New Tyres

[David Stepney]

Avon Triple Duties.

[Dave Mann]

Avon triple duty or SM if you like the looks which last forever.

[Tony Griffiths]

Pictures of the ones mentioned so far. Click the picture for a much clearer image.

[Smiley]

Thanks for your input Martin.  I settled for Blockley in the end.  Lee was very helpful and all was in stock.
Plus the fact its only 25 minutes away and they are fitting the tyres as well, though I have to present just 
the wheels. Not a problem.  Fitted while I wait. 

[Ivor Hawkins]

I have a new set of Blockleys on my RP Smiley, it will be interesting to see how they work out.

[Tony Griffiths]

love the blockleys, but they are a low profile tyre, more for sports. so once they start to wear they look to small for the car. the avons are very good.but find myself putting longstones on my cars nowadays. tony.

"Low profile" - is the sidewall height on a Blockley really less than the tread width? Does anyone know by how much?

[Paul N-M]

Blockley 350/19 25.95" dia x 3.7"
Longstone 350/19 26.33" dia x 3.6"

From their info pages.

[Hedd_Jones]

This illustrates Longstone/Blockley profile. A chummy I recently bought from a forum member. Longstone on the front, Blockley on the rear.



The Blockleys certainly grip well. The Mitas 400's on the back of the old chummy would deform on hard cornering (so says the wife from when she was trying to keep up), and the back would feel loose. This one goes as well but feels far less lairy on hard cornering. 

The Mitas were a £20 autojumble purchase. So you gets what you pay for.

I always thought the RP we have looked awfull with Blockleys on the front (dad had them on for a bit ), because they looked small. 

With respect to Avon SM's, yes they are a motorcycle tyre, but the Avon 'sidecar' isn't exactly a car tyre either . That said the chummy I've just sold had a pair of 'sidecars' on the front that I bought on a APD Opal in 2000. They were as new but clearly not 'new' then. They've since been on the old APD, the RL and the old Chummy in those 21 years. And they were still nowhere near worn out!.

[Duncan Grimmond]

My view of the Avon SkidMasters is that as motorcycle tyres they are designed to lean over as you corner on a bike, a bit difficult to achieve in a car, and so the walls will be stressed differently as they stay upright in corners.
A sidecar outfit is more like a car as it is unusual to bank around corners unless you’re showing off and frightening the chair passenger ... therefore sidecar duty tyres are better suited to a car.

[Tony Griffiths]

Blockley 350/19 25.95" dia x 3.7"
Longstone 350/19 26.33" dia x 3.6"

From their info pages.

Thanks for the information. The Blockley does have a "low-profile" look:

Blockley wall height = 3.475". Tread width = 3.7". This gives a tyre wall height 0.125" less than the tread width = a profile of 90.47%
Longstone wall height - 3.665". Tread width = 3.6". This a wall tyre height 0.065" greater than the tread width = a profile of 101.8%

The Blockley, which gives slightly lowered overall gearing, should make for a marginally improved on-road liveliness. For even lower gearing, Avon used to make a 3.25 section sidecar tyre; I used them (almost bald) on the front in VSCC driving tests to give an improved lock.