Not looking for race rubber, but would love to find some 215 or at least 205 widths so I can run my 8 inch rims again.

Anything out there yet? Man, I sure miss those Sumitomos

 

Nothing out there in a street tire. Toyo or Hoosiers are about it and also Federal 595 used for legends racing.

 

I still have a set of sumis on the car with maybe 5k on them

 

Chinese 205s still out there. Bought a pair for about $170 (free shipping!) off ebay in Dec.
These:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-NEW-TIRES-205-60-13-PRO-METER-LL600-ALL-SEASON-STEEL-BELTED-RADIAL-205-60R13/351649637190?_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D35316%26meid%3Dd013de20e8a84e13b089edd1491ab8c3%26pid%3D100011%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D10%26sd%3D131651581646
no hassles.
And of course if you can stand the pain, Coker and Summit Racing sell the 205 Vredsteins for about $180 a pop I believe. Or Michelin X for even more.

Stu Aull
80GS (with 205 Sumi's fading fast...)
Alaska

 

Thats true but even these are not summer performance tires really. They will likely
not perform even close to what those sumis did. Thats why (gasp!) I bought 15"
Konigs so I can wrap them with the hottest autox tire going this year: Bridgestone
Potenza R71S. I used to have these back in the 90s and they were kick *** tires
back then. Will have them on for DGRR for sure. The coopers look cool but are like
driving on stones and are now worn enough that they don't work at all in the rain.

 

No arguments from me t_g - but since I don't Track my Beloved, these are fine to muck about around town and such. Like the OP said, he isn't looking for a race tire...
And if one has the Coin, the Vredsteins get a pretty fair grade as a performance alternative in a street tire. I'm just glad we have some choices! still!


Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

 

I'm saving my waffles with the Cooper RWL for dressup anyway. Crappy tires and almost bald
but they look cool. Wonder when RWL will come back in style?

 

Ordering a set of these. Might not be the top performers, but at least they'll fit my nice set of wheels. Besides, they can't be worse than the 175s I'm running now. Thanks for the lead bro.

 

pleasure! mine go on in the spring too. 12k mi and my dear sumi's are just about cooked.

Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

 

I sure do miss my Sumis. When they were worn right down to the steel belts, they totally kicked *** on the autocross track.

 

For those of us on the stock wheels, are there any decent options out there? I like the stock wheels and the way the way car drives on them, so I'd like to keep them. From what I can find there is the Kumho Solus TA11 and KR21. Has anyone used one of these? They don't seem like a performance tire by any stretch of the imagination, but should be better than my snow tires I guess.

 

Discount Tire recently started carrying Barum tires. They are headquartered in the Czech Republic but my tires were make in Brazil (IIRC). They are basic passenger car tires like the Kumhos but are another option. I'll see how they do. I mostly didn't go with the Kumhos because my options are very limited on local shops to install them after buying from Tirerack.

I'm not keen on Chinese tires as it seems they make tires until they loose business due to QC issues then change their name and repeat. That option is based on how there seems to be new Chinese tire companies every couple months while others go away. That and QC issues based on Internet searches.

 

Based on my internet searches we are stuck with all seasons or barely DOT legal track day tires. Might as well start looking for some 14"s or 15"s for autocross days.

 

I've said a million times you can get federal 595 tires from any legends car dealer. But no one cares. Don't use them, they're such an excellent tire I hope no one else ever uses them.

 

Why have I never seen these listed before? Is this a DOT race tire like the Toyo RA-1, or something that can reasonably be used for everyday street use.

 

Here they are, rated as a UHP, ultra high performance street tire.

Federal Tyres - UHP - 595

Available in 185/60R13 and 205/60R13. The latter is closest to our original 185/70R13 but is still 2.3% smaller in diameter. A quick search shows lots of people running 205/60R13 and they look fine on stock rims. So now you just have to find a local supplier.

 

i called a localish legends car dealer. the tires say DOT right on them, but they'll tell you they aren't street tires. They are.

These are them mounted on 13x5.5 wheels at dgrr in 2014:

 

Are those yours? What size are they, they offer two sizes for 13" wheels. I've heard mixed things about these tires. Some say they are extremely loud and drive poorly in rain. Some say they have lots of sidewall flex and poor steering feedback. On the other hand, beggars can't be choosers, since there is basically nothing available in 13".

Digging the mesh wheels by the way.

 

Those were mine, i sold the car. I've had two sets of these tires in the 205 flavor, they are better than any other 13" street tire. I'd put them up against anything. If they were so bad, I really doubt legends cars would use them for racing

 

Even if they suck, which I imagine they don't, they're better than most any tire available 30 years ago. Technology marches on. Plus, bad tires and bad weather make better drivers.

 

What was the price last time you bought a set? Just curious.

 

That Federal 595 in a 205 would be great! Having a little trouble finding a source though.

 

I believe only Legends Car dealers are authorized to sell them.

My buddies old shop was rented out of a Legends distributor so I spent time looking at rows of those tires stacked along the wall.

Spartan Speedway isn't too far from you so you should be able to find someone to sell you a set.

 

What does that even mean "Legends Car Dealers", is that a shop, a store? Even google was little bit vague. I'm confused with how I would buy them if I wanted to.
What would be the advantage of the 205 over the 185? Wouldn't the 185 offer better handling and cornering since it has a lower sidewall? I'm asking because I know little to nothing about this and am trying to learn, not be confrontational

 

The 185 might give you more precise steering but the diameter is small and will have you revving pretty high at highway speeds. Your speedometer will be way off. The 205 is closer to original tire diameter and offers a wider cross section for more lateral grip.