Austin Healey 100 Tyres
Austin Healey 100/6 Sports BN4
Austin Healey 100 1953–1956
- Austin Healey 100 - 4 & Austin Healey 100-6 came fitted with crossply 590 - 15 Tyres.
- Throughout the production of the Austin Healley 100, they fitted Dunlop RS4.
- When they moved onto the Austin Healey 3000 they fitted the Dunlop RS5 in 1960.
- If you desire a crossply, then we would suggest the 590 H 15 Avon Turbospeed, it is currently the only period crossply tyre with a suitable speed rating.
- At Longstone, we would recommend fitting a period radial tyre; they are better suited to modern roads.
- The standard radial alternative to 5.90-15 is 165R15. In this size the 165 HR 15 PIRELLI CINTURATO CA67 good period option that will handle brilliantly.
- The low-profile radial alternative is 185/70R15. The 185/70VR15 Avon CR6ZZ is very popular.
- The ideal Austin Healey radial tyre is 180 HR 15 Michelin XAS. on a 4.5” or wider rim.
- It has the fantastic handling of the Michelin XAS, While the 180 profile is slightly taller and closer to the correct diameter, it gives better clearance and gearing.
- For these tyres we suggest fitting the Michelin 15E innertube.
- For more information on innertubes, see our Innertube Page.
Austin Healey 100/4 Tyres
- The Austin Healey 100/4 came fitted with 5.90 - 15 crossply Tyres.
- We suggest that the best road tyre for a 100/4 on modern roads is 180 HR 15 Michelin XAS, on a 4.5” or wider rim.
- The 180HR15 XAS is the closest radial tyre in size and shape to a 5.90H15 crossply.
- The 180HR15 XAS fills the wheel arches where other tyres look wrong (look at the picture below to see the difference).
- Other options for the Austin Healey 100/4 are the 165 VR 15 Michelin XAS, 165 HR 15 PIRELLI CINTURATO ™ CA67.
- Wider tyres for a Austin Healey 100/4 are 185/70 WR 15 PIRELLI CINTURATO ™ CN36 or for racing 185/70R15 Avon CR6ZZ.
- Wire wheels should always be fitted with innertubes. We suggest Michelin 15E innertube.
- We suggest a starting tyre pressure of 25 PSI front and 30 PSI rear.
Austin Healey 100/6 Tyres
- Again the Austin Healey 100/6 fitted 5.90 - 15 crossply tyres.
- We recommend that 180 HR 15 Michelin XAS are the best road tyres for a 100/6 Austin Healey, on a 4.5” or wider rim.
- The 180 HR 15 XAS rides beautifully and keeps the gearing and speedo of your 100/6 correct, while also filling the wheel arches.
- There are alternative 165 - 15 and 185/70 - 15 tyres. However, the 185/70R15 does not look right and makes your steering heavy it is good on the track.
- The Michelin 15E Offset Valve Tube is the ideal innertube for your 100/6 Healey. Wire wheels should fit innertubes.
- Austin Healey 100/6 tyre pressure - we suggest 25 PSI front and 30 PSI rear.
Austin Healey Tyres Explained
Austin Healey 100 Recommended Tyres
Other Options for Austin Healey 100 Tyres
Michelin XAS Austin Healey Tyres deal
We are convinced that fitting the Michelin 180 HR 15 XAS asymmetric tyres will make your Austin Healey 100/4 or 100/6 handle and look better than any other road tyres. The Austin Healey 100/4, 100/6 and Austin Healey 3000 were all fitted with 5.90 X 15 Dunlop RS5. If you intend to still fit Crossply this is still by far the best tyre however sadly Dunlop no longer make historic road tyres, so originality is no longer an option. The period tyre that would have been the most likely fitment that is still around today would have been the 165 HR 15 PIRELLI CINTURATO CA67. This would still be an excellent option and handle as well as anything on a 100/4 or 100/6.
At Longstone Tyres, we believe the tyre options for Austin Healey have long been a problem area. The original fitment for the early cars was a 590 H 15 Dunlop RS5, with the most common radial alternative being a 165 - 15. If you want 165R15 tyres Longstone Tyres would strongly recommend 165 HR 15 Michelin XAS or the 165 HR 15 PIRELLI CINTURATO CA67. Another common radial tyre size for the Austin Healey is a 185/70 - 15, with this particular tyre size being more suited to the road rallying and racing scene. If you want to fit this oversize tyre, the 185/70VR15 Avon CR6ZZ is the one to go for. Another option would be 185/70VR15 PIRELLI CINTURATO CN36 as a tyre more suited to road use. However, sticking to a more correct size will handle better than any low profile tyre. Worth noting that a 185/70R15 tyre would need a 5” or wider wheel rim.
One of the major problems that the Austin Healey throws up when it comes to fitting a suitable tyre is that the 100/4 & 100/6 are naturally very low and there isn't a great deal of ground clearance under the chassis. To this end the major problem with tyre fitment to Austin Healeys arises with the fitment of modern, wide, low profile rubber such as 185/70R15 or 195/65R15 that is too wide and low for the car, causing the car to have heavy numb steering and also bottom out. Through Longstone Tyres' experience of dealing with classic cars, such as the wonderful Austin Healey, we have ascertained another radial option, the 180 HR 15 Michelin XAS (designed by Michelin to fit the Citroen DS during Michelins ownership of Citroen). It is perfect for a Healey 100/4 or 100/6, the height of the 180 HR 15 XAS gives good gearing, the speedo is close to correct and the exhaust pipe is away from those speed bumps. The 180 HR 15 Michelin XAS helps to combat these issues. A 180 HR 15 XAS will perform at its best on a rim width of 4.5” to 5.5”. This particular tyre gives a better ride height being nearly the same overall diameter as the original 590x15 Dunlop. Also, the narrow footprint of the tyre will give the car a lighter more responsive feel through the steering. The differences can be obviously seen in the pictures below!
