Suitable Tires for Lotus Seven 13" 5-1/2J Steel Wheels

[EdWills]

Perhaps specifically for Lotus Seven owners on this forum regarding cars fitted with 13 inch rims. 

 

What are your preferred tire manufacturers using 175-70 R13 or 165-70 R13 profile?  Or, as some Lotus Seven owners (and possibly as Lotus themselves originally advised as a possibility for the Series 3), using 185-70 R13 as an alternative option to 165s on the 5-1/2 J Cortina steel rim. 

 

Also, a tire (tyre) company in the U.K. that sells tires mainly for sports cars, advises to use Michelin inner tubes inside the Pirellis, Michelins and others that they carry.  The previous owner of my car (in Canada) used inner tubes with the Pirelli Cinturatos, and neither of us experienced any problems - especially him - when he was racing and slaloming the car.  He installed 185-70 R13s on the 5-1/2 J Cortina steel rims, but I wonder - for road use - if 175s would be a better compromise?  Any thoughts and advice is much appreciated. W

[MV8]

The recommendation for tubes makes sense because, as we all know, "sports cars" have wire wheels.

A tube holds air much longer than tubeless, no matter then rim type but are a must have for wire wheels that are full of holes and the rubber bands just protect the tube from the spoke ends. Since talc is no longer in baby powder, "tire talc" is available. I use a generous dusting of kaolin clay in the tire and all over the tube. Corn starch is a poor substitute.

I've used those sizes and 155-13 as well (5 inch rim on an 1800# car). The differences are not massive, but I'd go with 175-70 for a 5.5 wide rim unless slightly lower cruise rpm is important to you and a little more feedback from uneven surfaces (increased scrub radius) is not.

[wdb]

(I had cars with wire wheels for many years. Never used a tube. Maybe I was lucky?) 

 

I'm going through a similar exercise with my Elan. The previous owner had fitted 175-70R13 all season tires to the car's 4-1/2" rims. I have never driven any other Elan so I don't have a basis for comparison, but the handling is a good bit more vague than I expected and I wonder how much the tires have to do with that. The cars originally had 155R13's. I can understand why more tire width can seem like a universally good thing, but responsiveness and lower unsprung weight are good things too.

[IamScotticus]

1 hour ago, wdb said:

but responsiveness and lower unsprung weight are good things too.

Yes. more pounds per contact sq inch.  Which in a 1,200 Lb car, shouldn't be spread too thin.  Not on a road anyway. But then, low pressure wide tires can absorb a lot of bounce and vibration.  Marshmallow wheels. 

Edited March 16 by IamScotticus

[IamScotticus]

My notes when I was looking for tall 4-5"x13 rubber.

 

4x13" 22" OD

Smallest widths I found are 125, 145, 155

 

Dunlop SP Sport Aquajet 155HR13

155 R13 78H= 22.76" OD

 

Coker Firestone F560 (Summitt has them)

 

Coker Tire $125

145/80R13

PN# 00842199100037

Aspect 80 =22.29" OD

 

FF Rubber

Dunlop Racing "Formula Ford"

F: 135/545R13 CR82

R: 165/580 R13 CR82

 

Dunlop Racing "Formula Ford" tires (135/545-13 CR82 front, 165/580-13 CR82 rear).

 

Continental"ContiEcoContact 3" 165/70R13 79T

 

Michelin 155 HR 13

 

Apologies for any inaccuracies,  most of this is cut and paste.

 

Edited March 16 by IamScotticus

[EdWills]

Thanks all for the responses so far.  I watched some Ytube videos from a forum member on usa7s who is rebuilding his Lotus Seven Series 4, and he wrote to me and suggested Vredestein? tires.  I checked their site, but could not find the ones he suggested.  Another Series 4 owner originally selling his car on Simple Sevens, suggested BF Goodrich mud and snow tires.  Cheers Scott, I really like the look of the Dunlops (for FF), but I understand that these are cross-ply tires, and someone suggested in another forum that these would not be best for roadwork?  I am looking at the Pirellis, and a set of 5 from the U.K.- with inner tubes - would suit my purposes.  Could not find a dealer in Canada selling 13 inch size when I last checked.  I am guessing that 13" tire size is now rather old hat and becoming rarer?  Older Miatas possibly used this size, and of course a wide range of Brit cars used them.  Thank you MV8 for confirming the 175 size.  W.

