I finally bought new wheels for my 3W and now need to find the right front tires. The wheels I bought are the polished Halibrand look-alikes and I have 15 X 4 /12" in the front and 15 X 8 in the rears. I like my rear tires I have on the car so will re-use them on the new wheels. But I want new fronts as I always thought my front tires looked too big (Dunlops 165R15). The best I have found by looking at pictures are in the Coker catalog and are Michelin ZX 135R15. I thought before I purchased anything I would ask Hambers for advice on what they have used and see if maybe even some had some pictures. Thanks in advance for any help! CD
I will be watching this, my 40 with a MII and dropped spindles is 4-6 weeks from being on the road, and I still need front tires. Most retailers (canada & US) are telling me that they no longer make the 165R15. And yes Coker has them if I want them with a white walls. I should mention that the rims for the front are 15x4.5.
Just be sure you check the weight rating for the size you are using! What looks cool for a 1/4 mile doesn't equate to any distance driving. Safety is job #1
Corndog, We have a couple options if you think the 165R15 looks too big: 145R15 Firestone F560 OD 24.3 and $62.00 each 145R15 Michelin XZX OD 24.3 and $142.00 each 135R15 Firestone F560 OD 23.57 and $60.00 each 135R15 Michelin ZX OD 23.5 and $133.00 each Let me know if I can help further. Jess Hoodenpyle Vice President - Sales and Customer Service Coker Tire Company 1317 Chestnut Street Chattanooga, TN 37402 Toll Free: 1-800-251-6336
Might want to double check the load rating on the 135R15's those are made for little european cars. Also see them on the front of lowered VW bugs.
If you're going radials, there's 3 tires that I know of in these sizes... This experience comes from Porsche 356s so YMMV. First, Vredesteins. They're pretty good tires, and look period correct. I have driven on them and they're not bad at all, good grip, tread pattern doesn't look like it belongs on a modern car. Second, Michelin ZX or XZXs. The ZX came out in 67, the XZX in mid 70s. These also have a tread pattern that looks closer to correct than a modern tire. There's also a Michelin XAS that comes in a 165R15, but they're very expensive IIRC and the Vredesteins and Pirellis worked better. Then there's the F-560 Firestone. These have better traction than the ZX/XZX, cost less and are a LOT better in the wet. The downside is, the tread pattern wouldn't look out of place on a Camry. The best choice, IMO, is the Pirelli Cincurato, I think it's the CA67, these come in a 155R15 but there's two good things about it, first they al;most look like bias plys, more so than any other radial I have ever seen, and second they're high performance rated, H speed rated if I recall. These grip well in the dry and are OK in the wet, the Vredestein was a bit better, the F560 much better. Universal carries these IIRC and they also cost a lot, over $200 each. I used to drive a 356 Daily, rain or shine in Florida and that meant driving home from work in 70-80mph traffic in the rain. Hope this helps.
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