185/70 x 13 tires

[BarryA]

This may be of some benefit to those folks who are keeping their cars near stock / period correct and are continuing to run 13" wheels, but have had difficulty finding appropriate 13" tires (I got hugely frustrated trying to find more or less period correct 185/70x13's for my '69 with 5.5" Ronal alloys before selling it a couple of years ago).

 

Last night, I ran across an ad for Lucas Classic Tire in a recent Hemmings Classic Car magazine - ad said they carry 185/70x13 Pirelli Cinturato CN 36's (http://www.lucasclassictires.com/185-70VR13-PIRELLI-CINTURATO-CN36-1857013CN36.htm?categoryId=-1) - not real cheap @ $149 per tire, but they are period correct, and a whole lot less than Coker wants for Michelin XDX's ($343 per tire).

[zinz]

They do look very nice...

 

 

[markmac]

FYI, there is an extensive thread here on the same subject, 4 or so pages long......and you don't need tubes.....

[Preyupy]

I think they are even less expensive from Longstone Tyres in England http://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/ they ship to the US (usually 3-4 days delivery time) 

[2002#3]

Here is the aforementioned CN36 discussion:  

...and the finished product.  These are from Longstone.

 

Larry

 

[JohnS]

Longstone was such a pleasure to deal with ($135 per tire shipped free).  I wonder what the wear rating on these tires are?  Couldn't find any wear rating data on the tires or on the web.  After driving on them for a couple of weekend drives I assume that they are fairly soft.  We'll see.  I absolutely love driving on em!  

I spent more $'s on the tires for my '95 Suburban, so these seem relatively cheap.  Cheers,

John

 

  

Edited June 22, 2017 by JohnS

[John76]

The '76 stock tires were 165 HR 13 Michelin XAS (asymmetrical) on 13 x 5" rims.

I have the original spare (never used) that is pictured for comparison to the new 185/70 R13 Prime Well tires I found at Wheel Works.

Benefits:

1)185/70 R13's on 5" rims make the speedometer very accurate ( the 165's  made the speedo read about 3mph too fast)

2) Noticeable difference in handling....much better in the fast curves.

3) Quiet, comfortable ride. Steers perfectly straight with no vibration.

4) 55K mile warranty

5) Only $48 each!

Drawbacks:

1) A bit heavier steering feel when parking....especially with a small diameter steering wheel.

2) "S" speed rating, not "H".....but who drives over 112mph on public roads?

[Conserv]

As of today, from Longstone, the CN36's (185/70) are $135, the XDX's (185/70) are $174, and the XAS's (165/80) are $212.  Shipping to the U.S. is free.  Given that the XAS was historically half the price of an XDX, this is an odd situation.  And even diehard XAS/originality fans are re-thinking their strategy....?

 

I don't know if Pirelli uses the same philosophy as Michelin with respect to their classic tire re-pops:  re-use the old molds but use modern rubber compounds.  I'd guess the approach is likely the same, but I have nothing to base that assumption on.

 

I, too, believe the CN36's and XDX's offer exceptional grip (for a 185/70-13 tire, designed 40+ years ago), but at the expense of relatively rapid wear.  Expect 10,000 to 20,000 miles of service, depending on how you drive -- and assuming you're not using these on the track.  Given the 2,000 to 3,000 miles I drive the '02's annually, the tires would "age out" around the time they "wear out" -- not a bad answer.

 

Do you think I'll need to roll my fender lips for 185/70 tires on big fat 5.5" Campy's?  ?  I'm kidding!

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

Edited June 22, 2017 by Conserv

[eurotrash]

I have combed over this site several times over the years..  I love the vintage meats. 

http://classic.michelin.com/en/Classic-Tyre-range

 

Those Perelli's remind me of these Contenentals TTs. I love the pattern. 

 

Edited June 22, 2017 by eurotrash

[JohnS]

There's a .PDF with a review of various classic Porsche tires on the Longstone site.  The Pirelli CN36 came out on top, with the Vredestein Sprint Classic a close 2nd.

 

Here's the link:  http://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/page/classic-porsche-tyres