[JohnCh]

@EdWills, is the UK dealer Longstone and are the Pirellis you've mentioned the CN36?  If so, I've heard very good things about both.  I am running the Michelin XAS FF on the Elan (expensive, but great option for @wdb) but would have also considered the CN36 if it was available in the 155/13 size I needed.  

[IamScotticus]

1 hour ago, EdWills said:

could not find the ones he suggested

Well, put it here and we will try to help 

But you did say "suitable".

I have more suggestions in 185s.  More later..

Or are you wanting to stay closer to 155mm?

Edited March 16 by IamScotticus

[MV8]

3 hours ago, wdb said:

(I had cars with wire wheels for many years. Never used a tube. Maybe I was lucky?)

 

 I guess so. There have been wire wheels that were intended to be tubeless, by bonding rubber over the spoke nipples but that too, eventually fails plus no way to adjust tension without breaking the seal. They also have a bead retention shoulder made more important when running low pressure and tubeless. That may be why they recomend tubes. The area of the tubeless tire sidewall is the clamp to the bead, so low profiles combined with low pressure can turn ugly fast if you hit a pot hole.

Edited March 16 by MV8

[EdWills]

2 hours ago, JohnCh said:

@EdWills, is the UK dealer Longstone and are the Pirellis you've mentioned the CN36?  If so, I've heard very good things about both.  I am running the Michelin XAS FF on the Elan (expensive, but great option for @wdb) but would have also considered the CN36 if it was available in the 155/13 size I needed.  

Hi John.

Correct.  Longstone has quite a good assortment of tires, and the price for the Pirellis and tubes seems reasonable considering other alternatives. Not sure what the cost of courier is yet, and the pound is creeping up against the Canadian dollar. I don't mind trying the Goodrich tires, as I have always heard good things from owners specifically regarding their snow/mud winter tires.  Naturally being of a softer compound, they will wear faster than all season tires, but for the probable better grip (and driving a Seven in Alberta is maybe a 6 month option only - @jbcollier may have a better take on this?) they may be worth it.  Just a bit of useless information, but the government in British Columbia, Canada, ran winter tires all year round on the government vehicles (possibly in the mountainous areas mainly?) replacing them in the fall - if they were at minimum tread allowance - with new ones.  They reckoned it was cheaper than buying 2 sets - all seasons plus winters, and having to either change them on to the same rims, or storing each set on their own rims when not in use.  And more useless info. In Alberta, there is nothing in the Highway Traffic Act to mandate when studded tires have to be removed, or when they are allowed to be fitted to a vehicle.  Not many drivers here fit studded or winter tires, and this may account for the number of collisions we experience in the winter. Even some car rental companies charge more per day to rent a vehicle with winters only fitted. Winters plus studs do work better than all seasons in our climate, and I use them faithfully, removing them in April normally.. W.

Edited March 16 by EdWills

[wdb]

Lucas Tire sells the Pirellis in the US (and Canada?).

 

https://lucasclassictires.com/

[jbcollier]

I bought the Pirellis for my Seven from Longstone.  Came quickly and all five spun up nice and true, and took very little weight to balance.  I like the tire but have no seat time in the car on anything else.  I also chose "fat" 165R13s -- at least they were considered "fat" in the 1969!  I'm not racing and am just enjoying the car as designed.

 

The Edmonton Police just run winters all year round.  Saves money in the long haul and doesn't compromise safety too much though I wouldn't line up for a long, high speed chase in summer with winters on.

 

Studded tires?  That's a tough one.  Under certain conditions they are known to "skate".  Back in the old days when rubber was uselessly hard in winter, you bet, studded all the way.  Now?  I'm not convinced though I admit that every winter I have at least one sphincter-puckering moment where I revisit/regret my decision!