Can't find Tires
 

I need some tires for my 84 GS and the only thing I can find is S-rated. Does anyone still make an H-rated 185-70R13 or do i have to buy new rims too?

Go to Discount Tire Direct. I checked and they have 4 different tires. And why do you go with 13" tires? Get at least 16" rims.

Check www.thetirerack.com they got lo0ts of 13's. Stay with 13" wheels they make your turning radius really small *great for autocross* upgrade to 205/60/13's they are wider and don't effect the speedo really bad. avg of 3 miles plus.

I've got 205 60 R13 on my waffle style rims. :)

goto a 195/60/13

www.tirerack.com

has summitmo in that size $36 each.

I got Kuhmo's from www.discounttiredirect.com for $35 a piece. Shipping is cheap and fast as well, 3 day for like $10.

I agree, just make sure to tell them that they are for off-road use only otherwise they will not sell them to you.

I am having the same problem with finding 185/70/13 tires. What is the difference in size between the 195/60/13 and the 205/60/13?

Thanks,
Rich

You can fit 215/50R13 tires on the stock size rims without rubbing. They affected my speedo by about 5km/h.

http://www.personainternet.com/~www2...uy/BFGs_2m.jpg
http://www.personainternet.com/~www2...uy/BFGs_3m.jpg

These BFGs are pretty grippy but they slide very predictably and are super easy to control when you overdo it.

Toughguy :)

Good to know! I might go this route next time around. How's the sidewall flex? My 205/60/13 Sumitomo's have too much sidewall flex IMO.

They are 50 series radials. I've never tried 205s on my car but I can tell you they are worlds better than the 185/70R13s I had on it before. As much as I like them though, I realise that the BFG Radial TA does not offer the performance potential of other tires in its class, even other models from BFG for that matter. However, for my daily driver, I think they work great. They are pretty good in the wet and hold up well to abuse. They were designed for cruise night, not the track.

Toughguy :)

I guess I am going to have to go look at a few sites and see if I can find those tires

Thanks for the insight Toughguy!

Wow, I just checked www.tirerack.com and they have one helluva selection of 215/50R13's :cool:

Well, winter is coming around here and I'm trying to decide on some good winter tires, any suggestions?

Hello, I have spent the past two winters ice racing a rear wheel drive chevette. There is only one brand of winter tires to get......Bridgestone Blizzak's, everything else is second best. You will love them. But what ever you do dont skimp; make sure you buy tires for all four corners.

Wow. Radials?

Whenever I happen to get a job and get money I'm going straight for some Yokohama ES100's. They're a fairly good price, have real good traction, as well as looking pretty badass.;)

What is the difference in size between the 195/60/13 and the 205/60/13?


10 mm or 1 cm, a little more than a quarter of an inch in width

i got 205/60r13 bfg radial t/a on stock rims of my gs. i really like them. the handling is predictable while being comfortable. i would definitely get the same ones again. if you are gonna upgrade rims, get 15x7s. it wont change your speed much as long as you just 2 inch up.

im not sure about the difference between 195 and 205, but check the suspension/wheels/tires forum. i think the suspension links has one about a site that has tire difference calculator.

The original Bridgestone Blizzaks were better than the current ones. They were much more expensive though and didn't sell very well when they were first released. Bridgestone redesigned them to be cheaper. They are still good tires but not as good as the first generation. My friend has them on his Accord and swears by them. I use cheap ass Walmart winter tires on my Subaru and I still outaccelerate AND outbrake him.

Toughguy :)

Toughguy: What is the width of the rim in the pictures you posted?

Thanks
Ben

Stock size. 13X5.5 inches. 13X7 wheels would probably fit the 215s better but they might rub. Just FYI, my fenders have not been rolled or modified in any way and I have no rubbing with this setup.

Toughguy :)

I have 205/60tr13 dunlops on my 84gsl. It had 185/70tr13 goodyears when I got it but had them replaced under warranty. The tires never rub and work great, offramps at 100km/h, very nice. The 205's are the "exact" same diameter as the 185/70r13 so the speedo doesn't change. The 195's are smaller so they will affect the speedo, but they will also give pretty crisp steering response since they are a lower profile. I would stick with the 205's, they fill in the fenderwell and look great from behind.

When I was driving my Manta (Opel) I had Goodyear GT +4's (185/70/13) on it and really liked them. Very controllble and predictable. I later had the BFGoodrich's. No question I liked the Goodyears better. They better even in the rain and snow. The BFGs were very unappy in those conditions.

Thanks Toughguy..

I'm going to assume that the "stock" aluminum four spokes are the same width.. Can anyone confirm this for me?

