Topic: Where to get performance tires for our 13 inch wheels!?!?!

Hey guys, team Crash Test Zombies is in need of some help finding a good tire for our rims. Weve got the '84 RX-7 with the awesome 13 inch wheels. The only tires we could find were the Toyo Proxes. We were all under the impression you could run any tire as long as they werent slicks. Well this is what happens when you run 100 tread wear at Lemons:

http://i.imgur.com/FDlPs.jpg

So in doing some research, I have found my options seem to be... crappy rain tires... or 100> tread wear. Can you all help point us in the direction of a site or shop in the Bay area that can help us on tires?

Re: Where to get performance tires for our 13 inch wheels!?!?!

There isn't much left in 13's.  What is the full tire size you are looking for.

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Re: Where to get performance tires for our 13 inch wheels!?!?!

Buy 14 inch wheels.  I'll say it again... Buy 14 inch wheels.  Sell those things on ebay, or for scrap or whatever. 

Your tire options are nil.  Meanwhile at 14 theres a ton of different tires, including the best Lemons tire the Dunlop Direzza Z1 Star Spec.

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Re: Where to get performance tires for our 13 inch wheels!?!?!

What they said up there... its true.

There are NO 13" options that fail to suck.

There are however 14 and 15" options.

If you are changing wheels I vote going to 15 and running 205/50/15 as they are more likely to be around for the life of your car. 14" tires may not be.

Daniel Sycks

Re: Where to get performance tires for our 13 inch wheels!?!?!

Fugedaboutit. The 13" is hopelessly obsolete.

Definitely move up to a more common wheel size.
14x6 is OK.

Better yet, go to a 15x6 and run a 195/50R15.  It's a fraction of an inch shorter than stock, and not likely to go obsolete in the immediate future.  Get the hubs redrilled to the more common 4x100 or 4x108 pattern.  Buy junkyard 15" wheels off SAAB, VW, Audi, most japanese stuff...

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Re: Where to get performance tires for our 13 inch wheels!?!?!

I have a set of old 175/50-13 a-008's I was going to be using on my mini - that project is sidelined. They have NO TWI - so you'll need to convince (easy) the judges that nothing exists for your crappy choice of tire size.
I think the set cost me $50. I'm in Sac and commute to SF twice a week.
Let me know.

Re: Where to get performance tires for our 13 inch wheels!?!?!

CrashTestZombies wrote:

So in doing some research, I have found my options seem to be... crappy rain tires... or 190> tread wear. Can you all help point us in the direction of a site or shop in the Bay area that can help us on tires?

FTFY.  wink

yep...swap to 14" or 15" wheels.

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"Winner" - We Got Screwed, NJMP '11

Re: Where to get performance tires for our 13 inch wheels!?!?!

I think the general consensus is HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

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Re: Where to get performance tires for our 13 inch wheels!?!?!

I have the same car and had the same problem. I looked at getting 14" and the options were slim so I ordered Diamond racing rims, the best deal around. I went 15" in because there are a lot more choices. You can look for the stock GSL-SE rims but they cost even more the the Diamond rims. There is also the option to do the 4x100 swap out but might equal the cost/time in getting the Diamond racing rims. I ordered my Diamond racing rims over 6 weeks ago and still have not heard a word form them about being done.

10 (edited by magpiemini 2011-11-09 02:37 PM)

Re: Where to get performance tires for our 13 inch wheels!?!?!

Continental Conti Sport Contact SPT 195/45R13 75 V rated - not cheap, treadwear 280

These are available but hard to find. GB Parts has them.

OOPS, sorry, I bought the last set from GB, thought he had more.

11 (edited by sublimate 2011-11-09 02:53 PM)

Re: Where to get performance tires for our 13 inch wheels!?!?!

205s:
http://www.frsport.com/Federal-170H3AFA … 21534.html
http://lsdmotorsports.com/prod/902232001060.html

-Victor

12 (edited by squirrelly_z600 2011-11-09 03:00 PM)

Re: Where to get performance tires for our 13 inch wheels!?!?!

Flash Racing wrote:

I went 15" in because there are a lot more choices. You can look for the stock GSL-SE rims but they cost even more the the Diamond rims.

GSL-SE rims alone won't help him because they are a different PCD at 4 on 114.3mm.  Swapping up to -SE parts is worth the trouble for the bigger brakes alone...not to mention the much more common PCD that lets you grab pretty good cheap rims off Mitsubishi Galants or Volvo V40s.  We went +5" on the Z600/RX7 from the stock 10" steel rims to 15" Volvo stuff for that reason.

Re: Where to get performance tires for our 13 inch wheels!?!?!

^^^^^

What they all said. Figure out which 14" Direzza star spec you want to run and find wheels that fit.

Maximum Efforts Motorsports
Mid-Engine Chevette
S-10 incoming...

Re: Where to get performance tires for our 13 inch wheels!?!?!

