My new 'Swallow' steers like a boat on a rough sea! The steering links all seem to be OK AND ONLY VERY SMALL AMOUNT OF STEERING WHEEL PLAY. If I drive over a bit of road with a dip in it this sends the car off at a slight veer, so I correct and that has the effect of overcorrection. Have to concentrate hard on keeping the little blighter in something that resembles a straight(ish)course. I checked the tyres and find a very odd thing, they are Avon Speedmasters 3.50 - 19, which I am told are motorbike tyres!Presume that this would be cause of strange handling, but what tyres should I have fitted??

I am by no means an expert but they are the right size, (same as my Ulster rep.) Not sure of the make but mine are definately motorbike tyres at present.

Tyre pressure makes a HUGE difference and should probably be lower than you might think. (Stops the car bouncing around like Tigger!) I'm sure someone will be along fairly soon to give a lot more insight but a bit of experimentation with a pressure gauge might sort you out a bit.

On a side note David Howes has some rather nice tyres on his TT car that look cracking, he mentioned, (to my dad at Brooklands) that he is testing them for someone and hopefully they might be available soon...

Hi David,

As you know I am also a new owner of some 3months and have a 1931 RM Saloon.

The 3.50 X 19 tyres are correct for my car and mine too handles as you describe. I was told by the previous owner not to oversteer with A7's, just to lightly hold the steering and 'it sorts itself out'.

If you drive the A7 as you would a modern car, then over steering is the result. I have a boat with an outboard engine and one tends to do the same with that!

So I would try not to hold too tight, dont overcompensate and keep it slow to start with! I hope this helps.

Regards from another novice.

Chris

David, Welcome to the joys of Austin 7ing, you will soon get used to the vagaries of the steering, violent understeer can be induced on a bad road at speed and can be very alarming to the novice. I once had a rear passenger sitting on the nearside and went into a sharp right-hand bend at 45 mph and hit a rough patch mid bend and the front of my 28 Chummy went light as if on ice and went straight into the verge even though I was on a fair lock to the right. Constant correction is normal on the cr*p roads we now have. Things to check though are caster angle and make sure ‘all’ of the items that make up the shock absorbers are in first class condition, renew anything found not to be 100% all very cheap to do and amazingly makes a real difference to the steering considering what a crude device they are.

Austin,

The tyres are 3.50 X 19 Blockleys see www.blockleytyre.com

As i understand they are a new size, and indeed they do look fantastic.

I saw Chris Dallas with his Ulster at Prescot wearing a set of these, he showed me a picture of the car in the early thirties with identical pattern tyres on!

This size is not shown on the website yet but they did have one on the Blockley stand at Prescot, give them a bell.

Regards

Rob

David

Enjoy the vaugeness, BUT it shouldnt be too bad?

Check the castor angle is correct and the toe in (tracking). Both of these can cause unpleseant handling traits and are easily adjusted. Some work with a tracking gauge or some improvised device can check the toe in or even feeling the tyres to see if they are "feathering" can give some clues. Castor checking means undoing the radius arm nuts and rotating or twisting the arms until you acheive correct ish...castor angle and try to be the same both sides! This can be a thorny topic with a lot of diferring veiws with regard to twisting the arms to set castor angle etc etc , but I have found this method works and whilst mine is no racing car I think it handles reasonably .

With regard to Ians comments on understeer I too get this trait much like he describes but only since I fitted the 3.50 /19 Avon sidecar tyres. When I ran on 3.25/17 avon SM Mk2 motorcyle rounded profile tyres the steering was absoloutely incredible , the "feel" was great and grip levels much greater than most people suggested I would get from the very thin motorcycle profile tyre? Since fitting 19 inch sidecar (square profile) tyres the steering has definetely suffered, and I can no longer steam into bends with confidence. I am now trying soem cheap "Midas" motorcycle tyres on the front and they are much better than the square sideacr tyres. On the subject of pressure, from memory the rounded SM's were at 24 psi and the sidecars seem dreadfull at low pressure and are at 26psi at the moment.

Yes I have seen the blockleys and want some , but they are about £70 each compared to £34 I pay for Avon sidecars!!

Once you get the hang of it you will have fighter pilot reaction speeds!!

Steve

Grateful thanks guys for some good advise from experience. My two front tyres are flat tread whilst the two rears are a more rounded tyre profile. Having previously enjoyed a 'Bullnose', 12/4 and currently Bayliss Thomas I can say that without a doubt my little 7 provides the biggest challange

I don't find much of a problem with understeer, it's the effect of the rear springs winding up on cornering which introduces oversteer which can be disconcerting until you get the hang of it.

