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Rolls Royce Silver Shadow Tire Pressures

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To find tires for your Rolls Royce Silver Shadow see our Rolls Royce Silver Shadow Tires page.

• Tire pressure for a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow ranges from 24-32 PSI depending on the year and specific model, the type of tires that you decide to fit, and pressure differences for front and rear tires.
• To find the ideal tire pressures for your car's year, model, and chosen tires follow the link to our Tire Pressure Guide.

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• The Rolls Royce Silver Shadow originally fitted 8.15-15 crossply tires which are not in production. We suggest the 205 VR 15 PIRELLI CINTURATO ™ CN72 on cars up to 1973, and 235/70 HR 15 Michelin XVS for later models.
• To find out more information on Rolls Royce Silver Shadow tires follow the link to our Rolls Royce Silver Shadow Tire Section.

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Silver Shadow Tires

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Rolls Royce Silver Shadow I originally fitted a 8.15-15 Crossply tire. There is currently no crossply tires made in this size. Fitting the 205 VR 15 PIRELLI CINTURATO ™ CN72 is recommended (until 1973). The Shadow 2 and Shadow 1 post-74 were outfitted with 235/70VR15 Avon Turbosteel tires. We advise fitting the 235/70 HR 15 Michelin XVS because the asymmetric tire technology improves handling significantly. If you're looking for innertubes for your Shadow I, we recommend a set of 15/17H13 Michelin innertubes.

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Silver Shadow Archives

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After visiting the fabulous Rolls Royce archives in Paulersbury and poring over the build sheets for these early Series 1 Silver Shadows, we discovered that a variety of tires were used, including Firestone, Dunlop, and Avon tires, some white wall and some black, but all tubeless. From 1966 to 1974, the Rolls Royce Silver Shadow 1 was equipped with an 815 - 15 crossply tire. The radial option is a 205x15, either Avon Textile or 205 VR 15 PIRELLI CINTURATO ™ CN72, both of which will improve the car's usability. Longstone recommends the 205 VR 15 PIRELLI CINTURATO TM CN72 as the best Rolls Royce Silver Shadow 1 tire. We spend so much time on dual carriageways and highways these days, a radial tire like the PIRELLI CINTURATO TM will improve the car's directional stability.

Prior to 1970, we only found two references to radial tires, both of which used the Dunlop SP 41 with innertubes. This tire is no longer manufactured;  Dunlop's first attempt at producing a radial tire was the SP41. It was surprising to discover that none of these early vehicles were compatible with the 205 VR 15 PIRELLI CINTURATO ™ CN72 that we now recommend. The PIRELLI CINTURATO ™ was introduced in 1964 and quickly became the tire of choice for other car manufacturers, being fitted to vehicles such as the Ferrari 330 GT 2+2, Lamborghini 400GT, Maserati 5000 GT, and Aston Martin's 6 cylinder DBS.

We discovered in the archives that beginning in 1970, there was a trend toward fitting Avon 205VR15 radial tires, which were the dominant tire on these cars from 1971 to 1973. Since 1974, the Rolls Royce Silver Shadow has had flared wheel arches and wider wheel rims to accommodate more modern low profile tires in the size HR/70HR15. The HR/70HR15 tire is now known as a 235/70R15. As a result, Rolls-Royce began standardising 235/70VR15 Avon TurboSteel tires.

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Silver Shadow Whitewall Tires

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Whitewall tires are still available for your Silver Shadow, today we can offer the 235/70VR15 Avon TurboSteel White Wall. The better option tire is the 235/70HR15 Michelin XVS-P tire, which is asymmetric and significantly improves the Silver Shadow's directional stability and reduces wandering at cruising speeds. Fitting the Michelin XVS tires is possibly the best and cheapest dramatic improvement you can make to the handling of a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow at cruising speeds. Rolls Royce apparently wanted to fit the Michelin XVS, but Michelin couldn't support tires run at such low pressures as Rolls Royce wanted to recommend. In addition, we can provide Michelin XVS tires with a white wall in a variety of sizes.

The early Rolls Royce Silver Shadow 1 cars without flared wheel arches should fit 815X15 crossply or 205VR15 tires on their thin wheel rims, but they can also fit a 215/75R15. If you want a budget tire with a white wall, Longstone has a 215/75R15 Hankook with a thin white band on one side at a very good price. There is also the option of incorporating a white wall into the side of the 205 VR 15 PIRELLI CINTURATO ™ CN72. This is not a cheap process, but it allows you to choose the size of your white wall and have a higher quality tire.

This would be the best option for a passionate driver of these vehicles. Please contact us via email or phone to discuss this service. Post-1972 Silver Shadows, Silver Shadow 2s, and Wraiths all came with the optional 235/70VR15 Avon TurboSteel Whitewall tires. Again, we can have a white wall tire built into the sidewall of the 235/70R15 Michelin XVS-P tire in the size of your choice. Please contact us at +44 (0) 1302 714072 for more details on whitewall tires.

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Rolls Royce Silver Shadow Innertubes

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Innertubes are not required for most radial tires, however they might be a better alternative than going tubeless. If you decide to fit crossply tires then innertubes are essential. All the tires offered on this page would be fit best with a set of Michelin 15/17H Offset Valve innertubes.

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Silver Shadow History

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The Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow is a full-sized luxury car manufactured by British carmaker Rolls-Royce in various configurations between 1965 and 1980. It was the first of the marque's models to feature unitary body and chassis construction. The Silver Shadow was manufactured from 1965 to 1976, and the Silver Shadow II was manufactured from 1977 to 1980. The model run has the highest production amount of any Rolls-Royce to date.

From 1965 to 1969, the Shadow was powered by a 172 hp 6.2 L V8, and from 1970 to 1980, it was powered by an 189 hp 6.75 L V8. Except for pre-1970 right-hand-drive models, which used the same 4-speed automatic gearbox as the Silver Cloud, both engines were mated to a General Motors-sourced Turbo Hydramatic 400 automatic transmission. Early in 1966, a two-door saloon was introduced, accompanied by a convertible in 1967. There are two versions of the two-door saloon: one by Mulliner Park Ward with style fenders, and one by James Young, which was only built in fifty examples (comprising 35 Rolls-Royces and 15 Bentleys). In 1967, the James Young model was phased out, leaving only the shapelier Mulliner Park Ward model. Mulliner Park Ward marketed the convertible variant as the Silver Shadow Drophead Coupé. The Silver Shadow II was renamed in 1977 to reflect several significant changes, most prominently rack and pinion steering; also modifications to the front suspension improved handling significantly.

Beginning with the late 1976 Silver Shadows, the bumpers were altered from chrome to alloy and rubber. These new energy-absorbing bumpers had been in use in the United States since 1974, in response to the country's tightening safety standards. Despite this, bumpers on vehicles sold outside of North America were still solidly mounted and protruded 5 cm less. The small grilles fixed beneath the headlamps were also made standard. A front skirt was also fitted to the Silver Shadow II and its sister cars outside of North America. Today, the Silver Shadow is regarded as a culturally significant classic car, both in the United Kingdom and internationally. It represents unrivalled comfort and luxury, and it is a highly desirable vehicle.