A company has been found by an Association member that can supply what looks to be some excellent 900.20 tyres which have a tread pattern similar to the Michellin pattern as fitted to Routemaster Buses .

These tyres are imports and comply with all UK legal requirements .. The Company supplies nationwide and also fitting available . They can also supply new wheel rims and ' slippers / tubes ' for the tyres .

Price for 900/20 tyre in foto I've seen is £133 ish

Contact ...

TD TYRES , MALVERN , WORCESTERSHIRE .

0800 298 4755

WWW.TDTYRES.COM

E'mail ..... tdt@tdtyres.com

Don't suppose anyone will be silly enough to rush in to buying without checking but, as I understand it, many refurb buses, including mine, have 10 x 22.5 tyres. A technical note by one of our expert contributors on the subject of/benefits of/perils of mixing/substituting tyres of different sizes would probably bear repeating (please)!!

My bus, like lots of Arriva cousins, has 10x22.5s on the front on new rims and 900x20s on split rims on the back.

Bigger tyres have a larger rolling circumference and if fitted all round will marginally increase speed and fuel economy but not by a discernable amount. The speedo will read slightly "out".

Larger tyres on the front restrict the steering lock and increase the turning circle.

10x22.5s are a much more easily available and cheaper modern size. 900s are a throwback to the old crossply sizes and are rarely used (except on vintage vehicles) these days. Hence they are quite expensive for good quality skins. Most are of Asian or Eastern European origin.

Tyres of different sizes must never ever be used on the same axle- so you might need 2 spares!

Purely from a personal point of view I think the larger tyres fill out the wheelarches more and look better, yet on the front at least, split rims look better so its swings and roundabouts. Now 10x22.5s on large new split rims which fit the bus- now that would be worth having!