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Thread: Scottish Nova - time for a rebuild!

  1. #391
    ***Euro-Nova Supporter*** Spacenut's Avatar
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    Well, I can't say I have done any miles on Nankings on the Nova, but I did have them on my Baccaruda (14 x 6" wheels all round, it wasn't a performance model) and over a period of 4 years I managed to put 32,000 miles on them. The suspension on the Mopar was surprisingly adjustable, and I dialled in some aggressive negative camber on the front wheels which really made the old girl handle. That and a kerb weight of 1.5 tons should be all the endorsement you need!

    Lauren
    only Pythagoras can save me now!

  2. #392
    Senior Member MicksRedNova's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BlueNova View Post
    Thanks guys, ... I'll not be racing round corners or driving over 80 mph
    You're not planning on visiting Castle Combe for one of their sportscar days then

    A Nova can do both if you want it to - in the right conditions.

    Mick
    Club Nova Member

    MicksRedNova2 may take longer than the original!!

  3. #393
    ***Euro-Nova Supporter*** BlueNova's Avatar
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    I thought that in light of your very helpful advice I ought to give you an update. Thanks David and Lauren for sharing your experience with Nankangs. I'd never heard of them and it's encouraging that Phill and both of you have all had good experiences with them.

    On the basis of your recommendations I fully intended to go ahead with them ..... but I had a nagging doubt about the style of tread of the Nankang 255's on the rear .... heart over head! It looks just a bit too much like a '4x4' (which it is!). BTW, I'm also looking at how the tyres perform in term of wet grip, etc, etc ... I had no idea selecting tyres could be so complex!

    The tread on the narrower Nankang 215's on the front 'looks better' and I'll probably go ahead and order them, but there's no rush because my original tyres from the 1980's are still inflated with air from way back then and will suffice until I'm about to go 'road legal'. When I let the air out of them it'll be a bit of a 'time capsule' moment!!

    Despite my 'heart over head' thinking I investigated the various online suppliers because despite reasonable review ratings, I seemed to focus on the more disappointing reviews. I was astonished to find that a lot these sites come under the same 'parent company' and when I investigated the address of that company on streetview (despite photos on their websites of warehouses and offices with their names on them) I came up with a small firm of accountants in a typical High Street in London!!!

    My conclusion then? .... I've ordered a couple of 255/60 R15 Bridgestones for the rears (via Ebay from a firm with 100% positive feedback .... in Italy!! ) because I want the security of Ebay if there's a problem.

    As far as the fronts are concerned there's no rush, but I've found that if I change from 215/60 R14 to 205/60 R14 the choice increases significantly so I'm sure I'll find something.

    Thanks again to all who shared their experiences with tyres to help me with this ... it's much appreciated!

    Alistair

  4. #394
    ***Euro-Nova Supporter*** BlueNova's Avatar
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    I love coming home from work to find new things waiting for my Nova

    20190520_172401.jpg

    I think I'll leave the transaxle for now and focus on polishing my other rear slot mag so that I can see how these 255's look once they're fitted

    Alistair

  5. #395
    ***Euro-Nova Supporter*** Spacenut's Avatar
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    Mmm, they look nice. I have always liked the look of tall profile tyres, they are the one thing that help to date the Nova or its contemporaries like the LP400 Countach, Ferrari BB, Bora etc. I would like to go wider on the Green Machine, but the chassis and suspension geometry were designed from the outset around a 205/60 R15 tyre, and with the Alfa 1.2 Ti gearbox ratios I will finally have the acceleration I want, so I don't want to sacrifice that. I might have to (whisper it) go to 55 profile

    You're absolutely right - specifying tyres from scratch is a complete nightmare!
    only Pythagoras can save me now!

  6. #396
    Senior Member Phill's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BlueNova View Post

    I think I'll leave the transaxle for now and focus on polishing my other rear slot mag so that I can see how these 255's look once they're fitted

    Alistair
    Better still - when I come up to visit maybe we could fit the wheels and tyres to my car to see how they'll look on a Nova once it's finished? Then maybe I could drive it all the way back to Livingston through Fife to let the rest of the world see them?

    But don't worry, I'll bring them straight back next time I'm headed in your direction .. maybe in a year or two?
    "The most beautiful kit car in the world - Motor"

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  7. #397
    ***Euro-Nova Supporter*** BlueNova's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Spacenut View Post
    Mmm, they look nice. I have always liked the look of tall profile tyres, they are the one thing that help to date the Nova or its contemporaries like the LP400 Countach, Ferrari BB, Bora etc. I would like to go wider on the Green Machine, but the chassis and suspension geometry were designed from the outset around a 205/60 R15 tyre, and with the Alfa 1.2 Ti gearbox ratios I will finally have the acceleration I want, so I don't want to sacrifice that. I might have to (whisper it) go to 55 profile

    You're absolutely right - specifying tyres from scratch is a complete nightmare!
    Yes Lauren, I decided to go for the 60 profiles to help (slightly) fill the gap under the rear wheel arch. I just hope it all works out ok, because I don't want to end up replacing my new tyres too soon! However, it sounds like Phill might have a good plan ....

    Quote Originally Posted by Phill View Post
    Better still - when I come up to visit maybe we could fit the wheels and tyres to my car to see how they'll look on a Nova once it's finished? Then maybe I could drive it all the way back to Livingston through Fife to let the rest of the world see them?

    But don't worry, I'll bring them straight back next time I'm headed in your direction .. maybe in a year or two?
    Haha Phill (on the year or two bit) .... but I really like the idea of popping them onto your Nova to see how they look. I know they'll be on the limit regarding the outer edge of the wheel arch, but since my Nova body and chassis won't be back together for a while yet, I think your idea's excellent! Just let me know when you feel comfortable venturing this far as you're building up confidence driving your Nova greater distances

    Alistair

  8. #398
    My NOVA have on the rear 255/60 R15 Cooper Cobra tyres, many photos on my website.

  9. #399
    ***Euro-Nova Supporter*** BlueNova's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dango View Post
    My NOVA have on the rear 255/60 R15 Cooper Cobra tyres, many photos on my website.
    Thanks Dango ... that's just the appearance I was hoping to create

    Your Nova looks good in black!

    Alistair

  10. #400
    ***Euro-Nova Supporter*** BlueNova's Avatar
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    Views welcome ....

    Hi all,

    My 'new' rear alloys are now both reasonably well polished so I'm intending to get the tyres fitted in a few days. I was just about to mask off the wheels to paint the slots black like they were on my old wheels, but I'm not sure so I put an old wheel next to the 'new' one for comparison.

    20190609_130413.jpg

    The 'new' wheels came with the slots painted red which I really didn't like, and so I always intended to paint them black ... but I kinda like the bare look.

    Any thoughts?

    Alistair
    Last edited by BlueNova; 09-06-2019 at 08:45 PM.

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