Don,
I originally
had Avon 175SR13s on my car which have a diameter of 23.94", according to the
Roger Kraus Racing tire guide. I went to 185/70R13 Michelin ZXs when the Avons
wore out and have had them on the car for 21 years now. Obviously I don't put
many miles on my car on a yearly basis. The tires perform very well (at least
they did), even though they squeal a lot these days, and I don't drive in the
rain so the hardened rubber hasn't effected the handfling.
As Mike
Denman noted last year, using old tires isn't the best idea and I suspect mine
have deteriorated because they won't balance properly any more. A shaking
has built up slowly over the years making it less enjoyable to drive, so I
thought I should do something before I shake the car to pieces. There are
two problems with the 185/70R13s from my perspective. They don't fill
the wheel opening properly and they cause my speedometer to over-read. According
to the specs, they should only be 2/10" smaller than the originals but they look
much smaller than than that, either in actuallity (though I haven't actually
measured them) or as an optical illusion.
The
205/60HR14 on paper is slightly smaller than the ZX, so that isn't an
option. I reckon the larger 215/60HR14 would fill the wheel opening better and
correct the speedo problem as well, and they're only slightly larger than the
195/70HR13 which you use. The 225/55VR14 has the right diameter but it's too
wide.
My Cosmic
rims are not in very good condition. I've tried to polish them up but they still
look battered and dull. I need new rims in any event so I might as well have
what I want if they're available anywhere at a reasonable price. That's why I
was intrigued by your latest email about Pete Paulsen. I've sent a note off
enquiring about the possibility of accommodating the 4 x 3 3/4" PCD. At 15", the 205/55VR15
would be just about right and the Daytona in chrome wouldn't look bad at all.
As a final note, a
Canadian, Ted MacGregor, has a red 3 litre Ford. He used to live locally
before he moved out west. I've since heard he moved back to Ottawa but he hasn't
surfaced in years. Anyway, his car had very wide, low profile tires as I
remember and he said they handled very well. I guess the proof is in the pudding
as they say.
Regards,
Paul
-----Original Message-----
From: Don Lattimer [mailto:donlattimer@...]
Sent: May 6, 2003 6:59 PM
To: MarcosManiacs@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [MarcosManiacs] 100 Members !!Paul,Looks to me like 205/60R14 tires come the closest to the original 185/70R13 circumference, although a liitle more(215/60R14) would improve ground clearance a little.In my opinion, going to 14" isn't worth the price for 1/2" more tread width. I also like the looks of the 15" but you're right, "nothing is easy" or inexpensive!Minilites don't excite me either, especially in the 14" and 15" sizes. They "mini" for a reason. They look great on 13".The 195/70HR13 tires I have now ride nice (I don't race, yet!), are good in the rain, and fill the wheel well nicely. Guess I'll be satisfied for now but I'll keep looking for other options also. The UK guys have a lot of suggestions, just a matter of sorting them out. Although I like the looks of the 15", I have to keep in mind safety, handling, etc. when changing sizes of wheels and tires.Don#3m5759----- Original Message -----From: pauldransfield@...Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2003 12:28 PMSubject: RE: [MarcosManiacs] 100 Members !!Thanks for the info Don. I was in contact today with an outfit in the US which sells Panasport wheels, which look like minilites. They're a Lotus parts supplier with a web site at www.rdent.com. They sell the 14" wheels with a 3 3/4" PCD for $175 but apparently the hub of the 15" wheel will not accommodate the 3 3/4" bolt pattern. I could get the alloy hubs for the front and redo the rears at 4 1/4" but I'd then need 5 rims and tires instead of 4. Unfortunately I'm not that keen on the minilites and wanted something a little different. I like the look of some of the American Racing wheels but they don't appear to have anything for a 3 3/4" PCD. Nothing's ever easy, is it, though I now know there's at least one option available.The bottom line is I really like the look of 15" rims with 205/55VR15 tires but 14" rims with 215/60HR14s would be a lot easier to do. What do you think?Regards,Paul-----Original Message-----
From: Don Lattimer [mailto:donlattimer@...]
Sent: May 6, 2003 12:47 PM
To: MarcosManiacs@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [MarcosManiacs] 100 Members !!www.usacomp.com has "minilites" in just about any size you want.The Mantulas have the alloy hubs on the front with 4 1/4" PCD to match the rear. The pre-1972 cars had the rears redrilled to 3 3/4" PCD to match the front. So the Mantulas have much more choice when it comes to wheels.I've communicated with Chris in the UK and he currently runs 205/50-R15's all around but is going to switch to 195/55R15 in the front and 205/55R15 in the rear on his Mantula (with 4 1/4" PCD). He uses 15"x7" wheels with a 37mm offset.The USAComp site is a big help in figuring this out. The "minilites" run about $240/wheel.Don#3m5759----- Original Message -----From: markwoof92@...Sent: Monday, May 05, 2003 9:32 PMSubject: Re: [MarcosManiacs] 100 Members !!Paul,
After squeeling and sliding around the Thunderhill track on my 195/70/13s with the nice folks of the Volvo Club of America,I too am motivated to upgrade my wheel and tire setup and I did bit of poking around a bit and was told that Panastort rims might be of use to look into ,they are not cheap (about $250 each or so) but less costly than a new set of hubs and less expencive rims.I was told that they can drill the wheels at the factory to fit any bolt pattern.
Mike Denman hase a set of Panasports(14 inchers) so might want to check with him to get his oppinion.
A while back Don Lattimer was looking in to this very same subject.
Don?Any progress?
Regards,
Mark Petrinovich
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