Ben

The 185/70/13 are 23.20 diameter and the 205/60/13 are 22.69.

The 185's are 7.28 wide and the 205's are 8.07 wide.

This info is based on another website

Not sure if a 215/60/13 is available but it is much closer to the stock size being they are 23.16 diameter

I used to run 205/60s on my SA and it was "iffy". I had to run 22-24psi in the front tires and 20-22psi in the rear tires to prevent massive center tread wear. In short the rims are too narrow for the tires!

Grip was great due to the low tire pressure (more surface area) however the handling felt a mite mushy.

It was a night and day difference when I switched back to 185/70s. Much better responsiveness (could actually run 40-44psi without suffering odd tire wear), much better tracking (longer narrower contact patch), and go figure the tires had just-as-good traction in cornering, probably because I was comparing new tires to dried out old tires.

I only ever ran S rated tires on the street. I used to drive to work at a constant 115-118 MPH too :) You can safely exceed the speed rating for short periods of time - the speed rating means that is the maximum speed the tire can handle for 5 hours straight before it is allowed to overheat and self-destruct. If you plan on doing track days where you're really throwing heat into the tires, consider a second set of rims and a set of DOT-R tires. That way you can have those nice fat tires and some wider rims to GO with them. Like 13x7s, which is what you want for a 205/60.

FWIW a 205/60 is slightly smaller than a 185/70. A 195/60 is a *lot* smaller. So is a 215/50, and you'd really want to think about a 13x7 or 13x8 for a 215/50.

BTW - 16 inch tires? :hahaha:

Thanks for the info. I'll check for funny wear and mushyness as soon as I can (get it running).

Note some tires are larger than others for a given tire size.

My tires were Goodyear Eagle ST's, and if you happen to have a set, sell them on E-bay because these tires are sought after by car collectors. Goodyear hasn't made them in a decade or so.

Cooper Cobra GTS

Ditto on the post about the 205/60/13 Sumitomo's having too much sidewall flex. I have an idea that they perform as well or better than my Yoko AVS's, but the feel is terrible. Ultimately, skip everything short of Toyo RA-1's in 205/60-13.

Just picked up some Pirelli P400's for 45.00 each in 185/70/13

I've just finished doing my research yesterday - I wanted Falken' s because everyone speaks so highly of them, but they don't seem to be available for 13 inch wheels. I need a good, safe, smooth riding highway tire for my 110 mile daily commute on interstate 85, typically cruising at 80 but sometimes needing to stop and turn fast, especially when I get into the Atlanta area. I settled on the Yokohama Avid Touring 185/70-13, not quite a performance tire but highly rated for handling, braking and wet traction. They also say the ride is exceptionally quiet and smooth and the tread life is guaranteed for 80,000 miles. Best of all was the price, $211.52 plus tax for everything (tires, shipping, mount/balance and some other services that Discount Tire provides). I'll put the new tires on tomorrow, I have high expectations!
Ray

According to this site:

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

A 215/60/13 is almost the same as a 185/70/13, just wider. A 215/50/13 is quite a bit smaller in diameter. Almost 2 inches to be exact. A 215/60/13 is exactly the same diameter according to the site.

A 205/60/13 is about half an inch smaller in diameter compared to stock.

Toughguy must have a 14" rim. That would give what he said.

For me, when I get new tires, i'm getting some 215/60/13's for the rear and 185/70/13's for the front. Can you guess what I'm into???

PS: Just read peejay's reply and I just wrote pretty much what he did. If you guessed drag racing for what I'm into then you are correct. The lucky winner gets to pay for the tires!!!! :rlaugh: :rlaugh:

I'm so freeking stupid. 215's don't come in 60's. Only up to 50. There goes that idea.

My Cheviots are 13X5.5 , same as stock.

Toughguy :)

If you're going to drag race on tiny little sidewalls, be prepared for the traction to suck.

Got the new Yokohamas on, wow what a difference! Smooth and responsive, it's like a new car. I think the Mazda engineers knew what they were doing when they went with the 185/70-13s.

PS, peejay or anyone else that might be interested, I took off a set of Goodyear Eagle STs that have practically new tread but also have dry rot. I drove them for a few days to see if I could use them, but they were a little rough, either because of not being well balanced or maybe a little out of round. They did hold up nicely at 80 mpg for my 100 mile commute for the two days I used them. They hold pressure and aren't falling apart. Anyway, since peejay mentioned that some folks are looking for these tires to restore old cars, I had the tire store hold on to them. If anyone is interested, I will pick them up and bring them home to Jefferson GA, where they can be picked up for free.

Ray