare rim (as illustrated in earlier posts) to be ready for pick-up and once new Nankangs are fitted, that should restore the safe and capable handling. Regards Styria

 

[John S]

Styria, do you think that the reduced traction in the wet is related to the very wider and very much stiffer 40% tyres you have fitted?

The 215/70 tyres originally fitted allow the tyre to remain in contact while the diagonal swing axel suspension does its job.

 

[Oversize]

Styria,

I'd suggest the poor handling is due to the fact that you've not only reduced the width of the rear tyres, but also increased the profile of what's on the front. This modification is common with the youth of today for easy drifting & burnouts. The smaller, higher profile tyres are also cheaper to replace...... Did you notice a big improvement in the way your car handled when you upgraded to the 18s all around?