The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

Looking for some advice on tyre size for my 79 Dolomite 1300. Just taken possession and want to replace the steel wheels with the replica minilites from Rimmer Bros. Original Steels are 4.5J x 13 and the new alloys are 5.5J x 13 and trying to work out the best size tyre to go for that will be a straight forward fit without causing any issues. As I say the car is new to me and I’m sure other members of this forum will have the answer for me. Thanks in advance.

Sprint alloys are 5.5J
Std size tyres are 175/70 13’s

185/60 13 fit also without out rubbing.

_________________
1976 Taihiti Sprint
2024 volvo XC90 T8 Hybrid
2011 Landrover Defender pickup - twisted
2023 Porsche 911 Carrera T Manual!!
2021 Toyota Yaris GR-Four
2015 Audi RS4 Avant (V8!!)

Gone but not forgotten 2008 BMW M5 (E61) Touring (George, as in Best, as it likes a Drink) to be replaced soon...... Epic epic car

I used Dolomite Sprint wheels shod with 185/70 R13 Firestone S211 M+S tyres on my 1974 Triumph Toledo 1300 without any problems. They probably give a more comfortable ride than 175/70 R13 tyres and slightly better fuel economy.

_________________
Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet

Independent tutor of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering, for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.

https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=308177758

Upgraded 1974 Triumph Toledo 1300 (Toledo / Dolomite HL / Sprint hybrid)

Onetime member + magazine editor & technical editor of Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club

Got 195/60/13s on mine.

It sits a bit lower with gas shocks all round, but no rubbing, and no problems,

Richard.

_________________
Sprint, ;- DBL 532V

What is the wheel-offset of the 5½ x 13 inch, replica Minilite style wheels from Rimmer Brothers?

https://rimmerbros.com/Item--i-GRID008496

https://rimmerbros.com/Item--i-RT122955X13

https://rimmerbros.com/Item--i-RL147055X13

https://rimmerbros.com/Item--i-RL147055X13BLK

When I had 185/70 R13 Firestone S211 tyres on my earlier 5½ x 13 inch Cosmic alloy wheels (21 mm wheel-offset) the tyres rubbed on the outboard portion of the rear wheel arches when carrying heavy loads in the boot or rear-passenger seats, but this did not occur with the same tyres on 5½ x 13 inch Triumph Dolomite Sprint alloy wheels (35 mm wheel-offset).

If I had had 195/60 R13 tyres on the 5½ x 13 inch Cosmic alloy wheels (21 mm wheel-offset) the tyre rubbing on the outboard portion of the rear wheel arches, would probably have been even worse!

_________________
Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet

Independent tutor of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering, for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.

https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=308177758

Upgraded 1974 Triumph Toledo 1300 (Toledo / Dolomite HL / Sprint hybrid)

Onetime member + magazine editor & technical editor of Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club

Sprint wheels are a safer bet than the "fake minilites" that are available everywhere.

These wheels are mostly a product of John Brown Wheels and the largest ET/offset i've been able to track down (and i've been in touch with JBW) is a mere 14, compared to the Sprint ET of 35. Which places the outer rims in unacceptable proximity to the rear arch lips.

I actually have a set here, but in 14" diameter x 5.5j, that I bought for my Sprint, they fouled horribly so I had to take them off again and search elsewhere for suitable wheels. But they'd be just right for a small chassis car, Herald, Spitfire, GT6 etc, if anyone would like them, I can make you a good price!

Rimmers list them for the Dolomite range true, but they aren't well known for checking to see if the product they are offering will actually work on the car they are listing it for!

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.

Thread highjack alert!!

Just out of interest I'm looking at putting 195/55/14's on my race Sprint but was unsure what offset to specify for the wheels....will a 14" wheel with a normal sprint wheel off set at 5.5J fit? It's worth pointing out that all wings have been rolled and the rear arches pulled out a bit...I'm more concerned about the rear wheels rubbing on the inner arches......thoughts please

If you've rolled and pulled the rear arches, you can run a smaller offset. But as I said above, the JBW fake minilites only go down to ET14 which MIGHT just clear your modified arches. Extensive research i've done with a number of manufacturers and suppliers has not turned up ANYTHING in either a 14" or 15" rim with both the 95.25mm PCD and a Sprint compatible ET in the 25-35 ballpark. Sure, you can have them custom made, but the price is eye-watering!

