Turbo Flares - 13" Tires / Wheels

[tarheelbob]

Ok, I have hesitated posting this for a while because, you know...wheels and tires.. Yes. I have read the Tires and Wheels Fitment Guide and the "Stance" Thread (all 95 pages), but I have missed the specifics I need for a possible 13" wheel / tire combo for my 1976. I have full Turbo flares with cut away and welded/finished fenders. It will have Bilstein B6's all around and H&R Sport Springs. I am looking to fill out the flares and avoid any fitment nastiness. My easy path is going with a 15x7 et12 wheel with 205/50-15's to give me something like this (which has that exact combo, including springs and shocks):

 

 

Pro's - More wheel choices and significantly better selection of modern performance-oriented rubber.

Con's - it doesn't look like this:

 

Starting with 13" options, what offset do I need to consider for a 13x6 or 13x6.5 fitment for my set-up? This is the information I cannot put my hands on. I have found very few wheel choices in these sizes, but the search continues. Also, should I be looking at 185/70-13 or up to 205/60-13 tires? Looking for all input on steering effort, rubbing concerns, ET range, spacers needed(?).

 

The gumball learning curve goes on. Thanks for your patience, and I am looking forward to any feedback.

 

- Bob

[TobyB]

ET0 worked well with my car with 6" 13's, when it had turbo flares on it,

but that let me easily run a 205-60-13 RA1, which is a really big tire for its dimensions

(as in, Toyo makes their race rubber larger than their street rubber)

 

t

[tarheelbob]

@TobyB, thanks. That's the first reference to an ET0 I remember on here. When I modeled them one a Rim & Tire Size Calculator, it appeared to be a good offset choice but I was definitely not basing that on any of my '02 experience. Appreciated.

 

- Bob

[Mike Self]

Have you considered a compromise on rim diameter by using a 14 x 6 (6 1/2?) basketweave from an E30?  Proper offset, easy to find, not terribly expensive and period looking.  

 

mike

[Pdxguy]

49 minutes ago, Mike Self said:

Have you considered a compromise on rim diameter by using a 14 x 6 (6 1/2?) basketweave from an E30?  Proper offset, easy to find, not terribly expensive and period looking.  

 

mike

Aren't 14 inch tire options limited?

 

Dennis

[tarheelbob]

1 hour ago, Mike Self said:

Have you considered a compromise on rim diameter by using a 14 x 6 (6 1/2?) basketweave from an E30?  Proper offset, easy to find, not terribly expensive and period looking.  

 

mike

Mike, this is a good example of where I run into questions. When you say "proper offset", are you referring to a stock configuration? I ask because I have 14x6 bottlecaps now with the standard ET35 offset and they sit well under the car and work well with stock fenders. They look ridiculous under the flares, like a G-scale train running on narrow HO-scale tracks. I'd love to give the E30 basketweaves a look, but do they have a low enough offset to fill out the flares? Spacers, maybe?

 

- Bob

[visionaut]

I’ll try to calculate backward.

 

A 7” wide et25 wheel with a 205 width tire fits a stock body 2002 with some likely minor fender rolling. This means that puts the tire at the fender lip.

 

A turbo flare lip sits ~1.75 - 2.0 inches outward from the stock fender . So a tire than sticks out 1.5-1.75” farther will fit. (yes that means an 8” et12 wide wheel easily fits, or a 225 width tire, or a 7” et 0 to et -12 wheel, etc.)

 

IMO, the purpose of flares is to be able to run wider wheels/tires. Add a 4” flare to fit 3-4” wider meat.  I think it looks funny to use flares just to increase the track width of stock fender size tires., but that’s me.

 

So just FYI, you can go WAAAY more aggressive in wheel & tire width… 6” lol

 

Edited April 13 by visionaut
Typo

[tarheelbob]

@visionaut Thanks. These kind of mental meanderings are exactly how I've been approaching this. I'm with you. Just want to make sure I don't miss something in the greater 2002 wisdom files and do something regrettable.

 

Hmmm, 13x7's. Meaty......

 

- Bob

[Mike G]

I’d look at 13x8 0 offset, if you can find tires 

Edited April 13 by Mike G

[BimmerRover]

My old Malaga - IE flares, 0 offset 

 

[TobyB]

13x7 0 offset works, too.  I've run that.  Not wider, as that was the E Prod spec back when I was running them.

I'm sure a 13x8 would work, too, as the numbers work out just about perfectly, but I'm not sure you could run

much wider than a 205 tire.  Also, the 205-60 was still readily available in race rubber last I looked (which was some time back, now)

 

The 10" cantilevers also worked on the 7" rims, but the turbo flares left at that point for some 4" fender extensions.

I think I ran about an ET-20 (20mm out) or so rim to use those 13's.

 

t

wider is better IF you can get the whole patch to touch... which gets hard as things get wide.

[tarheelbob]

20 minutes ago, BimmerRover said:

My old Malaga - IE flares, 0 offset 

 

Dang. Yours looks a lot chunkier (in a good way 😆) than my old '72 Malaga. What wheel size / width?

 

- Bob

[visionaut]

These SSRs are drool-worthy…

🫠

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/145666991110