What size tires are these?

[Hutch]

I forgot where I got this picture but I love this car. I want to make my wheels look like this as I have the center caps and would just have to remove the trim rings and prep/paint or coat the wheels white. Several questions for you folks:

1. Any idea what the paint code is for the correct white for the wheels?
2. What size tires are those and are those stock width/height wheels?

I love the stance on this car and the tires look great. I can't tell if the wheels are taller and/or wider and if the car has been lowered (or both). Thanks for any feedback!

[mdrburchette]

It's hard to tell from the pic, but since they're the original 5" steel wheel, I'd bet they're 175/80/r13s on a 74 model Spider. I wouldn't think the car was lowered since the early models sat lower than their big bumper counterparts.
It's hard to tell in this picture, but the tires filled the wheel wells nicely on mine with the 175/80s:

[Hutch]

You have a beautiful car! So the 80 series 175's are taller than the 70 series thus filling the wheel wells better? Has anyone had the original wheels widened that you all are aware of?

[mdrburchette]

Yes, the 80 means the height is 80% of the width of the tire, so:

175 X 80% = 140mm 140 X .03937 = 5.51 inches
175 x 70% = 122.5mm 122.5 X .03937 = 4.82 inches

[ROOK1]

Here are a couple tire size calculators. You can play with them to get an idea how the aspect ratio affects the tire height.

http://www.redrock4x4.com/tech/tire_calc.php

http://www.gordon-glasgow.org/tirecalc.html

[baltobernie]

I think they are 185/70 x 13, because they look a little fatter than my 175's. The 175/70 (or equivalent in lower profile) is the largest tire that will fit in the spare well, and still have the wood floor lie flush.

If memory serves, wheel color varied over the years; sometimes almost ivory, other times silver. Your photo does look correct for the period, though. I went with a grey Rust Oleum.

[mdrburchette]

Bernie, your car looks as good as ever!
Don't forget that on your 77 the suspension sits higher than our earlier cars so I don't know how much wheel well you'll be able to fill.

[brad131a4]

Those are 205 60 13 tires. The width of the tread and the bulge out past the rim are sure markers. I have run these in the past and they look just like what you show pictured. As for the paint it looks to be a alpine white which any paint supplier can have mixed up for you and put in spray cans to paint your rims. Just for the nay sayers the outside rolling diameter is the same as the stock 165 80 13 tires and the rim width recommended by the tire manufactures is 5.5-7 so the are fine to run on stock spider rims.

[mdrburchette]

You think they're 205/60s? I can't tell from his pic how wide the tire is but here's a pic of mine with 205/60/13s on a 6" wheel and these lowered the car. I don't see how 165/80 can have the same diameter:

[Ernie]

Denise,

Are those Appliance wheels? Painted dark makes it hard to tell for sure in the picture.

If they are, I'd like to know if you had to find center caps, or did you luck out and get them with the wheels?

I painted mine silver inside, so the hubs are too contrasting. I've looked around but haven't seen any caps that would seem to fit.

Mine are 5.5's, by the way, with 195 Sumotomo's. Maybe if I post a picture I'll be partly forgiven for hijacking the original poster's thread (oops....sorry).

Thanks,
Ernie

[ROOK1]

You think they're 205/60s? I can't tell from his pic how wide the tire is but here's a pic of mine with 205/60/13s on a 6" wheel and these lowered the car. I don't see how 165/80 can have the same diameter:

This calculator says there is a difference. http://www.redrock4x4.com/tech/tire_calc.php

205 60 13 = 22.7" 8.1" 13

165 80 13 = 23.4" 6.5" 13

Not much taller but definitely not as wide.

[mdrburchette]

Denise,
Are those Appliance wheels? Painted dark makes it hard to tell for sure in the picture.

Earnie, they're Carroll Shelby wheels. Funny thing about the center caps: When I bought the wheels one had lost the tabs to keep it on the wheel. I searched high and low for some that would work and one day, I walked into a wheel store and they had some similar to what I needed in the sale bin. All I needed to do was wrap a little electrical tape around the the tabs to take up a little slack.

[brad131a4]

Denise I go to tirerack and check out what size tire ,say like a 205 40 16 that I'm interested in and when it shows the tire it will have a spec section that you can see the rolling diameter of the tire and all the sizes that are available for that tire. I just look to see what is closest to the stock rolling diameter. Some manufactures are a little different on rolling diameter but not by a lot. If you can stay within 3% +/- stock rolling diameter you should be ok with you speedo being close to the correct speed.I might have been thinking of a different size tire at the time when I said they were the same size.

[htchevyii]

Here's mine with 185/60r13 Sumitomo's. It sits high because the engine is out. It will be lowered a bit sooner or later.

[mdrburchette]

Here's a better pic of my wheel. I had a hard time deciding on whether to paint the wheel insert gold to match the stripe or to leave it black but I think the black makes my car more agressive looking.