wheels for a Reliant axle.....

[ROD]

Hi All....Anuver bunch of Q's ..sorry!
    Now Ive decided to go with Reliant running gear,I need to work out the best size of tyre (height ) etc before I can proceed with the build. I know all about how they affect gearing top speed etc.........
   My trike is to be a 2 seat in line ,with allowance for a small amount of kit for camping etc .It will be soft tail on coil overs, and a cruiser style rather than out an out performance.I hear the axle ratios vary model to model ,and theres summat about the axle prefix number.Presume this is the gear ratio? What size tyres do you recommend? I know MM has said they are usually around 23" tall,but has anyone any preference in tyre size (soft tail,so not so choosy about tyre pressures /wall height??)that gives reasonable pulling power in all gears ,and that doesnt struggle by over or under revving in top gear? Im thinking maybe orig brakes on the rear,so am I gonna be able to re-drill the hubs ,or should I allow to get the wheels redrilled? If you could just give me a tyre height that would be a start. Are very wide tyres a good idea ,or do they tend to make the trike follow the worn road surface,and "weave"?
              Sorry to ramble!
            Rod
     

[madron]

not too wide as reliants struggle to pull em try 195 or 205 15" loads a vauxhall and some peogot honda and bmw fit reliant rear brakes are ok or convert to disc mabe propshaft hanbrake i used minimoto disc n cable caliper with mountin bracket on diff

[ROD]

Was the minimoto brake ok on mot/msva?

[Manky Monkey]

The MSVA regs states the handbrake must be operated by a seperate mechanical system. A cable operated caliper would qualify. Many, many years ago, my first bike was a Honda CB200. I vaguely remember it having a cable operated front disc.
Here's our chart of what wheels fit. You're looking for 4" PCD.

PCD chart n stuff

As I've said several times recently, in my, (very), humble opinion, the axle gear ratios really don't mean a lot once you take the running gear out of the original car & start adding a lighter frame, less bodywork, less passengers, a better breathing engine, different sized rear wheels etc. I've no idea what any of the axles we've used have been stamped with -never looked, but they all perform more or less the same.
We aim for around 24 inch tall rear tyres. That gives us 3 good useable gears, with 4th as a kind of overdrive, once you get up to motorway speeds. Also gives us a good range of wheels to choose from -14 or 15 inch diameter, depending on what profile tyres we pick. That sort of diameter also looks in proportion to the rest of the build -I personally can't stand trikes with tiny rear wheels. They just look... wrong.
You can make up adaptors to change the bolt pattern, rather than re-drilling the wheels or hubs.
My own trike uses 235 tyres. Taz's has 265s I think. Purely personal preference. The skinny tyred look seems to be coming back in now. Id've thought skinny tyres would follow the ruts in the road more than fat ones?

[morrag]

All you need to remember os that the Reliant axle uses a 4" PCD, not 100mm as some would have you believe! and I have redrilled quite a few alloy wheels to suit this PCD, always provided that there is sufficienr "meat" in the original wheel centre to allow you to re-drill. Failing that its adaptors, Morrag

[ROD]

OK guys thanx for all your (as usual) knowledgable advice! I remember running a 100e way back in my yoof. The rears were 10x15 shelby cal(remember them?) alloys ,with 6" fronts. It weaved continuously ,and was eventually found to be the tyre width on the rear ,coupled with the narrow front track. ..just my 2p! BTW ..fingers crossed .....should be picking up my donor Reliant Rialto tamara eve!