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 Post subject: Dunlop SP Sport Aquajets
PostPosted: Fri Oct 11, 2019 12:58 pm 
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This might be old news but I've just come off the phone to Vintage Tyres at Beaulieu.

The OE tyre 175/70 13 is now available again for the Sprint at £124 + VAT, H rated, they are now made in the UK as opposed to New Zealand where mine came from.

They may not be the best tyre these days but for originality freaks, I plead guilty, they are fine for the small mileages that a lot of these cars do.

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PostPosted: Fri Oct 11, 2019 2:52 pm 
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They also do a 155 HR 13 for ordinary Dolomites at £115 plus vat. I saw them at Beaulieu this year... i am sorely tempted.


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PostPosted: Fri Oct 11, 2019 3:24 pm 
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You'd have to be an originality nut to pay that much per cover for a tyre that wasn't all that much cop when it was current. And will probably be out of date (in individual tyre age) before it's worn out! I'd heard they were coming back, but this is the first price i've seen.

I can get perfectly respectable (not Chinese) tyres in a suitable speed rating and size for £50 a corner including fitting, balance, VAT and old cover disposal. You don't NEED a 130mph H rated tyre on a 115mph (on a really good day) Sprint, especially when it's never likely to go over 80. A T or W rated tyre (which were not even thought of in the 70s) is adequate for the job, relatively cheap and readily available in 175/70/13.

Don't get me wrong, tyres are very important to road safety and handling, I won't use old tyres, remoulds, Chinese ditchfinder specials or part-worns on any of my cars, I drive too hard to risk it for a few bob on tyres. But you have to retain a certain amount of perspective, even my own tyre of choice on the Carledo, the 195/50/15 Toyo Proxes T1R comes to me at just a shade over £50 apiece, any Sprint owner who really uses his car to it's full potential will, like me, be looking for more than these ancient pattern Dunlops can provide anyway!

That's MY 2 pennorth!

Steve

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'73 2 door Toledo with Vauxhall Carlton 2.0 8v engine (The Carledo)
'78 Sprint Auto with Vauxhall Omega 2.2 16v engine (The Dolomega)
'72 Triumph 1500FWD in Slate Grey, Now with RWD and Carledo powertrain!

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PostPosted: Fri Oct 11, 2019 5:29 pm 
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Quote:
...any Sprint owner who really uses his car to it's full potential will, like me, be looking for more than these ancient pattern Dunlops can provide anyway!
+1

Go-er not a show-er.

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Current fleet: '75 Sprint, '73 1850, Daihatsu Fourtrak, Honda CG125, Yamaha Fazer 600, Shetland 570 (yes it's a boat!)

Past fleet: Triumph 2000, Lancia Beta Coupe, BL Mini Clubman, Austin Metro, Vauxhall Cavalier MK1 & MK2, Renault 18 D, Rover 216 GSI, Honda Accord (most expensive car purchase, hated, made out of magnetic metal as only car I've ever been crashed into...4 times), BMW 318, Golf GTi MK3 16v x 3


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PostPosted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 9:38 pm 
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Hi Steve,

All excellent and valid points, I expect no less from you, but I'm afraid me and MikeyB have an incurable condition called acute originality syndrome which I'm reliably informed is beyond hope.

Also as I'm 71 the odds are I'll be dead and well and truly buried before my new set of Aquajets will be perished and out of date.

Off now with my zimmer frame for my nightly cup of Horlicks.

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1973 Mimosa Sprint
1973 Magenta TR6


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PostPosted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 11:11 pm 
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Quote:
Hi Steve,

All excellent and valid points, I expect no less from you, but I'm afraid me and MikeyB have an incurable condition called acute originality syndrome which I'm reliably informed is beyond hope.

Also as I'm 71 the odds are I'll be dead and well and truly buried before my new set of Aquajets will be perished and out of date.

Off now with my zimmer frame for my nightly cup of Horlicks.
Go on with you Len, I'm only 6 years behind you, but i'm not ready for the pipe and slippers yet! Just because i've got a few years under my belt, doesn't mean I have to slow down, quite the reverse! The older I get, the more I realize I don't have time to waste dawdling around! I think I have the reverse of your syndrome, I can't bear to leave a car stock, even before i've handed over the cash, I'm contemplating what mods will best suit my new purchase! And my version is just as incurable! I fully expect to wear several more sets of tyres out before I head for the great Custom shop in the sky! In a few weeks, entries are going to open for the 2020 RBRR and I fully intend to be on it!

It's your car and i'm perfectly happy for you to keep it the way you like it, all original, right down to the designed in faults and production economies. And if these tyres will make you happy, go get 'em!

