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Classic
Bentley Tyres by Longstone
Tyres.
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What tyres
can we fit to these superb cars? |
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Also see pictures of tyre treads at bottom of the page
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3 litre WO. The first 3 litres were fitted with 820x120 Beaded edge tyres. The obvious choice here is the Dunlop Chevron. Dunlop is the only company that has truly supported the vintage movement by always manufacturing tyres for our cars. Imagine how many fantastic cars would have been scrapped throughout the years had there been no tyres manufactured to keep them mobile. The Dunlop Chevron has the strongest carcass of all current beaded edge tyres and is manufactured in Birmingham using the same techniques that have been employed for a hundred years. These tyres are expensive and pretty scarce, being made in small batches during each year, but they are the best! Fortunately there are two more manufacturers making beaded edge tyres these days: Waymaster using a tread pattern very similar to that of a period Pirelli and Excelsior using the old yet improved Betco moulds. 3 Litre Bentleys on beaded edge tyres should run at 70-80psi. Regardless of our initial concerns, (because of the black magic involved in the old technologies used in making beaded edge tyres) we at Longstone tyres have been pleasantly surprised with the quality of the tyres from the new manufacturers. Because of the obvious issues (running at such high pressures and inherent lack of grip) with beaded edge tyres most 3 litre Bentleys now fit 525X21 tyres. Currently there are two suitable choices for these cars. The first and I would consider presently the most suitable would be the Dunlop which is a good sporting tyre with a strong progressive carcass. If you find your steering heavy then fit the Firestone, which due to its narrower tread width is a lighter tyre. Do not fit 600X21 tyres to a 3 Litre Bentley. Your rims are too narrow and your steering is not designed to cope with such a large tyre. Bigger tyres are not suitable for your king pin angle and can cause endless problems. There are tyres available called 525/600X21 or 550/600X21 both these tyres are too big for a 3 Litre. Longstone have been applying pressure on Michelin to reintroduce their 525X21 DR tyre, which was fantastic on this car and should be back with us in 2006. Leave your number with Longstone and they will contact you when they are ready. |
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| 4.5
Litre WO. These cars originally fitted the 525X21 tyre as above. The steering box on a 4.5 gives a lighter feel and as a result people often tend to fit 600X21 tyres as the blower Bentley's fitted. Fitting taller tyres alters the effect of the angle of your king pin which effects the self centering of your steering and can also result in what people call " wheel shimmy" which is when you hit a bump and the steering wheel flaps from side to side and won't cease until you stop the car or take a corner hard. This should not to be mistaken for wheels being out of balance, the effects of which occur at about 60mph and can simply be fixed for FREE by a trip to the Longstone Tyres workshop at Bawtry or by coming to see us at one of the race meetings we attend. There are 3 tyres that Longstone recommend in the 600X21 size. The Michelin 550/600X21 Confort Cord is a superbly comfortable tyre offering fantastic grip at a really good price. If you are concerned about stopping in the wet fit Michelin. If you want to occasionally race your car on these tyres simply run at very high pressures. Dunlop's 600X21 F4 has a good strong well structured carcass giving you a predictable and progressive tyre. B F Goodrich also makes a 600X21, which is the bargain tyre in this size. In America in the 30's balloon tyres were all the rage offering a comfortable ride and longevity. |
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| 6.5
Litre WO. For this car you could fit the 600X21 tyres as above, but most people tend to go for the 700X21. The choice is between the progressive, strong carcass, British Dunlop and the comfortable, grippy Michelin. |
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8
Litre WO. |
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| 3.5
& 4.25 Bentley (Derby). There are a plethora of tyres available in this size but the Dunlop is the tyre for this car. At Longstone we have had quite a few "Silent Sports Cars" come to see us with dreadful wheel shimmy problems and fitting the 525/550X18 Dunlop D2/103 has cured this problem. If you feel that you need a fatter more comfortable tyre try the 600/650X18 Michelin DR as it fulfils these criteria. There is also a new Excelsior Comp H tyre with the period 3 square block tread pattern. But a Derby Bentley works perfectly when fitted with the 525/550X18 Dunlop. The last few of these cars fitted the 600/650X17 again the Dunlop is the tyre for this car. |
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| MK
VI & R-Type Bentley MK VI Bentley's left the factory fitted with 650/670X16 India tyres, which are no longer manufactured. The R-Type was fitted with the 670H16 Dunlop RS5 which is still available at a very sensible price, Longstone recommend this tyre. I have done a lot of research looking for a suitable radial alternative and can only come up with a heavy van or 4X4 tyre which, although they will immediately make your car more stable on the motorway at 60-70 mph will cause premature wear to your steering components. The result being the steering becoming increasingly vague and sloppy which on early power assisted cars can be quite frightening. Remember we are just the guardians of these cars and fitting the 670H16 RS5 is the best thing for your car! A bit of wandering on the motorway is the way cars of this period handled, it is part of the pleasure and charm of the driving experience. If we wanted a car to get from A-B without feeling involved in the driving of the car we could drive a modern car with the engine in the wrong way round , incorrectly powering the front wheels! |
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| Series
1, 2 & 3 Bentley's Bentley originally fitted the 8.20H15 Dunlop RS5. At the same time Rolls Royce were fitting the Silver Cloud with an 8.20H15 Avon TurboSpeed. Please note that both these tyres are speed rated to 130mph. Other tyres are available in this size but do not have suitable carcasses to achieve the load and speed ratings needed for such a heavy car. At this point it should be noted that these are British cars and should not be fitted with white walls! However, there are American radial equivalent tyres designed for limousines which have a one inch white wall on one side that, luckily, can be fitted facing inward so the white wall is not visible (or facing outwards for wedding cars). Michelin make a 235/70HR15 XVS radial tyre for this car which, although it will handle fantastically, looks smaller in the wheel arches than the correct cross ply. |
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| Bentley
Continental 8.00H15 Dunlop RS5, again Dunlop looks after us by making just the right tyre. This is what they fitted and what they should fit now. Note the 130mph speed rating. Michelin make the 235/70HR15 XVS a fantastic radial tyre that will tighten up the handling of this car, but again is slightly smaller in diameter. |
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| T
Series I These cars fitted either the 8.15H15 Dunlop RS5, which Dunlop still makes, or a 205HR15, which Avon now make. For this car the Radial is the tyre to fit. For slow wafting progress the cross ply will give you the comfort but if you are going to press on a bit the radial will make the car feel more stable. We do have a bargain tyre that is close to the right size, with an inch white wall band on one side, which fortunately we can fit facing inwards. |
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T
Series 2 & 3 These are the
tyres you may have trouble finding at your local garage. At Longstone
we have them in stock and ready for immediate fitting or next day
delivery. We want you to enjoy driving your car and will try to help
you choose the tyre that suits your needs and what you require from
your car. We won't simply sell you the only tyre we have and convince
you that it is right! |
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Contact the sales team on 01302 711123 or sales@longstonetyres.co.uk |
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Avon
Turbospeed
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Dunlop
Chevron
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Dunlop
D2 103 Tread
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Dunlop
F5
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Dunlop
RS5
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Excelsior
Beaded Edge
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Michelin
DR
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Waymaster
Cord
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Michelin
XVS
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