I guess that's why 40-45mph is a comfortable cruising speed. Go faster than that & you're asking for bother (particularly if you have to stop in a hurry).

Newtons Laws of motion cannot be beaten!

Thanks for the link to Blockleys, I have emailed them to see what the price is. I got a bit worried by prices on the website for the other sizes.

£70 each although a lot seems reasonable for something developed specifically for the car. Sounds like the performance of them is excellent as well.

Will probably start with a pair on the back to replace the scarily old (I assume sidecar) tyres on the back.

I'm sure my dad will pop up in a minute and inform us!

Re. the wayward / self steering in what is either 'lorry wheel ruts' or a sinking 'service trench' towards the side of the road, I have inserted thick rubber strips through the front spring shackels to stop the front axle swinging about and that has made a terrific difference (improved) to the handling of my RP.

I would attach a photo, but it gets me every time - perhaps I will send it to Mike, he seems to be good at the photo's on this Forum.

Sandy

The first time I drove mine it scared me sh*tless, wandering all over the road, with me hunched foward, both cold clammy hands clasping the wheel for dear life. This is what happens if you try to keep it in a perfect straight line.

Then I got the best piece of advice - if it wants to, let it wander (within reason). The technique once underway is as follows: lean back in the seat (well....all things are relative), then wind down the window and place you right elbow on the top of the door. Then hook the thumb of your right hand around the rim where one of the spokes meets it.

In my experience, once on the open road the thumb is about all that's necessary, apart from for proper corners. The thumb does all the correcting you need with the high geared steering box. Using both hands and lots of elbow to correct wander is what will send you up the bank.

.

Sandy

Just reposted updated Photobucket instructions ten minutes ago!!! At the request of Chris Edwards.

Mike

Tyre pressures are everything.Don't use more than 14lbs in the front and not much more in the rears. 3.50 x 19" Blockleys were on their stand at Prescott this weekend at £55.00.

.

I am not at all sure that 14psi is quite sufficient. I favour 22psi myself.

It works for me.

Mike

I agree with Mike and use 22lbs.

If the car is fully loaded (with passenger and camping gear, seee website link to left...), I increase the rears to 25lbs or so. My personal experience of anything less than this makes cornering very soft and fluid-like.

Try some experimentation yourself and settle on a ride you feel happy with.

Good luck

Ruairidh

I received the following this morning from Blockleys;

The 350x19's will be available by mid or late sept. and the good news is that the price will be £55 plus vat each and we will hold this price for as long as we can.

It means that there will be an alternative to fitting side car tyres! Derek has had a 350x19 "Classico" tube made to suit which I have seen which will be £7 plus tax.

Many thanks for your enquiry.

Well at least I feel reassured that my 7 has no drastic problems (they all drive like that Sir,) comes to mind. I shall have a go at pressures before I replace the rubber me thinks.

350 x 19 Blockleys. Goodo.

I'll have to sort the pinking out so I can wear out the current Avon sidecar jobs and fit a set of these.

Bloody marvellous, will make the car look spot on.

Hi David,
I went through everything you're going through when I first got my RP saloon about 12 years ago, the road handling scared me to death as I had no previous experience of what to expect from a Seven. I adjusted tyre pressures, and settled on 22lbs with the Avon side-car tyres, which were far better than the cheap far-eastern tyres I inherited. I learnt to let the car take its own line where-ever possible, and only haul it back when really necessary. You learn to adjust !!!
It was a couple of years later when I had the front axle off to have the axle eyes shrunk, that I found the cause of my bad-handling. The front spring shackle pins were worn down to half their normal diameter in places, and their bushes were worn right through. Putting the axle back with rebuilt spring shackles and new bushes made all the difference to the road handling. Looking back,the amount of wear was really dangerous, and yet it never showed up in an MOT test. One to watch out for.
Tom

Hi Tom
You would have gathered that I sold my 12/4 and have now purchased this little Swallow. The handling really did have me wondering what on earth was wrong with it! But already I am adapting and checking the various items that have been mentioned to me. Broke down on way home from a show, lucky enough it was just an earth lead that was loose. Trust your Austins are all well?