Steve

_________________
'73 2 door Toledo with Vauxhall Carlton 2.0 8v engine (The Carledo)
'78 Sprint Auto with Vauxhall Omega 2.2 16v engine (The Dolomega)
'72 Triumph 1500FWD in Slate Grey, Now with RWD and Carledo powertrain!

Maverick Triumph, Servicing, Repairs, Electrical, Recomissioning, MOT prep, Trackerjack brake fitting service.
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 14, 2019 10:01 am 
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Just because i've got a few years under my belt, doesn't mean I have to slow down, quite the reverse! The older I get, the more I realize I don't have time to waste dawdling around.

In the real world ( Non Triumph ) I'm just the same as you, trying my best to grow old disgracefully. A few months ago got myself a new Golf R, 300 BHP. 4WD, the ideal car to pop down to the Post Office on Thursdays to collect my pension :D

Are you using the Carledo for the RBRR? Get your entry in ASAP as they seem to get snapped up really quickly.

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1973 Magenta TR6


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PostPosted: Mon Oct 14, 2019 10:42 am 
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Quote:

Get your entry in ASAP as they seem to get snapped up really quickly.


Very true. Seems you need s half decent internet speed too. I know of somebody who missed out on a 10CR place as his internet, out in the country, is very slow and it took too long to load etc. I expect the RBRR to be the same, people sitting there at 7pm (or whatever time it is) on the release day banging buttons until they get through the entry process. I was one of them last time...

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PostPosted: Mon Oct 14, 2019 10:46 am 
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Quote:

Are you using the Carledo for the RBRR? Get your entry in ASAP as they seem to get snapped up really quickly.
I'm hoping to use the Dolomega for the Round Britain, it's what the car was designed for, a long legged, quick, quiet and comfy cruiser with automatic transmission, mod cons and (hopefully) decent fuel economy. The donor Omega which I drove around for a few months, recorded a run MPG figure on it's trip computer of 38mpg with aircon, PAS, a 3.7 diff and almost 2 tons of deadweight. Shorn of the power sapping accessories and half the weight and with a 3.45 Sprint axle I'm hoping for 40+ mpg. The Carledo will be waiting in the wings as backup if the Dolomega is not ready in time. It's a lot noisier and harsher to drive but I have no doubts whatsoever of it's ability to complete such an event!

I went on the RBRR with Mahesh in his Sprint in 2018. He got his entry in on day 2 and was number 147 from a permitted 140 entries. So I'm well aware of the need to get in early! Fortunately for us, lots drop out in the 10 months between entry and event, so a lowish number on the waiting list is tolerable. Even so, I will be sat at the computer with a finger on the mouse the day entries open! In 2018, 132 started from 160+ initial entries and (I think) 107 finished. The attrition rate in 2018 was several percentage points higher than usual for the run which was ascribed to the higher than usual number of rookie teams taking part. I know one dropout was down to a sleep deprived crewman filling their Stag with diesel at a fuel stop in Devon in the early hours of Sunday morning!

So wish us luck and if anyone wants to sponsor us, drop me a PM!

Steve

_________________
'73 2 door Toledo with Vauxhall Carlton 2.0 8v engine (The Carledo)
'78 Sprint Auto with Vauxhall Omega 2.2 16v engine (The Dolomega)
'72 Triumph 1500FWD in Slate Grey, Now with RWD and Carledo powertrain!

Maverick Triumph, Servicing, Repairs, Electrical, Recomissioning, MOT prep, Trackerjack brake fitting service.
Apprentice served Triumph Specialist for 50 years. PM for more info or quotes.


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PostPosted: Tue Nov 05, 2019 11:16 am 
Hi

Correct me if i am wrong, but i think the Sprint was also offered with the Cinturato CN36. I think trhe CN36 was the tyre of choice then as it is now.

Also might be worth pointing out that the Pirelli Cinturato tyres are actuall made by Pirelli https://www.pirelli.com/tyres/en-ww/car/collection

These CN36 will handle much better on a Dolomite than any modern tyre. specially a 195/50. that is built for a completely different car all together.

They are V rated too. when i was a kid our Sprint registered 126 mph on its speedo with my mum driving.

Another thing that might be worth pointing out is that if you wanted to buy on price rather than handling you could have bought a 2CV instead of a Dolomite


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PostPosted: Wed Nov 06, 2019 10:04 am 
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Are the Aquajets not made by Dunlop now then?


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PostPosted: Wed Nov 06, 2019 12:22 pm 
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From borrani.com web site.

