Have a flat this morning.

[wtaylor]

So I have a flat tire this morning. When I bought the car last year I was told the tires were only a couple of years old. They look new with plenty of tread and some of the little tabs still on them. When I got down to look at the flat I saw lots of cracks in the sidewall and after taking a closer look at the other 3 they have them too. One guy told me to just replace the tube. No one in town has a 165\80\13 tire and no one wants to hit the knock offs. They all are afraid of braking them. I just ordered the spinner tool form limit fabrications 2 days ago so I could get the tired rotated. I hope I get in by next weekend. I have no Idea how long shipping from England is right now.

So now the meet of it. Any suggestions on tires. I know Cokker has some but I cant justify $900+ for tires and tubes before mounting.

 

[absunbeam]

If you want a little taller tire Coker has these. Doug Jennings had these on his Sunbeam, helped the cruising RPM’s on long trips. Autocrossed with them also.
https://www.cokertire.com/tires/640-700-13-vredestein-sprint-classic-506552.html

 

[Scotty]

I needed tires for my SIV so I could get it back on the street a few years back (the ones it had were done from sitting too long on an incline) and wound up with Ironman 13” tires. Driving the hell out of the car and the tires have so far been quality for me. I paid ~1/3 of your Cokker quote for 5 tires with balancing and installation from Pep Boys and they had them in stock.

 

[ernestovumbles]

I also have Ironman 165/70/R13 , but they came with the car.. no idea how much they were or where they came from.
They seem to be fine, but I dont push the car exceptionally hard.

My spare tire is labeled from JC Penny so I'm guessing it is a little bit too old ;-)

 

[RootesRooter]

I'd check the date code on those used tires. Last four digits = year of manufacture. Check them on the NEW tires you buy, too.

 

[Scotty]

I'd check the date code on those used tires. Last four digits = year of manufacture. Check them on the NEW tires you buy, too.

Thats great advice

 

[wtaylor]

I'd check the date code on those used tires. Last four digits = year of manufacture. Check them on the NEW tires you buy, too.

I did that yesterday after learning how. Like I said they look new with plenty of tread and some of the little ticks still on them. They have the pre 2000 date code on them, 450. So, either 45 of 2000 or 45 of 90. I'm definitely looking for tires. The problem I am having is finding 165/80/13's.

Tire rack's chart says a 185/70/13 will work. That is 20mm wider, would that be a problem? If not would going to 185/80/13 be a problem? It would add 1.3 inches in height? The 185/80 is a much easier size to find.

 

[Silver Creek Sunbeam]

I did that yesterday after learning how. Like I said they look new with plenty of tread and some of the little ticks still on them. They have the pre 2000 date code on them, 450. So, either 45 of 2000 or 45 of 90. I'm definitely looking for tires. The problem I am having is finding 165/80/13's.

Tire rack's chart says a 185/70/13 will work. That is 20mm wider, would that be a problem? If not would going to 185/80/13 be a problem? It would add 1.3 inches in height? The 185/80 is a much easier size to find.

I can’t address going to a taller 80 but as I mentioned above, I’ve been happy with my 185/70/13, so no it isn’t a problem to go with the 185, at least on my Series V with stock suspension.

There is a thread on here somewhere about what tire sizes work.

 

[husky drvr]

The 185/80 is a much easier size to find.

Be aware, 185/80/13 is a popular size of trailer tire.

 

[wtaylor]

Stopped by all the chain stores this morning no luck on either size and no one would install them on the car if I ordered them due to the knockoffs. Finally made it to the local guy (the chains are between my house and him) he ordered me some 185/70's and spinners are not a problem. Said he did 100's of them back in the day. He had to have had 20 years on me and I am 57. Said he is looking forward to using the removal tool to see if it is easier than a hammer. Also, it came in today. They shipped it FedEx only 5 days from England to South Carolina.

 

[Mike O'D]

I bought Nankang CX668s in 165/80 r13 a few years back from Amazon for about $40 each. Don't know if they still have them or what the price is now, but working great for me.

 

[Tim R]

Continental make a level 165/80/13 called a ContiEcoContact 3 It works very well on an Alpine., A very quiet, high quality tyre with great grip and a good life span.
Tim R

 

[Alpine 1789]

Tim: Just FYI, in my experience (admittedly, now more than 20 years out of date) UK and US tires are very different. Your tires were softer than ours and didn't last as long. As I recall, US tires had a rubber additive that was banned in the EU. I remember thinking something was wrong when I first had to replace the tires on my daily driver after 20-25,000 miles or so. Everyone told me that was normal. Not in the States!

Maybe things have changed since then (1995-1999)?

 

[Tim R]

Jim,
That is really interesting, I was unaware of that. Typically here a driving wheel tyre lasts about 20,000 miles here and a non driving wheel maybe 30,000 (depending on how enthusiastically you drive). Tyres are all dated and the recommendation is that the tyre is changed when it gets to 7-10 years and definitely after 10 years! It is only the law for passenger and goods vehicles but if you had an accident that they could blame on old tyres that were over 10 years of age they certainly would.
Tim R

 

[Bill Blue]

Definitely a difference in tread life. Maybe partly due to the type of tire. I use only all season tires, get at least 50,000 miles on a set of four, unless uneven wear is encountered. This is on tires that usually claim a tread life of 100,000 or so.

Bill

 

[Alpine 1789]

Looks like nothing has changed in the last 20 years...at least relative to tires/tyres. There was a tyre supplier that used to drive through my company's parking lot, checking the tread on the company vehicles. I remember being told that they had replaced my tyres at about 20,000 miles and thinking they were ripping us off. Everyone assured me that was normal, which is what lead to the research on the differences in tread life.

I now return you back to the original thread topic.