A drive around!

Radial tyres took a long time to catch on in Australia, not just in the bush. First marketed in 1946 by Michelin, I cannot remember ever hearing of them even until the mid fifties. They were fitted to all postwar Citroens, but these were pretty thin on the ground in Australia.

My first extensive experience of them except on Citroens was when I was working in the Simpson in the mid sixties, when several of our vehicles were fitted with Michelin Sahara. These were so much better in the sand than the crossplies we were using, that when the Unisteel became available in 7.50x16 we fitted them to several of our four wheel drives. The Michelin tyres were far too expensive for general use - which may indicate why they did not become common until the basic patents expired!

John

I shouldn't have read this thread.... Just been around a fence line here (In very long grass) in my 120 and cut a 35" MTZ tyre:mad:, even worse ran over a star picket and it got wedged between the chassis and floor on the drivers side. Damn lucky it didn't come through and take my leg out:eek: Had to bash the floor back down after I got the sod of a thing out.

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Originally Posted by Rangier Rover

I shouldn't have read this thread.... Just been around a fence line here (In very long grass) in my 120 and cut a 35" MTZ tyre:mad:, even worse ran over a star picket and it got wedged between the chassis and floor on the drivers side. Damn lucky it didn't come through and take my leg out:eek: Had to bash the floor back down after I got the sod of a thing out.

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Long grass after rain is a pain isn't it? Better if it hadn't rained?

John

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Originally Posted by JDNSW

Radial tyres took a long time to catch on in Australia, not just in the bush. First marketed in 1946 by Michelin, I cannot remember ever hearing of them even until the mid fifties. They were fitted to all postwar Citroens, but these were pretty thin on the ground in Australia.

My first extensive experience of them except on Citroens was when I was working in the Simpson in the mid sixties, when several of our vehicles were fitted with Michelin Sahara. These were so much better in the sand than the crossplies we were using, that when the Unisteel became available in 7.50x16 we fitted them to several of our four wheel drives. The Michelin tyres were far too expensive for general use - which may indicate why they did not become common until the basic patents expired!

John

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Michelin X got a fair bit of use on taxis through the 60's as they lasted much, much longer than other tyres. Taxi owners are bloody mean creatures so there must have been an economic benefit to over-ride the high price of Michelins. We did supply a odd Land Rover of so on Michelin Sahara in my Leyland days. Always to vehicles being fitted out for beach work by a prosperous customer. As JD says, Saharas were very expensive. The most popular beach tyre then was the Goodyear Custom Hi-miler.

G'day Folks :)

I used to drive taxis in and around Brisbane in the 60's and 2 that I drove for owners were fitted with Michelin X's 1 was an EK Holden the other an XM Falcon, in the dry great, but in the wet and Brisbane having trams at the time, it was spookey :eek: you never knew if the next corner or curve would chuck a 180 in to keep you on your toes :twisted:

cheers

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Originally Posted by UncleHo

G'day Folks :)

I used to drive taxis in and around Brisbane in the 60's and 2 that I drove for owners were fitted with Michelin X's 1 was an EK Holden the other an XM Falcon, in the dry great, but in the wet and Brisbane having trams at the time, it was spookey :eek: you never knew if the next corner or curve would chuck a 180 in to keep you on your toes :twisted:

cheers

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Did the passengers get charged extra for the 'thrill'? :D


Good thread, guys. I'm learning heaps.

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Originally Posted by UncleHo

G'day Folks :)

I used to drive taxis in and around Brisbane in the 60's and 2 that I drove for owners were fitted with Michelin X's 1 was an EK Holden the other an XM Falcon, in the dry great, but in the wet and Brisbane having trams at the time, it was spookey :eek: you never knew if the next corner or curve would chuck a 180 in to keep you on your toes :twisted:

cheers

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South Sydney Tyre Service in Crown St. Surry Hills used to do a line of "taxi retreads". A retreader in Wollongong did these for SSTS. He had moulds that produced an extra deep tread and used a very hard compound. They lasted a very long time which delighted the average tight fisted taxi owner. Fine in the dry but in the wet it was like driving on greased glass.

Ho, you would well remember what it was like riding motor cycles on tram lines. Particularly those like Nortons that had a skinny front tyre. Get the tyre in the track and around the corner you went whether you intended to or not. A bit of water on an oily tram track was also good for a bit of gravel rash or worse.