13 to 14

[WCM]

Good afternoon.....Another fun question from the newby. I have the standard 13" rim on my 1981 Spider and I would like to go to a 14". When I go to certain tire suppliers online and put in a 14" rim/wheel nothing comes up or the site tells me there is no match for my vehicle. Any suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks,

WCM

[geospider]

First you will need to find the 14" rims that will fit. there are some options, but not too many with our bolt pattern.
then just search tires by size vs vehicle. I think the 14's are phasing out.
I just put 15" rims with 55 series tires: fits/feels great

Geo

[WCM]

really.....a 15" ? seams a bit tight under there plus how's the turning?

[kmead]

It is about overall diameter of the tire and the rim combination, the diameter of the assembly is driven by the tire size and its aspect ratio.

The OE size was 165/80 13 and later 185/70 13 on a 13” rim.

The last years of Spiders in the US had 185/60 14 tires on 14” rims. The 14” rim from Fiat came in two designs, one called the Turbo used on may 124 Spiders and also a version of the Iron Cross style which came on the rare Anniversary cars. It is also possible to use Maserati Biturbo rims which came mainly in 14” rims sizes.

Going beyond what was offered as standard, one can go up one rim size more by reducing the aspect ratio of the tire further to a 50 series, thus you can go to a 195/50 15 tire on a 15” rim. There were some EU Spiders avialable with a 15” rim (Volumex).

The other requisite is that a Fiat uses a 4 x 98mm bolt circle on the rim, with a postive offset of 25mm, though the offset can be varied a bit depending on the rim width used.

There are several 15” rims you can buy new, some from Mark Allison (he was the first to offer the best looking one in my view) others from Vick Auto, Mid West Bayless as well as Auto Ricambi.

Hope that helps.

[WCM]

Thanks Karl

[zachmac]

You could just buy the rims and tires I have for sale in the parts section! 15 inch with 50 series tires.

[WCM]

What is the title of the post?

[spidernut]

13" and 14" tires are getting harder and harder to find if you want a quality tire. I gave up and went to 15". I have no problems with the tires at all.

https://allisonsautomotive.com/collecti ... 5_gunmetal

[Slartibartfaster]

I think the 15" option is great - if you live in SoCal and drive nice smooth roads. But I don't.

This is definitely a matter of opinion. I don't think the spider has the structural integrity in the cross-member/shock tower setup to handle much more impact harshness than the stock setup provides - at least here in the mid-west where potholes like to kill oversized wheels. There's a balance between unsprung weight, sidewall cushion and structure that should be respected relative to your road /driving conditions.

I'm very pleased with my upgrade to 1980s vintage 14" BiTurbos and new General Altimax tires. Great combination and about 4lbs lighter per wheel/tire at each corner vs stock 13". Huge improvement in handling and ride.

[Warren]

I went with the Lancia FPS 14" wheels (Midwest Bayless has a reconditioned set and you need to get the studs from them also) with Sumitomo HTR A/S 185/60-14 tires. Those tires are still available.

Link to my post:
http://www.fiatspider.com/f08/viewtopic ... en#p217718

[zachmac]

What is the title of the post?

"15" wheels and tires" under the parts for sale section.

[Warren]

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d12/w ... 29eec1.jpg

Picture of my 14" FPS wheels.

[QuebecFiatSpider]

I think the 15" option is great - if you live in SoCal and drive nice smooth roads. But I don't.

This is definitely a matter of opinion. I don't think the spider has the structural integrity in the cross-member/shock tower setup to handle much more impact harshness than the stock setup provides - at least here in the mid-west where potholes like to kill oversized wheels. There's a balance between unsprung weight, sidewall cushion and structure that should be respected relative to your road /driving conditions.

I'm very pleased with my upgrade to 1980s vintage 14" BiTurbos and new General Altimax tires. Great combination and about 4lbs lighter per wheel/tire at each corner vs stock 13". Huge improvement in handling and ride.

Which tire size you put on exactly? Is it 195/60-R14?

[Slartibartfaster]

I used 195/60/14, no rubbing issues and as close to my old tire circumference as as possible so the speedo is 'correct'.

For comparison, the OE tire size was about 165/80/13 = 862 revs per mile
My car had 185/70/13 dunlops when I got it = 869 revs
195/60/14 = 869 revs

Vs OE tires, overall diameter is within about 1/2 inch, 60mph on an accurate speedo will be 59.5 actual. They are a bit over 1' wider in section width.

wheel-size.com has a good calculator