Non-standard tyre choice

[JeffP]

I'm looking for tyres for my '69 Elan Plus2. I believe that 165/80/13 is the equivalent size for the standard 165 HR 13 and that the options in North America are Michelin XAS or Pirelli CN36 - both options are quire pricey and difficult to obtain.

Which size is the better alternative 175/70/13 or 175/65/13 both sizes appear to be relatively easy to obtain and are half the price of the Michelins.

Thank you.

[h20hamelan]

You will be happy with either
Taller is more cushion in pot-holes etc
Most/all tyres you will find at Canadian Tire or PMC etc, are designed and engineered for Kia Hyundai passenger 3,000lb car carrying 5,000lbs
Your car would never carry more than 2,000lbs

I go for winter tyres as the compound is soft and sticky, good siping for water dissipation. But, some have square shoulders, some more round. Not all 175 are the same, nor are 65’s or 70’s. Every country and manufacturer are different.

[mbell]

Imo you'll be very lucky to find a good suitable high performance tire in either size. Your choosing between cheap tires for cheap low performance cars and they're not good for a +2.

Have you priced the cn36 from longstones? I bought some from the US, free shipping and no vat. At that point it made them only 50% more than the random no name tires available in the US. But I think they have gone up a bit since then.

Still worth spending the money imo.

[h20hamelan]

You being Ottawa, Lotus Club Canada. Ted Rance is Elan god & sports car club Canada is also based there.
2nd CN Pirelli, perfect tyre. I paid $660 pre covid, now $1,700.

There are also tyres for mini rx7 & others 13”
If you check rally tyre suppliers you will be happy

[Spyder fan]

Jeff,
175/70/13 tyres have an overall diameter of 22.6 inches. This is just over an inch shorter than the original pattern which was 165/82/13 (23.7 inches)

This is a useful online tool https://tiresize.com/tyre-size-calculator/

The problem with available 13 inch tyres is that most of them are now designed for vans, but there are a few available for cars. Hankook produce a reasonable car tyre whic is available in the US
https://www.prioritytire.com/by-brand/h ... ook=115165

This would be almost correct size. As for performance, they are not Pirelli P zero standard, but I would argue they are as good if not better than the original items from the 60’s.

[stugilmour]

Greetings from Calgary Jeff.

The Pirelli CN36 was recently discussed in another thread. These guys in California had them (165/80R13’s) in stock in July, so might be worth a call. I thought the price looked OK, but all depends on shipping I guess. I agree the Michelin’s appear out of reach on TireRack.

https://lucasclassictires.com/classic-v ... ze/165r13/

We recently discussed Canadian availability on our Lotus Car Club of BC mailing list. I think the new Plus 2 owner that was enquiring settled on CN36’s in 175/70R13, which appeared to be available online in Canada. I believe he just had his local tire shop order them in and install them. I don’t have a specific link to offer, but you may be able to find them with a search. eg this Canadian supplier came up in a quick search, although I have no direct experience….

https://grizzlytrucks.ca/tire/30158?nam ... urato-cn36

That said, I agree with Alan that the Plus 2 works better with 165/80R13’s. I am presently using Nankang tires in this size that are probably similar to the ones Alan linked to. They work fine, but unfortunately they are NLA right now. The stock tire offering I really miss is the Vredestein that Coker used to offer, sadly also NLA.

In the past I have had 175/70R13’s (Kuhmo IIRC), but I really prefer the stock size. The difference is subtle, but they feel different. Anyway, it is by definition a popular and long running debate. I remember in the ‘70’s a friend putting the then new & popular “low profile” Radial TA’s on his Plus 2 and reckoned it destroyed the handling.

Let us know how you make out. Personally I think I will be trying out the Pirelli in stock size when I need to replace the Nankang’s.

Stu in Cowtown