Rolls Royce Silver Shadow
Rolls Royce Silver Shadow Tyres
Rolls Royce Silver Shadow Tyres Explained
- Rolls Royce Silver Shadow 1 originally fitted 8.15-15 Crossply. We recommend fitting the 205 VR 15 PIRELLI CINTURATO ™ CN72 (until 1973).
- The Shadow 2 and post 74 Shadow 1 fitted 235/70VR15 Avon Turbosteel.
- We recommend the 235/70R15 Michelin XVS Whitewall as the asymmetric tyre technology dramatically improves it’s handling.
- If you need a 235/70 R15 tyre but don't want a whitewall we recommend the 235/70 R 15 Avon Turbosteel.
- Period fitment guides state Silver Shadow wheels to be tubeless, as did Rolls Royce, however, these wheels are missing the safety beads typical of a 'true' tubeless wheel by modern standards. We would suggest you fit innertubes to these wheels.
- For these tyres we suggest a set of Michelin 15/17 innertubes.
- Rolls Royce Silver Shadow 1 tyre pressures (with 205VR15 radial tyres) - 34psi front and rear.
- Later series 1 Rolls Royce Silver show tyre pressures on post 1973 cars with 235/70R15 tyres, we suggest 29psi front and 32psi rear.
- Our suggested tyre pressures for Rolls Royce Shadow 1 tyre are high based on an “owner/driver” car and current high speed motorways. Whereas for comfort at lower speeds 4 psi front and rear will give more comfort, but less directional stability.
Rolls Royce Silver Shadow Recommended Tyres
Other Options for Rolls Royce Silver Shadow Tyres
Rolls Royce Silver Shadow Tyres
The Rolls Royce Silver Shadow 1 from 1966-1974 fitted an 815x15 crossply tyre. The radial alternative is a 205x15, in either Avon Textile or 205 VR 15 PIRELLI CINTURATO ™ CN72, both options will make the car more useable. Longstone tyres would recommend the 205 VR 15 PIRELLI CINTURATO ™ CN72 as the best tyre for a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow 1. Today we spend so much time cruising on dual carriageways and motorways, a radial tyre such as the PIRELLI CINTURATO ™ will improve the cars directional stability. Having had a trip to the fantastic Rolls Royce archives in Paulersbury and scanned through the build sheets for these early Series 1 Silver Shadows there was a mixture of tyres used, Firestone, Dunlop and Avon tyres, some white wall and some black, but all tubeless.
Pre 1970 I only found two references to radial tyres, using the Dunlop SP 41 fitted with inner tubes. This tyre is not currently manufactured. The SP41 was Dunlop's early attempt at making a radial tyre. I was surprised to find that none of these early cars fitted the 205 VR 15 PIRELLI CINTURATO ™ CN72 that we recommend today. The PIRELLI CINTURATO ™ came out in 1964 and was the tyre of choice for other car manufacturers and was fitted to cars like Ferrari 330 GT 2+2, Lamborghini 400GT, Maserati 5000 GT and also a radial option for Aston Martin with their 6 cylinder DBS. I did find in the archives that from 1970 there was a move towards fitting Avon 205VR15 radial tyres and this was the predominant tyre on these cars from 1971 to 1973.
Here is an example of the fun you can have in a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow
From 1974 the Rolls Royce Silver Shadow had flared wheel arches and wider wheel rims to fit more up to date low profile tyres in the size HR/70HR15 tyres. Today the HR/70HR15 tyre is called a 235/70R15. So Rolls Royce carried on to fit 235/70VR15 Avon TurboSteel tyres as Standard equipment. These are still available today for your Silver Shadow and are also available as a white tyre 235/70VR15 Avon TurboSteel White Wall. The upgrade option tyre is the 235/70HR15 Michelin XVS-P tyre, which is asymmetric and really improves the directional stability of the Silver Shadow and diminishes the wandering at cruising speeds. Fitting the Michelin XVS will be possibly the best and cheapest dramatic improvement you could make to the handling at cruising speeds of a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow. Apparently, Rolls Royce wanted to fit the Michelin XVS but Michelin could not support tyres being run at such low pressure as Rolls Royce wanted to recommend. Currently, we would suggest for the best driving experience fit 235/70HR15 Michelin XVS-P asymmetric tyres with 30psi in the front and 32psi in the rear (you could increase this to 34/38psi for very high-speed use). We can also supply Michelin XVS tyres with a white wall in a variety of sizes.
White Wall Rolls Royce Silver Shadow tyres
The early Rolls Royce Silver Shadow 1 cars without the flared wheel arches, should fit 815X15 crossply or 205VR15 tyres on their thin wheel rims, However, they can also get away with fitting a 215/75R15. Longstone have a tyre 215/75R15 Hankook with a thin white band on one side at a very good price if you are looking for a budget tyre and want a white wall. There is also the possibility of having a white wall built into the side of the 205 VR 15 PIRELLI CINTURATO ™ CN72. This is not a cheap process, but you can choose what size white wall you like and have a better quality tyre. This would be the best option for an enthusiastic driver of these cars. Please email or call us to discuss this service. The Silver Shadow post-1972, the Silver Shadow 2 and the Wraith from this period did come with the optional 235/70VR15 Avon TurboSteel Whitewall. Again we do have the ability to have a white wall tyre built into the sidewall of the 235/70R15 Michelin XVS-P tyre with the white wall size of your choice, this again would be the drivers choice. For more information on whitewall tyres please give us a call +44 (0) 1302 714072.
Here is an email we received from a respected member of the Rolls Royce Enthusiasts club
Dear Dougal
Nice to hear from you, I could have told you all of this. Back in the '70s and 80's I ran a 1969 Shadow which came with cross-ply tyres which lasted about 3 months. I changed over to Michelin XVS tyres which lasted much longer and improved the handling and ride. Over the following 16 years and 300,000 miles, I must have used many tyres - all XVS. My current Shadow II is also on XVS but I will need 2 new ones for the MOT in April. I already have your advert on my desk ready to contact you.
For more information on Silver Shadow tyres please call Longstone tyres on +44 (0) 1302 714072.
Innertube Guides
A: With the advent of modern tire compounds and modern laws governing tire composition, there is a growing concern among classic car enthusiasts regarding the accuracy of tire pressures detailed in the fitment guides for modern reproductions of classic and vintage tires. In order to address this issue, we reached out to our contact at Pirelli for clarification. Their response was as follows:
“Quite an easy one today. Our philosophy is to reproduce as closely as possible the original tyre characteristics using new processes and materials thus to maintain the handling of the vehicle the same. This means, yes we maintain the original handbook pressures.”
Classic tire manufacturers strive to preserve the characteristics of the original tires, ensuring that historic tire pressure recommendations remain accurate.
1977 Michelin Rolls Royce Fitment Guide