Dunlop Aquajet Tyres

The Dunlop Aquajet came out in 1968.
The Aquajet Was Dunlop’s first foray into High performance radial Tyres.
The Aquajet was also Dunlop’s first run at making low profile tyres with the ER/70R15 fitted to the XJ6.
Sadly, though we can still supply the Aquajet it is not actually manufactured by Dunlop themselves.

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Mike
(1969 MGB GTV8, 1977 Dolomite 1850HL, 1971 MGB roadster now all three on the road)


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PostPosted: Fri Nov 08, 2019 11:25 pm 
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Quote:

These CN36 will handle much better on a Dolomite than any modern tyre. specially a 195/50. that is built for a completely different car all together.

This rather depends on how modified the rest of the Dolomite is! To go with my 195/50/15s I have a different engine and gearbox, lightened body, altered CofG, different spring rates, altered ride height, different shocks and uprated brakes. It's no longer the car it was in the showroom! And it handles rather nicely thanks! I'd back it against a CN 36 shod stock Sprint round a track any day!

They are V rated too. when i was a kid our Sprint registered 126 mph on its speedo with my mum driving.

It might have shown you 126mph on the clock but I sincerely doubt it was DOING more than 115!

Another thing that might be worth pointing out is that if you wanted to buy on price rather than handling you could have bought a 2CV instead of a Dolomite
There is a difference between buying on pure economy and sensible choice. I don't buy Chinese ditchfinders at £30 a cover because I drive like a hoon and wouldn't live long if I did! So I gladly spend £50 a corner for the Toyos! But there's a big difference between that and spending 3 times as much just to get something that was the best you could get in '73. Tyre technology has come a long way since then, it would be hypocritical for you of all people to deny that!


Steve

_________________
'73 2 door Toledo with Vauxhall Carlton 2.0 8v engine (The Carledo)
'78 Sprint Auto with Vauxhall Omega 2.2 16v engine (The Dolomega)
'72 Triumph 1500FWD in Slate Grey, Now with RWD and Carledo powertrain!

Maverick Triumph, Servicing, Repairs, Electrical, Recomissioning, MOT prep, Trackerjack brake fitting service.
Apprentice served Triumph Specialist for 50 years. PM for more info or quotes.


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 Post subject: Sorry.....
PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 2019 10:21 am 
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Quote:
These CN36 will handle much better on a Dolomite than any modern tyre. specially a 195/50. that is built for a completely different car all together.
I am uncertain of how valid the above bold statement actually is,
given that today we have available much better suspension components than those that were standard issue in the seventies.



Ian.

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PostPosted: Tue Nov 19, 2019 9:31 am 
It is a mistake that is often made. If you are not going to drive your car much, what the heck, just chuck some cheapo tyres on it. However if you are a Dolomite owner because you enjoy the drive of the car fit the good stuff and enjoy the drive more. When i used to drive my Dads car, i have known fewer cars that make you want to thrash it as much. It sounded cool on those webbers, and giving it some beans round a corner did feel cool (though a bit understeery).

If you use better quality parts made to the same design as they were in period then the CN36 will handle better. If you slightly modify the suspension, make it a bit stiffer, a bit lower and add a bit of adverse camber then the CN36 will still handle better. However, yes if you slam it on the deck, make the suspension stiff as a board with loads of advers camber, possibly a bit of caster as well it will be horrible on the road however you will have changed the car so you can gain more grip out of a more modern squarer shouldered tyre. But it will let go more violently when it does brake away. It will be auful to drive on t he road, but on a perfectly smooth race track you will have more ultimate grip.

horses for courses

A CN36 will handle better on a classic car. However a more modern tyre will put more rubber in contact with the road for straightline braking and cut down wheel spin (who wants that, wheel spins are cool). However all this comes at the expense of handling in the corners, because your chassis was not the kind of chassis they developed the modern tyre carcass for. modern tyres are developed to work in an enviroment with much cleverer suspension and steering. as car design has moved forward the tyre design has followed that and offered features that would not have been appropriate on earlier cars. a modern car has a greater ability to present a tyre foot print to the road flat. where a classic car has to deal with the chassis rolling.

what are the advantages of a modern tyre:-
  • flatter wider foot print - This is a disadvantage on a classic car, unless it is modified to suit.
  • better build quality - well no. these CN36 are built by Pirelli. on of the worlds best tyre manufacturers.
  • better rubber compounds - nope. the CN36 is built using modern compounds. so particularly they move water far better than they did
  • tread patterns better designed to move water and stop aquaplaning - wel yep, i guess so, but that advantage is lost by the wider flatter foot print


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