Help finding tires.

[JB]

Hey everybody,
I just bought some stock steel 13x5's and want new tires.
Not sure exactly what size I want to get but, it looks like (185-195-205/60/13) are the most popular. I like the idea of a wider tire, but don't want it to look too funky.
When I look at the usual places like discount tire or just tires, they only show 165/80/13.
I don't want to spend a lot of money either.
Any ideas where I can look or does anyone have some good used tires out there for sale?
Thanks!

I have a 77 spider, if that matters.

[So Cal Mark]

those 80 series tires are pretty narrow. I'd look for 185/60/13 or 195/60/13. Shouldn't be too hard to find them. As with anything, just buying the cheapest piece available may cost you more in the long run. With tires, you really need to assess your driving conditions and buy an appropriate tire. For instance, if you regularly cruise the interstates at 80+ mph, consider a speed-rated tire rather than the cheapest round rubber out there.

[mbouse]

i've been running 175's for several years....and they were perfectly acceptable.

Course, that was with the anemic stock intake and exhaust system that came with the '80. I since have fixed that problem and am looking forward to trying out a new set of Iron Cross rims w/ 185's mounted. I believe i am gonna enjoy this driving season like i was new to Spiders again. I even installed a rear anti-sway bar to help with the yet to be experienced cornering.

I seriously doubt you could get 205's on stock rims. Talk to your dealer before you take that chance. Also, if you want the speedo to be near accurate (as if it ever was) you need to concern yourself with tire height.

The wife's '78 came with some aftermarket wheels and 205's mounted. Maybe it is just me, but those seem to handle quite differently, and i do not care for the feel i get. I'll be looking to swap those out for something narrower in the near future.

the 165's that you are seeing i believe come close to what was shipped from the factory. additionally, the 165's are the ones the tire stores stock just so they can say ... "Prices start as low as..." Rarely are those narrow things actually sold. I had a friend get a full set for $5.00 per tire because the dealer was tired of having them around. My friend was going for the factory stock look, so he was extatic about the price.

[So Cal Mark]

$5?????????? were they Maypops?

[mdrburchette]

What's a Maypop?
I think the 195/60's would look good. Isn't the stock rim 5"? I've got a 5.5" rim with 205/60's and I really like them.
Just curious Mike. What is it about the wider tire you don't like performance wise?

[JB]

First of all I want to say thanks for the feedback. I realllllyyyy like this site. I'm a novice in the spider world and you guys always make me feel good about making decisions about what to do.

These are what I have found so far and will probably go with unless I find a better deal. $40 a tire seems pretty good.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compare1. ... &x=62&y=11

Here are the rims that I bought. I really like them. They are stock, but still have a good look...again at a good price. The wife keeps a pretty tight lease on the spider budget.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... 0085917351

[So Cal Mark]

that's a pretty good tire and a decent price for them. Treadwear rating isn't the highest, but not bad and A traction rating and A temp rating are both good. Wise choice

[tonysfiat]

JB

Those were my rims that you purchased on ebay.

Its great to see they went to a good home.
Thanks for the postive feedback on Ebay.


Enjoy

[Mark_vaughn]

I bought that exact tire. Great traction and ride. I need more power now because they are too sticky to spin the wheels!!

I dont know about tire wear, I don't drive it enough to make a difference. And at $40 bucks a piece, it isn't a large investment.

[mbouse]

So Cal Mark - He got them from Discount Tire. They had them on the shelf for an entire year, and were no longer going to carry the brand. So, the day they decided to unload them, Larry walked in to the deal of the decade. Dunno the brand.

i hear all the time about guys/gals having trouble finding 13" tires. I just don't seem to have that difficulty here. Now, performance 13" may be a different issue. I'm not Jonny Racer, so i don't worry about performance tires.

Denise - Yeah, stock rims are 5". I would be leary of putting 205's on stock rims. I think that was part of the original quesition. My wife has after market 5.5" rims with 205's ... and I just don't like the steering. I feel like i put too much effort in moving the front end around.

[fiater]

I had 165/80/13's on my '76 and they didn't handle very well. I wonder what Fiat was thinking when they used them as the orig. tire? As an experiment, I put on an unmatched set of 185/70/13's from our local "pick-a-part" ($5 each) and mounted and bal. them myself. There was a huge improvement in handling! and since I'm not a real agressive driver they suit me just fine. At some point, I'll look for a matched set of 185/70/13's. One reason that I picked that size, is that they're the same height as the 165\80's and the speedo's not affected.

[mbouse]

I'm not a real agressive driver

I'm not an agressive driver either.

I constantly remind my wife that we are on a "spirited" cruise. Funny, i must constantly remind her.....

And, correctly balanced wheels/tires DO make a difference, but only when the wheel is turning (LOL)

[fiater]

I've had fairly good luck with my bubble balancer. If I don't get a shimmy at 70mph, that's good enough for me.

[gigi]

I know you'll never believe this, and I am embarrassed to say it...
The tires on Gigi were totally rotten and the very first 'repair' to
be done when I first got her. Although they were beautiful, those
gorgeous, original Pirelli's were crusty. I needed to get rubber fast
just so I could drive her in the driveway. Got brand new tires at
Walmart for less than a hundred ten dollars and were done in about
an hour. Too bad my mechanic doesn't work that fast!

[rlux4]

Well Denise, if no one is going to tell you what Maypops are, I will. These are the brand of tires that you don't want to drive too aggresively with because they . . . may pop.

Ron