Classic Car Tyres

A customer in Fleet, Hampshire, runs a modified 1960's Rover P4 which he uses for historic road rallying. The car had been taken to his local classic specialist for some mechanical work (carburettor adjustment) and he was wanting to change the tyres at the same time. The wheels were not standard for the vehicle and were reminiscent of a Series II/IIA Land Rover. Speaking to the client, he settled on the Michelin MXV-P 185R14 90H but also needed the 'FAT' valves. Unlike a typical wheel where the valve hole is relatively small, Land Rover and older British vehicles tend to have larger holes to accommodate larger valves.

Why do Land Rovers have large/FAT valves?

TR415_Valve

Back in the day, the TR15 valves was considered standard for most vehicles. Production methods at the time wouldn't allow for anything smaller so the FAT valve nickname was born. Comparing this to the modern TR13 valve, you can see the stark size differentiation. For older wheels with a hole big enough for a TR15 valve, you can still go for these types of valves. Or, you can purchase an adaptor - collar if you will - to adapt the newer TR13 valve type to fit in this hole. Neither have a technological advantage over eachother as both are fundementally the same. It really depends on how you want it to look.

With the new TR15 valves and Michelin tyres installed onto the steel wheels, we performed one final inspection before giving the thumbs up to the client. He was incredibly keep to hit the road as the vehicle was heading down to the Goodwood Revival event at the weekend, and he wanted to test out the new Michelin classic tyres! Not only do they look the part but they also have modern compounds so perform and exceed the newest safety levels!