I need tires for my car pretty soon here.....any good tire brands beside the sumitomo or kumho, etc. Just seeing if there's any others out there, I know 185-70-13 is a pretty rare tire size nowadays but wondering what other options there may be.

 

Go with 205-60-13

 

Yep; more choices at that size, and they do fit just fine.

 

"any good tire brands beside the sumitomo"

Just curious; why not Sumitomo?

And I will agree with the recommended size of 205/60/13. Much better than running skinnies.






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Actually, you have more options if you go with stock (especially if you want slide around), but the 205/60/15s are waaay better for overall traction/handling.
There are a few different tires out there, upwards of $80 apiece (mounted), I'm looking for a set myself.

 

be a man.... 175/50/13!!!!!!!!! tiny sidewall and no width = drift madness!!!!!

 

Yeah I'll prolly go wider, I'm disappointed that Goodrich doesn't make that size because I have them on my SE and they're ****** good...The Sumitomo's I had on my SA before I sold it were ****, couldn't grip the road like my goodrich, and they were less than two years old....newer than my goodrich tires. No I don't want my car even more tail-happy, especially on the mountain roads I have to drive daily. Luckily the rain is done until October most likely so I can put it off until then.

 

+1 - I went to that size just because I got a set of rims and they came with.... Not really much better a tire (both all-seasons) and it feels like I've got more grip and being much closer to FTD at auto-x with no other mods kind of backs that up.

 

I saw a great improvement when I went from some all season 185/70/13 to sumitomo htr 200- 205/60/13. While they aren't the best tire I have ever seen they are the best tire without going to racing tires for a 13" wheel.

 

Yeah, I've had unbelievable success with the Sumitomos. In autocross, I'm beating Miatas on Hoosiers all day long with them. One thing to note with them, is that they like higher pressures. I run mine at about 40 psi for daily driving, and 50 - 55 for autocross.

 

I had those Sumitomo HTR200's on my 85 Celica, used 205/60/14. I loved them. When I swap over to the SE suspension, I am going to run those exact tires on the SE wheels. Right now I have Futura's on my 13's. The previous owner bought them. Now they are like $55 a tire. They are white letter in 205/60/13 size. I like them, grip good in the dry, quiet, and are decent in the rain.

 

Hey, those look familiar...



My baby's current shoes as well.

My understanding is that Futura is the house-brand for Pep Boys, made by Cooper, and that these tires are essentially the same as Cooper Cobras.

I've been pleased with them thus far, too; just don't inflate them to the 1st-gen stock pressure... mushy as gumballs, almost scary when that soft.

Run them at 40PSI and they are good performers & an excellent value.

 

yep, mine were at 30 psi....rode like a caddy. Now at 42psi.....loving the difference in response. Cooper Cobras huh? My buddies all had them on their 5.oh mustangs back in the day.

 

This thread of great interest to me, as I've been shopping for new tires for the '83.

She still has the dry-rotten flat spotted rubber that she was wearing while sitting in the PO's garage for 10 years.

I'm torn though between the Sumitomos and the Futuras.

Does anyone have direct experience with these two tires on their cars?

I'm drawn to the Sumitomo for the performance characteristics, and to the Futuras for the classic look. I know anything is going to be an improvement over the dried hockey pucks currently on the car.

I'm not going to autocross the car or anything, it's a weekend car, used for some spirited driving and general cruising. Advice, the more I think about it, the more I'm drawn to the classic look of the Futuras.

Any further advice?

 

Being a summer tire, the Sumitomo HTR200 will definetly be the sportier tire. The Futura won't grip as well, but will outlast the Sumitomo. Like I said, I had the Sumitomo on my Celica, and I loved it. I plan on running the HT200 on my SE wheels when I finally do the swap.

 

Exactly the position I was in, back a year or so ago. Had 12+-year-old Rikens on it that were hard & cracking on the sidewalls.

The Sumi's are much more performance-geared & I was on the verge of ordering some, but the Futuras are inexpensive and seem to wear very well. I got them when there was a 4-for-3 sale on 'em; I was out the door for under $200 installed and balanced. Tough to beat, esp. since my car's more a street cruiser than a performance-minded beast, & I wanted the RWL look.

I wish Goodyear still made Eagle GTs in RWL; those were great tires.

 

When I got my FB, it came on some 175/13's from Michelin. They had decent tread left and rode
so quietly on the highway. Michelin stopped making them many years back. Mine were starting
to get dry, so I picked up some Sumi's. going from 175's to 205's made a big difference in the
way the car felt. Not sure on how they sound since I upgraded the exhaust at the time.

 

qftw