First gen rx7s have a 4 x 110mm bolt pattern.. very rare.  The GSL-SE version had 4 x 114.3 or 4 1/2"      The GSL-SE also had much larger brakes and bearings...   Swapping over to GSL-SE in the front involves strut assemblies (for the larger spindle) as the hub is integral with the rotor.   The rear axle is just as difficult as you have the change out the entire unit if your car is a 79 - 83 or an 84 - 85 with drum brakes.. If you have a 84-85 GSL with disc rear brakes you can just change out the axle shafts and hang the bigger brakes.    There is an endless supply of wheels for the 4 x 114.3 pattern.   

  Diamond and Circle make 15" wheels with the correct 4 x 110mm bolt pattern.   As stated above, you have to order them and it takes a while.   They are also heavy.

  Best bet-  Buy a set of bolt on wheel adapters for about $180 on fleabay.  get 'em about 25mm thick and have them adapt to 4 x 100.. you can then run any 15 x 7 wheel with 30 - 40 mm positive offset and end up just 'bout perfect.     4 X 100 is Miata, Honda, etc, etc...

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Re: Where to get performance tires for our 13 inch wheels!?!?!

I guess a few thoughts on wheel adapters......

We run wheel adapters on the Chevette for the same reason you might have to. Car came with 13's and we wanted to go to 14's for the tire choices. The bolt pattern is common but only on fwd cars which meant the offsets were terrible. We ended up running a 1.25" spacer/adapter to run saturn ion wheels.

Biggest challenge with cheap adapters is getting them centered because the cheapies tend to be universal and non hub centric. We had to spend a lot of time tightening, loosening, retightening, loosening, etc until they got centered "ok" on the hub. Even so, we had to come in a couple times at Loudon because they shook like hell on the straights. Eventually we got them centered up well enough where they were smooth as hell, but it was a pain. The plan for this winter is to machine a couple inserts and press them into the adapters to make them hubcentric with the Chevette hub.

Just a word of warning.

Maximum Efforts Motorsports
Mid-Engine Chevette
S-10 incoming...

Re: Where to get performance tires for our 13 inch wheels!?!?!

Get wheels that have enough meat in the center section to drill four more holes - as in blank-spaces where the lugs (would) go if you rotate them 45 degrees. Get them modded by someone like:
Precision Wheel Works
2552 Albatross Wy
Sacramento, CA 95815
(916) 641-7454

Or hook up with a good-ish machine shop an do them yourself (you needa keep the things on-center)
Or, if you are in the bay area, buy five or six of them (one or two to throw away) and bring them to my school shop and let one of my better students "practice" on them.
(SF City College machine shop, M & W nights)

Re: Where to get performance tires for our 13 inch wheels!?!?!

There is one option I just thought of.  Legend cars run 205/60/13's.  I am not sure what the TW rating is on them, but they must have a decent supply because there are hundreds, maybe thousands of Legends.  In fact, I just watched a bunch today running at Summit Point and I happened to look at the tire size they were running.

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Re: Where to get performance tires for our 13 inch wheels!?!?!

Federal 595
http://www.federaltire.com/en/html/pdet … 1&ID=1

KT

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Re: Where to get performance tires for our 13 inch wheels!?!?!

Our Fiat has 13-inch wheels, and last time we got Sumitomo HTR200s. They're OK tires, pretty grippy but seemed to get greasy when hot, not that we could go fast enough where that mattered.

Josh Poage
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Re: Where to get performance tires for our 13 inch wheels!?!?!

We had that issue and a) bought Sumitomo HTR200s and b) got some 15" steelies on CL for $30.  The latter was the better solution...

Re: Where to get performance tires for our 13 inch wheels!?!?!

After 2010 or so the 13" options just crashed.  The Sumitomo HTR200s were the last reasonable option and they have disappeared from our shores.  None of the new "B" segment cars use 13 inchers either.

I've got six good wheels that aren't useful for Lemons.

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Re: Where to get performance tires for our 13 inch wheels!?!?!

Casper_Milquetoast wrote:

After 2010 or so the 13" options just crashed.  The Sumitomo HTR200s were the last reasonable option and they have disappeared from our shores.  None of the new "B" segment cars use 13 inchers either.

I've got six good wheels that aren't useful for Lemons.

We're in even worse shape - the Fist uses 4x98 wheels, and unless I get some Lancia Beta wheels (wrong offset) or wheel adapters (I am scared of them), we're kind of screwed without pouring forth large amounts of cash.

Josh Poage
Poage Ma Thoin Racing - 1981 Fiat Brava #09 - 2009 Yee-haw It's Texas
Prison Break Racing - 1986 325e #27 - 2010 Gator-o-Rama
Poage Ma Thoin Racing - 1981 Fiat Brava #09 - 2011 Heaps in the Heart of Texas

Re: Where to get performance tires for our 13 inch wheels!?!?!

so you're racing a 30-year old Fiat and the thing that scares you is wheel adapters?

mike - Schumacher Taxi Service
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"Winner" - We Got Screwed, NJMP '11

Re: Where to get performance tires for our 13 inch wheels!?!?!

*lol* @ Buzz

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Re: Where to get performance tires for our 13 inch wheels!?!?!

I'm told the 205/60/13 Federal 595 is only available from a legends/600 racing dealer.  I think the suggested retail is $100 each for a 460 treadwear tire.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.