Musings on Tyres

I have been looking at getting some new tyres for the steelies. They take a 175/60/R14 tyre so there’s some options. Michelin don’t do anything in that exact dimension. They offer offer both the Pilot Exalto and Energy Saver tyres in 185/60, but the consensus between those that have tried them is that they’re a weird size and the tyres look like balloons.

The other tyre option I’m favouring at the moment are Continental Contact 2s which do come in the right size so seem the best option to save faffing. The final confusion is added by the further option of tyres in 185/55. The jury is still out on this. Some people spec them and have no problems, others still think that they look odd and/or don’t handle well, although this seems to relate to whether you’re running the 6J steels off the S2 Rallye or the 5.5J steels off the S1.