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MG MG Y Type - YA/YT tyres: Dunlop vs. Avon

This weekend I replaced two ancient squealing Englebert tyres on Y5888. I looked forward to a big leap in roadholding but was to be disappointed.

The new tyres 5.50X16 Avon Tourist. I bought these for the following reasons (in random order):
- They are slightly lighter than the 5.00/5.25 Dunlop C18 I also have on the car (5.25 Dunlop 9kg, 5.50 Avon 8kg, 5.25 Avon 7kg)
- I thought the Dunlop is very sturdy, too harsh for the Y that is. The Avon is reported to be softer and as such more comfortable.
- As I wanted to fit the new Avons on the rear I bought a size bigger (5.50 instead of 5.00/5.25) to get the biggest diameter for the tallest gearing (5.50 Avon 691mm, 5.25 Dunlop 680mm, 5.25 Avon 678mm)
- I didn't like the "modern" script on the Dunlop
- I wanted the 5.50x16 Michelin X radial, but couldn't afford to buy the required 4 tyres then needed (don't mix radial and cross-ply).

With the new Avons on the rear I tore away from the tyre fitter, greatly anticipating the vastly improved cornering.
Alas I was to be very disappointed; the Avons are so soft, with such low grip levels that I stepped from the car to check if they were still inflated! The car oversteered like mad, dangerously so.

I have now fitted the Avon at the front and it steers as if with the old Englebert, but without the squealing. I can live with that, because understeer is much safer than oversteer, but I didn't get the better roadholding that I wanted and now I have bigger tyres at the front.....

Part of the lesser stability of the Avons may come from fitting 5.50 tyres on 3" rims, but the difference in grip is so much worse that I really think the Dunlops have the advantage in that department.

So please learn from my (expensive) error and follow my advise to fit the Dunlop C18 5.00/5.25X16 if you want to enjoy cornering in your Y (or fork out for the Michelins).

To end on a happy note; the tyre-fitters were amazed to see the Jackall system lifting the car on all fours!

Willem vd Veer

Oh misery! I have purchased at great expense a set of 4 Avon radials, well at least my YA will slither side ways round corners with neither under or over steer! Has anyone advice on the pressure to which radials should be inflated? With the TF in the absence of any clear guidance from the club I tried 27lb which for my driving [slow] seemed to be OK. My F..d which for cross ply is 22lb I was advised by club members to go for 29lb-30lb for radials. It seems that like tappet clearances with modern petrol its a matter of trial and error. Bryan
B Mellem

Hi Bryan,

I don't think you are in for misery. If you bought radials instead off the cross-plys you may be fine.

My experience is only with the Avon Tourist.
Willem vd Veer

Well thats a relief - at least for me since the radials were very expensive.
I once worked as an engineer for a television company who used some cross country vehicles for television communications and these were fitted with large section all terrain cross ply tyres. On the road they steered like a pig, in fact following behind you could see the tyres rolling about on the wheels. So bad that the company had fitted low profile road tyres which transformed the stability. The upshot of this is that it made me a bit apprehensive of fitting large cross ply's to improve rear wheel gearing, and so the expensive radials. It seemed to work out on my other cars, so fingers crossed for the YA. Bryan
B Mellem

This thread was discussed between 06/06/2011 and 13/06/2011

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