Hi David,
I didn't realise it was you. Glad we didn't lose you from the world of Austins. Everything's going well with my fleet thankyou. Unlike you, I started with a Seven and moved up through a 10/4 to the 12/4.I understand how it must feel strange changing from a Heavy 12 to a Seven, but I'm glad you're adjusting to it. The main thing is, they're all great fun to drive.
Tom

Right, a photo of the rubber I have put between the spring shackle and axle - should appear below, I'm following Mike's instructions

The rubber is from a tractor tyre, the knobbly bit that forms the tread, I have tapered mine off so that the 'tail' comes up through the shackle, as the original rubber I had kept working loose (after a 100 miles or so) as I went over bumpy roads and tracks. The red line i=on the radius arm nut is left over from a few years ago when I seemed to go through a spate of the nuts working loose and it was to check movement - a 3' long scaffold pole on the end of the ring spanner sorted that one out!!

But Mikes instructions are not 100% clear - that is they don't replicate what's on screen e.g.
"... It should commence with the word " and end with , both in angle brackets ...."

So lets see...

Sandy

It worked, all is forgiven Mike W.

The rubber was painted white to show it up, otherwise it would have been a black rubber on a black axle etc.....

The spring on the cam to back plate is to help pull off the front brakes, the mud is because this is a 'used' car.

Sandy

Blockleys
As Austin Harris mentioned earlier I have had a set of 3.50x19 Blockleys on my TT for about 2 months now .Previously I had Avon Sidecars fitted.
The Avons were passable but the car would only handle satisfactorily with the pressures at 35 psi.Above 70 MPH the car always seemed on the edge of control.
Derek Freathy of Blockleys offered a set in June knowing the car and that I would be taking part in a number of VSCC events this year.He wanted feed back on the handling on the road and track.
I was advised that they should be run at 23psi.
On the road the car handles so much better especially on bumpy roads,on our favoured run round the Surrey Hills there was one section I had to slow down for on Avons otherwise it was all over the road ,on Blockleys no problems what so ever.At speed it now feels perfectly safe and true at 80+
On the track obviously it handles just as well but you are trying a bit harder,my only concerns are adhesion which it possibly too good.With the Avons the wheels will spin on starts of Hill Climbs and Sprints and I feel that when you drop the clutch at 4000rpm the wheel spin takes some strain from the transmission.Try as I may I cant get the Blockley tyres to spin and therefore feed the power in progressively via the CI clutch.Cornering hard is a little more critical you feel the Blockleys digging in and the fear is it will turn over.Chris Dallas (who also has a set)and I discussed this at Prescott and decided to go up to 25psi.This improved things a bit with cornering but maybe a bit more pressure would let the car slip a bit when cornering ,I will experiment.
Taken as a whole the performance of the Blockleys are a vast improvement over any other 19 inch tyre I have driven an Austin 7 on.
Visually we have at last a tyre that looks contemporary with the triple stud tread,although the tyres seem to have a lower profle than the original Dunlop Triple Studs.I placed a Blockley on a wheel alongside an Avon on a wheel and the Blockley is about 20mm less in diameter.I have got used to this visually on the car and it actually helps with a 4.9 back axle and sports CR box getting the car off the mark.

Hi David,

The info on tyre pressures is interesting, hoping to get some when they come available.

The thought of going at 80+ in an Ulster must be scary... (65 is "exciting" enough in mine.)

At least yours is bright orange so is easy to see!

Austin
No not at all scary steady as a rock on the Blockleys with 2 up.And still on cable brakes.Based on holding 5400RPM in top for about half a mile on the A3 equals approx 85 mph if my maths is right.(cant trust the speedo)Still pull left in the engine ,self imposed rev limit. David

Austin
Come to think of it I have been a passenger in the car with Martin Eyre driving at about 75MPH and I wasn't quite so relaxed! but that was on Avons.David

Blimey that engine must be powerful!

How often does it need work doing to it?

I remember my dad's supercharged engine, (Shorrocks, in a box saloon for racing!) was always having new bearings and other bits fiddled with throughout a season.

MotorSport captioned it the Anthill Mob at one point...

Austin,
In its current set up we estimate over 50BHP but prewar when Charles Goodacre was running it ,over 65 on Methanol.Touch wood since Dave Williams built it up over 18 months ago its done about 1000miles including Wiscombe,2 Prescotts and the Brooklands Sprint,and its had no problems other than a dodgy clutch in the first week,caused by the clutch shaft levers being slightly unequal,which caused the clutch race to jamb on the gearbox .Starting from cold has to be by 12v battery and jump leads but when its warm will start on 6v or handle,then will tick over docile as you like ,not bad for an engine that has a Duck top end and cam.Its never oiled a plug currently running on Champion 7's.and remains almost entirely oil tight.

Seems to me that if these tyres are good enough to race on at high speeds then most likely OK for me to potter in my 7hp Swallow. I shall treat myself to a set next spring.
This has been a very interesting and informative thread which I have enjoyed reading.