Will 165s fit ?

[reb53]

The tyre hunt is still on and in order to give myself another few options thought I could go with 165s on my Sprint.
Standard wheels, standard body.
Don't care about speedo changes etc, just want them to fit.
Any reason why they won't ?
There are also some 155/65/13s around. What will be the effect of the lower profile on general handling ?Anything ?

Tyre choice is extremely limited as you know, but especially so here in NZ, so suspect I'll still be looking at the best of a bad bunch of "economy" tyres.
Never dreamt that the reason I've kept the car for 40 years would slowly be eroded through lack of suitable tyres.....

Ralph.

[rgh0]

165/70 x 13 should fit OK on your standard rims with standard body. The may however be a little to close on the standard spring platform on the strut and can rub in corners as the tyre deflects inwards. A little work with a hammer to flatten the platform where closest to the tyre should work if necessary. Alternatively fit smaller diameter springs and platforms on the strut. If your body is not totally square on the chassis you may also need to take a little off the lip in the wheel opening on the side closest to the tyre.

cheers
Rohan

[reb53]

Thanks Rohan, I feel happier about that now.
Meanwhile the search is slowly expanding, and has currently reached Oz.......

Cheers
Ralph.

[el-saturn]

ralph - i?d suggest a modern tyre: yokohama 175 60 13! i have a stock S3 body and they fit perfectly! all of the other tyres are meant for (at least here) 140 Ks an hour (=tyres for "disabled cars) max. 36 4982 sandy

[rgh0]

Hi Sandy - What wheels do you run? I also use 175/60 x 13 but you really need a wider wheel ( I use 5.5 inch) and you need narrow spring seats and the right wheel offset. Ralph is running standard Elan 4.5 inch wheels and I believe these are to narrow for 175/60 plus the standard Elan wheels will crack sooner rather than later with these modern sticky tyres such as Yoko A-048R and the extra side loads they generate

cheers
Rohan

[Gordon Sauer]

My 165 on my S3 dhc did scrub inner wheel well when steering and made themselves a cut out in the fiberglass and on the rear the spring perch cut a groove in the tire inner sidewall Gordon Sauer

[bill308]

The standard wheel/tire for my 66 S2 SE was a 155R13 on 4.5-inch knock offs. Do you think 165R13 XAS FF on 5-inch Panasport knock offs would fit?

Bill