tires and wheels 185/70X13 tires toyo Extensa ? Is there a better tire ?

[M3M3]

a similar effect as changing my 3.91 diff to a 3.65.

 

yes...the much taller tire will have a noticeable impact on acceleration....slower.  and taller will have a negative effect on handling.

 

I'm Looking for Better

 

no such thing as a better tire...unless you specify better....at what?  price? handling? rain performance? comfort/ride?  grip?  ?  wear?  you can't get them all, even two of those list are difficult.   tires are huge compromises.  that is why "all season" tires are really "no season" tires.  they do everything a little, but nothing well.

[Conserv]

...that is why "all season" tires are really "no season" tires.  they do everything a little, but nothing well.

Thank you, Marshall! I believed I was alone with this thought!

Regards,

Steve

[Redtail]

Does anyone run 165 width tires anymore? I currently have 175s on 6" bottlecaps, but my wife (who drives the car often) finds the steering effort too high at low speeds. I am thinking about switching back to 5" rims with 165HR13 Vredestein tires. Any comments or suggestions?

['76mintgrün'02]

Tire pressure also affects steering effort, as does the diameter of the steering wheel.

(higher pressure and larger steering wheel = less effort)

 

The offset of the rim will also affect the 'scrub radius' and effort required to turn the wheel.

(I believe the stock ET 28 is ideal, my rims are ET18 = more effort).

 

I believe bottle caps have an ET18.

 

Just some other variables to consider.

Edited October 5, 2015 by '76Mintgrun'02

[Conserv]

On 10/4/2015 at 5:39 PM, Redtail said:

Does anyone run 165 width tires anymore? I currently have 175s on 6" bottlecaps, but my wife (who drives the car often) finds the steering effort too high at low speeds. I am thinking about switching back to 5" rims with 165HR13 Vredestein tires. Any comments or suggestions?

 

For 42 years, I've run exclusively 165HR13 XAS's on 4.5", 5", and 5.5" rims. Steering effort while parallel parking is nonetheless quite high. Power steering, at the same time, has taught generations of drivers that's it's fine, and easy, to turn the wheels while a vehicle is stationary. When I'm driving the '02s a bit more, I find that I naturally learn -- re-learn -- to turn the wheels only when the car is physically moving forward or backward, even if the speed is slow and the distance short. Stated differently, adjusting the techniques that work fine with power steering to the realities of manual steering may take some of the effort away, but that doesn't make manual steering = power steering!

 

Regards,

 

Steve

Edited February 17, 2017 by Conserv

[hchueh]

I've looked long and hard for performance tires in this size, and except for the expensive Michelins, I've had no luck.

I gave up and put on MultiMile HiFly 201s (because they have some silica in the compound) and they are just fine.

[Redtail]

For 42 years, I've run exclusively 165HR13 XAS's on 4.5", 5", and 5.5" rims. Steering effort while parking is nonetheless quite high. Power steering, at the same time, has taught generations of drivers that's it's fine, and easy, to turn the wheels while a vehicle is stationary. When I'm driving the '02s a bit more, I find that I naturally learn -- re-learn -- to turn the wheels only when the car is physically moving forward or backward, even if the speed is slow and the distance short. Stated differently, adjusting the techniques that work fine with power steering to the realities of manual steering may take some of the effort away, but that doesn't make manual steering = power steering!

Regards,

Steve

This is excellent advice. Do you think there would be an appreciable difference in steering effort required to turn a 165/80 vs 185/70 tire? 

[John_in_VA]

This is excellent advice. Do you think there would be an appreciable difference in steering effort required to turn a 165/80 vs 185/70 tire? 

 

Difference?  Yes.  Appreciable?  Depends on your arm strength and steering wheel diameter, and if you're stationary or moving.  The 205/60 difference was appreciable, to me!

[Conserv]

On 10/4/2015 at 11:18 PM, Redtail said:

...Do you think there would be an appreciable difference in steering effort required to turn a 165/80 vs 185/70 tire?

 

Honestly, I don't believe there's a big effort difference between a 165/80/13 on a 5x13, ET28, rim and a 185/70/13 on a 5x13, ET28, rim!

 

Regards,

 

Steve

Edited February 17, 2017 by Conserv

['76mintgrün'02]

what about his ET 18 bottle caps?

that 1cm makes a difference, no?

[Conserv]

On 10/5/2015 at 11:55 AM, '76Mintgrun said:

what about his ET 18 bottle caps?

that 1cm makes a difference, no?

 

I missed that completely! What are 6" bottlecaps? Are we talking about 6x14 e30 alloys? And what is the full tire size? (The other "bottlecap" rim with which I'm familiar is the 6x13, ET13, factory-option alloy for the factory turbo, but those are uber-rare -- I'm still trying to piece together a set!)

 

If either of those is your starting point, you should definitely notice a difference!

 

Regards,

 

Steve

Edited February 17, 2017 by Conserv

[bimbill]

I mounted a set of the Toyos on my '73 back in April and have put about 5k miles on 'em since--mostly highway--to Mid America and Vintage.  Perfectly satisfactory--seem to be good in rain as well as dry, and aren't noisy even on our old Ohio concrete roads.  They ain't Yoko Y351s or Phoenix Stahlflexes, but they're fine for road use (including twisties).  Got 'em last fall from Treaddepot for $58 each--and I think they're running a free shipping on Toyo tires until 31 Oct.  

 

I have Kumho KR 21s on my '69, and honestly can't tell much difference between the two.  I bit on the Toyos because of the free shipping.

 

mike

FYI, no free shipping on the Toyos from Treadepot if your state borders the Pacific ocean.  Better price on that tire from Onlinetires.com

[Redtail]

I missed that completely! What are 6" bottlecaps? Are we talking about 6x14 e30 alloys? And what is the full tire size? (The other "bottlecap" rim with which I'm familiar is the 6x13, ET13, factory-option alloy for the factory turbo, but those are uber-rare -- I'm still trying to piece together a set!)

If either of those is your starting point, you should definitely notice a difference!

Regards,

Steve

The car currently has 6x14 et35 e30 bottle cap alloys with 175/70r14 tires with a 390mm (~15 inch) Nardi steering wheel. I have a set of 5x13 tii steelies I want to put 165/80r13 rubber on (in part to) to reduce steering effort for my wife.

 

Back to the thread topic:

She often drives in the rain (I live in Portland) so the Vredestein Sprint Plus are out as I have heard they are not that great in the wet.

 

Basically the only other tire I can find in 165/80r13 (barring the $300 Michelin's) is the Maxxis MA-202 Chinese special.

 

My other options are the 185/70r13 Toyo Extensa or the 185/70r13 Falken Sincera at a pretty incredible $38 per tire in the Portland area. 

 

At this point I'm leaning towards the Falken due to price and brand name. Honestly there's probably not a huge difference between the three either way right.

Edited October 5, 2015 by Redtail

[gary]

What I originaly was trying to find is the

Highest Quality Tire

[Redtail]

What I originaly was trying to find is the

Highest Quality Tire

I think everyone (more or less) agrees that is the Michelin XAS but they're not cheap and not for everyone.