If you'd like to try them for size, the 5.5x14 ET14 fake Minilites I have are all shod, currently with road legal (if a little old) 185/60/14s.

If i'd actually rolled mine, I might have got away with it. But as it was freshly painted I just removed a chunk of the double lip (as much as I dared) and it wasn't enough on bumpy corners, especially with a loaded boot and/or rear passengers. Something that wouldn't affect your race focused car!

In your position though, Id go for the MGF 15x6 ET27? rims with 195/50/15 tyres which I KNOW will go inside rolled arches, miss the inners (not by much, but enough for track work) and which are available in several styles, and are cheap and readily available. They also have a bit larger rolling radius than a 195/55/14 and will fill the arches better.

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.

Hi Steve, cheers for the reply!

The tyres I'm looking at using are offered in 185/55/14, 185/60/14 and 185/55/15 so if you have a set of wheels that will take that size, they will certainly be worth a try.....we'll speak further on this!

I got two sets of 'minilites' from R an R alloys @13" x whatever the Sprint offset is (they are JBW wheels) and fitted with 185/60/13's fit perfectly.....up to a reasonable size, R n R can offer that wheel at the offset you specify and I don't remember there being any change in price for them....could you remind me what the Sprint offset is please?

They Minator wheels from Rimmers are, having myself fitted them to an early 1850, a good choice.
The track width is slighter wider (making the car more stable) and they comfortably clear
Trackerjack brakes.
I used 175/70 tyres as per a Sprint and felt no reason to be unhappy with this size.
No modification to the bodywork was required.

(From memory they have an ET25 offset)



Ian

_________________
TDC Forum moderator
PLEASE help us to maintain a friendly forum,
either PM or use Report Post if you see anything you are unhappy with. Thanks.

Standard Sprint ET is 35. Besides the 14" fake Minilites, I also have around (maybe available) a set of MGF 15s currently shod with 195/50/15 Toyos and a set of wheel nuts that will fit either set of rims to 7/16" Sprint studs.

It seems if you have 13" rims, you can get close to a Sprint ET, it's only when you go up in diameter, as I've been forced to by my oversize TJs, that the problems start!

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.

Could you show me some pictures of the wheels in the arches please so I can see the clearance particularly the inner rear space between the wheel and body?.....that looks mint!

STEVE.....
So if I go for the 185/60/14 given that I can specify the offset and given that the tyre I'm looking at has quite a square edge profile, what sort of offset would we be looking at, do you think it needs to be greater than the ET14 you mentioned Steve?

How to measure check offset ETC.

https://www.performancealloys.com/alloy-wheels-offset

_________________
2009 Mini Clubman Cooper S Daily Driver.
1980 Dolomite Sprint with a touch of BLTS
Balanced Lightened and Tweaked 13B Rotary and SuperCharged.
Back in my possession 22 September 2019.
Rebuilding the Sprint time taken so far, 111Hrs@15/12/2020
212Hrs @31/12/2021
352 @ 28/11/2022
455Hrs @ 20/10/2023
506Hrs. @ 14/05/2024
This is time taken at the Sprint not necessary time worked.

Member TDC no 0471

Project 13B Sprint now back on.

That's very useful, thank you!

If you are runing the same (5.5" wide) rim width as an original Sprint, just an inch bigger diameter, I see no reason to stray from the Sprint ET of 35. If this is not doable and bearing in mind your pulled and rolled arches, I'd say, without seeing it, a minimum ET of 25 should keep you out of trouble.

But there really is no substitute for a physical experiment, I don't KNOW the ET14s won't fit your car unless we physically try them! I only know my road focused car, without proper rolling OR pulling the arches, didn't like them!

One final point i've not mentioned, if using the MGF type 15s, on the FRONT, the effective max profile my own Sprint would accept is xxx/55/15. This was with ride height close to stock, the tyre would catch the back corner of the spoiler halfway from central to full lock on 185/60/15s but clear on 185/55s. The 14s with ET 14 gave no similar problem on the front with 185/60/14 tyres. I ran the Carledo for many years on MGF 15s, shod with 195/50/15s all round, without issue, just the rear arches rolled.

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.