Austin Healey Tyre Options from left to right:
- PIRELLI CINTURATO ™; CN36 185/70VR15
- Avon CR6ZZ 185/70VR15
- Michelin XWX 185/70VR15
- Dunlop RS5 590H15 (no longer produced)
- Michelin XAS 180HR15
- Vredestein Sprint+ 165SR15
- Michelin XAS 165HR15
Austin Healey 100-4
In 1945 a successful engineer and race driver from Warwick named Donald Mitchell Healey designed and built a 2-seater sports car with a 2.6, 4-cylinder engine called the Healey 100. The car debuted at the 1952 Earls Court Motor show to a great deal of interest not only from the media but from the general public, with great demand to produce the car. The car went into production later that year with financial backing from the Lord of Austin. The Austin Healey 100 was born.
Austin Healey 100-6
The next generation car was produced in October 1956, the Austin Healey 100/6. The new car had undergone more development than its older brother and was fitted with a 6 cylinder engine, hence the name 100/6. This all came about due to the Austin Healey 100 being so successful on the motorsport scene. As is still true today, back then success on the track reciprocated with success in the showroom.
Austin Healey 3000
More success and more development led to the third car leaving the Austin Healey stable. The Austin Healey 3000 is still widely regarded as one of the greatest British motorcars ever produced.
History of the Austin Healey
In 1945 a successful engineer and race driver from Warwick named Donald Mitchell Healey designed and built a 2-seater sports car with a 2.6, 4-cylinder engine called the Healey 100. The car debuted at the 1952 Earls Court Motor show to a great deal of interest not only from the media but from the general public, with great demand to produce the car. The car went into production later that year with financial backing from the Lord of Austin. The Austin Healey 100 was born.
The next generation car was produced in October 1956, the Austin Healey 100/6. The new car had undergone more development than its older brother and was fitted with a 6 cylinder engine, hence the name 100/6. This all came about due to the Austin Healey 100 being so successful on the motorsport scene. As is still true today, back then success on the track reciprocated with success in the showroom.
More success and more development led to the third car leaving the Austin Healey stable. The Austin Healey 3000 is still widely regarded as one of the greatest British motorcars ever produced.
The Austin Healey Endurance Record car
The recreation of a special test car has been a dream come true for owner Martyn Corfield. He has wanted to own one of the original works' special cars for years. "I have always longed for one of these cars and to be able to restore it to full competition status. After many years of searching, I came across a letter from the Austin works to Donald Healey stating that the original streamliner 200mph car and its sister 24 Hour endurance car were scrapped in the late fifties after the Bonneville salt had made them unsafe to use. That scuppered my plans for a long time and although I did manage to acquire one of the original endurance car Dunlop callipers and one of the original 2.69 crown wheel and pinions together with an original undertray and black-faced speedo (which was adopted to minimise glare in the desert sun) this proved to be as far as I could go in terms of original items". "Then one day I heard a rumour of 'the last known factory lightweight chassis' which I purchased after verifying its likely originality with two known Healey specialists. This chassis is lightened in the ways that the works use to and was being used in the seventies to underpin another project. This seemed the best place to start a recreation. I knew that if I was to attempt an endurance record I would have to re-engineer the car to a safe and competent standard and as such any old parts just would not do the job even if they existed. It was my objective to set about reconstructing a car capable of not only replicating the 1954 achievements, but also a car that embraced the spirit and style of the original vehicle (no modern tricks). So I sought professional help from the best Healey competition experts that I could find and put the project in the hands of Jeremy Welch.
Martyn made contact with us at Longstone Classic Tyres as he required a classic tyre that would be able to cope with constant high speeds and loads, luckily Martyn was going down the same route as Healey originally did and utilised 16" wheels instead of the Austin Healys 15" factory fit wheels. This would give the car a higher theoretical top speed due to the tyres having a larger overall diameter. We decided that the best tyre to use would be the Michelin 600WR16 Pilote X a W speed-rated, 168mph radially constructed tyre with the looks and shape of a 1950's cross-ply racing Englebert tyre. Michelin, to their credit, were more than happy to test a tyre to destruction to find its true limits which were far beyond that which the Endurance Healey was aiming for! The technical department at Clermont Ferrand was also able to simulate the loads that the car would generate at the Millbrook testing ground, so we're able to offer accurate tyre pressure recommendations.
Austin Healey Borrani Wire Wheels
Borrani wheels are available for your Austin Healey 100. As agents for the iconic Ruote Borrani Milano company we are able to supply all wheels from their extensive range.
If your Borrani wheels require rebuilding then please contact us at [email protected]
Wire wheels made by Ruote Borrani Milano are, without doubt, the best wire wheels available. Borrani wheels utilise aluminium rims, steel spokes and steel wheel centres.
Click the link for Austin Healey 100 Borrani wheels.
Wheels made by Borrani are available in the following styles:
- Painted silver finish, as per the racing wheels of the period
- Polished and chrome finish, highly polished rim, chrome spokes & wheel centre
- Painted finish with polished outer edge