twobone Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 I'm looking for a north american source for a reasonable tire. All I can find are poor quality Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffee break Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 What type of tire are you after, all weather, dry, autox? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobone Posted July 17, 2014 Author Share Posted July 17, 2014 I want a road tire that holds up to aggressive cornering. I guess I should not worry too much given the light weight of the car, but I want a safe summer tire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitcat Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 (edited) I am running a Toyo R888 13x185x60 on the front of my car as a rain tire and backup track day tire. Wonderful tire: Doesn't give up a whole lot to the tiny little slick I usually run at the track. Performed admirably in the monsoon that we had at the se7ens event at NJMP 2 weeks ago. Edited July 17, 2014 by Kitcat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobone Posted July 17, 2014 Author Share Posted July 17, 2014 I have a nice set of 185/60/13 tires on now. I'm trying to raise my gearing thru the use of a higher aspect tire. If I go a step up, my highway revs drop by about 10%, which is a big plus for touring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xflow7 Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 (edited) 185/70R13 performance tires are basically impossible on this continent unless you bring them over yourself from an overseas supplier. And even then, they're typically not DOT approved, so not technically legal for road use here. But if you want to try that route, the Yoko A021 from some years ago is well-regarded on BlatChat as a performance road tire for Sevens. I had 185/70R13's that came on the car from new (and were junk) and I really wanted to stick with 185's if I could, but I just couldn't find anything in a 70 series and didn't want to sacrifice ground clearance. I ended up getting a set of 205/60R13's Toyo RA-1's for my classic. They have tons of stick. Probably a bit too much, actually, for the archaic front suspension on a Classic and stock springs/ARB's. But I'm happy with them. Not too spendy either at $125 a pop or something. The main thing is that I don't expect to get many miles out of them as they are really a competition tire (though DOT legal). I also considered the Vredstein Sprint Classic which is available in 205/60R13 as a longer-wearing road tire. But, as it seems to be marketed mainly to the vintage car crowd as a period-correct tire, I wasn't sure if it would have enough performance. It's also *way* more expensive. Dave Edited July 17, 2014 by xflow7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobone Posted July 17, 2014 Author Share Posted July 17, 2014 can you post me some picks of your car with those tires? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xflow7 Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Here are a few. Forgive the mess in the background and the crap focus of the last one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xcarguy Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Here are a few. Forgive the mess in the background and the crap . . . No mess. No crap. Just 'man' stuff. :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xflow7 Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 LOL. Yes, I suppose so. My fiancee busts my chops because we have this out-building which, at 30'x40', is *way* larger than I'd hoped to find when we were house-hunting and yet I've expanded to fill it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Nice garage Dave - when can we all move in and call it the USA7s clubhouse? :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S1Steve Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Whats up Dave..... 30'x40' is going to be fun to fill up. I'm always looking for a bigger" Man's World" Enjoy it, Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobone Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share Posted July 22, 2014 thanks for the pics! Is your steering a lot heavier with the big tires? Any rubbing on hard cornering? Do you have a 4 speed or a 5 speed? How did the change in tires affect your cruising revs on back roads or on the highway. Are you findings any difference? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xflow7 Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I haven't noticed much change in steering effort. It's a bit harder to crank the wheel when parking, but is not objectionable. I have a 5-spd with the "standard" (i.e. too short) 1st gear and a 3.62:1 diff. The nominal diameter is quite close to a 185/70-R13; 22.7" vs. 23.2" or about 2.2% smaller. So if your current highway cruise is 3k rpm, now it would be nominally 3065 - again not enough to bother about, IMO. I haven't done any autocrossing or anything on these tires. But in spirited driving I haven't had any problems with rubbing. Here the slightly smaller diameter may actually be a help as my old tires would drag the clamshell edge if I really leaned on them with a passenger in the car. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xflow7 Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Mike. LOL, anytime everyone wants to trek to the middle of Vermont you're welcome. Although, it's true that between Doug Fraser (dougf) and I, Fairlee probably has the highest Seven-ownership rate in the country at better than 1 in 500 people. Steve, thanks. Life is good. I am enjoying the space while I have it and have an interesting project on the go in there. I'll start an OT thread on it to avoid derailing this thread. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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