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13 inch tire discussion


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This thread is dedicated to all of those who are still running stock 13 inch wheels on their EA.

 

I personally find that the white wagon style wheels are hard to beat for our old cars, and are something that scream 80's subaru. The problem, as we all know, is the decreasing list of brands and sizes available in 13".

 

I have found that the only viable option in my area is the Douglas Xtra Trac in 175/70/13. These are not the best quality, and a size too small for a 4wd ea.

 

I am currently running Cooper Cobra 185/70/13 raised white letters. These are far past their life expectancy, and getting thin. I was very happy when I found them used two summers back but they're getting worn.

 

I did like the 195/70 and the 205/60 for larger options, but those also seem to be out of style. 205/60s can still be had via eBay but are expensive and low quality.

 

Raised white letters seem to be a thing of the past.

 

So, I ask the community, where are you buying your tires, and what size?

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I also like running the stock 13". I was able to get a junker brat with 3 sets of tires and rims. About 8 of the tires were still good like brand new, 185x70x13  Some of the last tires I bought were from Les... and was able to get 185x80x13, but didn't notice any real difference,  My BRAT handles real well on 185x70.

 

I don't like that these tires are passenger car and also only 1 ply sidewall.

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I have a set of Mastercraft A/S IV 175-70-13 on mine. I'm not a big fan of mastercrap tires but they are about all thats avialable locally in 13". They are wearing well, are quiet and give decent traction. I'm looking at the firestone winterforce for the winter in the same size.

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I found these hercules raptis tr1 185/70r13 for a decent price. Hercules is made by Cooper. They are pretty quiet on the road and so far have handled everything I can throw at them. They aren't very agressive but do carry a M+S rating and handled my mud romp great yesterday!

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Those are nice tires; not sure about the 175 vs 185 though - 185 is stock, no?

 

 

My door tag says stock is 155/80-13 on my US spec 88 DL.  Discount Tire Direct recommended running 175/65-13 instead due to availability (they only listed like 3 brands in 155, all cheap chinese brands with low mileage wear, and about a dozen manufacturers in 175/65-13 with an average 50k mile wear).  If you look at the tire size calculator at miata.net you'll see its only a minor difference between the 2.  When I bought my car, it had 175's on it so that's what I ended up going with.  But 185's would honestly be the better choice if you want to keep your odometer and speedo reading as close to factory as possible (since it was originally calibrated for 155/80-13).

 

 

Tire Size Comparison

 

Specification  Sidewall  Radius  Diameter  Circumference  Revs/Mile  Difference155/80-13         4.9in  11.4in    22.8in         71.5in        886        0.0%175/65-13         4.5in  11.0in    22.0in         69.0in        919       -3.5%

And the difference between the 185 and 175 is

 

Tire Size Comparison

 

Specification  Sidewall  Radius  Diameter  Circumference  Revs/Mile  Difference175/65-13         4.5in  11.0in    22.0in         69.0in        919        0.0%185/65-13         4.7in  11.2in    22.5in         70.6in        898        2.3%

And for spits and giggles, heres the difference between 155/80-13 and 185/65-13:

 

 

Tire Size Comparison

 

Specification  Sidewall  Radius  Diameter  Circumference  Revs/Mile  Difference155/80-13         4.9in  11.4in    22.8in         71.5in        886        0.0%185/65-13         4.7in  11.2in    22.5in         70.6in        898       -1.3%
Edited by TheWanderer
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  • 1 year later...

I've been wanting about 6 to 8% higher gear ratio on my 93 Loyale 2wd 3AT - it does about 52 mph at 3000 rpm on flatland according to the speedo and tach,, right now it has  half worn 175/70 soooo.... I've driven myself half nutz trying to decide tween finding 14" rims or
taller 13's finally found these for $56 + shipping -- of course I bet the whitewalls will turn brown fast, maybe turn them around, or somehow paint the white wall GOLD?? - or better yet silver to match my paint (think I'm going nuts :)

Milestar MS75 Tire P175/80R13

http://www.tiresall.com/Product_1392.html#

 

Milestar MS75 Tire P175/80R13 at tiresall.com

Edited by Craigar
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