Tire size for an 850???
- Thread starter Fiat4Fun
- Start date
Lowtechprime
Retro Grouch
There are 4 or 5 Great tires in 185/60 -13, if performance is the goal. If it's cheap, or snow then I don't know. Toyo R888 or R888r, Nankang AR1 , Yokohama AO52, or HF TypeD AOO8 or A539's,..,
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Fiat4Fun
True Classic
Thanks for the response,
I don't see who carries the Yokohama or others in the USA. I see the Michelin from the UK.....
I thought about these CN36 tires,
www.longstonetyres.co.uk
I check with Demon Tweaks, but they don't ship to the USA anymore. I was hoping to get the Federal tires that were available a few years back, but those have dried up.
I don't see who carries the Yokohama or others in the USA. I see the Michelin from the UK.....
I thought about these CN36 tires,
175/70 R13 PIRELLI CINTURATO CN36
The PIRELLI CINTURATO CN36 175/70 R13 is a great value tyre considering its quality, this set of 4 tyres makes them extra good value. We also have: Single 175/70 VR 13 PIRELLI CINTURATO CN36, Set of 5 off 175/70 R 13 PIRELLI CINTURATO CN36. 175/70 R 13 It is great news for classic car...
www.longstonetyres.co.uk
I check with Demon Tweaks, but they don't ship to the USA anymore. I was hoping to get the Federal tires that were available a few years back, but those have dried up.
Lowtechprime
Retro Grouch
Phills Tire service carries the Toyo's and Nankangs, I'm not sure who's got the Yokohama's, but I'm sure they can be found online. I would avoid Pirelli's. I haven't got any in a while, but in the past I always found them to dry out and crack in a very short time ... A bunch of guys here have gotten the Michelin's and while I don't think it's a good tire, they do speak very highly of them...
flaviaman
True Classic
175/70’s work great on my Sport Coupe, however the spare would not fit. I heartily recommend CN36’s as well as Longstone Tyre in the UK, pricing is very comparable to US outfits. Delivery is super quick - typically five days to the Western US.
I personally cannot see the benefit to going any larger in size unless you are seriously auto-crossing. There are many joys to driving a car on small tires and the suspension was never designed for the loading that a wide, modern tire can provide.
I personally cannot see the benefit to going any larger in size unless you are seriously auto-crossing. There are many joys to driving a car on small tires and the suspension was never designed for the loading that a wide, modern tire can provide.
ramona300
True Classic
I'm running Nankang AR1's in 185/70x13 on the front [205's on the rear] and they are very good. There are probably more tyre choices in 185/70x13 and it will help with the final drive ratios a bit. That size is also the front wheel tyre size for Formula Ford so you may have access to cheap slightly worn Yokohama AO48 in your area. They are really good on the 850 too. I don't carry a spare so I don't know if the spare fits.
Fiat4Fun
True Classic
Will check with Phil Tire Service and see what sizes they have available. Not using the car for any kind of racing or track. But not driving in the snow either. I just hate the idea of driving on my very old tires.........
Lowtechprime, what is the issue with the Michelin tires?
Lowtechprime, what is the issue with the Michelin tires?
Lowtechprime
Retro Grouch
It's not really AN issue, more like MY issue. I'm sure it's a perfectly fine tire .. I live in L.A. where it doesn't rain much, pretty smooth roads, and doesn't get that cold. My primary criteria for tire selection is Dry grip. I don't care how long they last, how they are in the wet, how loud they are or what they cost. At 240 treadwear the Exalto's just not sticky enough. Plus I don't think it's a very sporty looking tire, kind of what you might see on a cab, but that's just me. I like to run DOT competition tires and make sure to get them heat cycled before running them.(They last nearly twice as long on the street if you heat cycle them) On a heavy car like our Z3 M Coupe I run Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R's because at 3000 lbs it would chew through Comp tires in no time, but these Fiats are so light that wear isn't really a problem... Normally I'd run the Toyo's but they don't make it in 175/50-13 so I'm running the Nankang AR1's for the first time on the 128 now and so far they're awesome!
Dave Bassett
True Classic
This thread seems to bring us back to what wheel/tire combinations will fit in an 850 Spider's wheel wells. I, for one, am only interested in bolt-on combinations and will appreciate any suggestions.
Frank L. Di Gioia
True Classic
As far as "what's possible" on an 850 Spider I'd like to submit my former (on the way to Japan now) Car. As can be seen it's a STOCK BODY '67 that's slightly lowered. Former SCCA H-Production race car made (sort of) street legal. The wheels are SSR MK2 three piece alloy rims. Pretty much a copy of Gotti rims of the era. They are 15" x 7" and have a staggered offset. The bolt pattern is 4 x 100mm so wobble bolts were used along with alloy concentric rings. The tires were 195x55 and cleared the rear by a 1/4", the fronts were the same size and only had a slight inner well scrub at full lock in a parking lot. Springs were STIFF and had Koni adjustable shocks set on STIFF.
Attachments
johnph
True Classic
The original equipment size is 145SR13. I had 155SR13 Michelin ZX on my 68 850 Coupe. 1970 and later 850 Coupes/Spiders came with wheels which were 1/2" wider than on earlier 850 sport. Stock wheels need stock tire sizes. Wider tires will just make your 50hp car slower. Wider wheels and tires are usually heavier than the stock items. Heavier wheel/tires have higher rotating inertia which absorbs horsepower. If your 850 is pumped up and has so much power that the tires smoke when accelerating, you might benefit from wider wheels and tires. On an 850 coupe, no spare tire wider than 145SR13 will fit in the spare tire notch. Coker Tire sells the 145SR13 tires.
dllubin
Don
I would agree with the train of thought in general, but in the case of the X, the stock wheels are ridiculously heavy, not sure about the 850 wheels. My 145x4.5-13 stock wheels with 145/80-HR13 Michelin XAS tires along with the required stock wheel spacer weigh 25 lbs. By comparison, the Shelby 13x6-13 wheels (no spacer required) with 185/60-VR13 Yokohama AV60 tires weigh 23 lbs.
ramona300
True Classic
When I bought my Coupe in 1970 it came with Pirelli Cinturato's 145sr13 that lasted 6 months. It seems the stock tyre for new cars had a lot less tread than the same tyre sold aftermarket. I went to 155 XAS Michelins and they were fine though it took a little while to get used to them. They felt a little unsettling on initial turn-in. I still have one on a stock wheel hanging up in the shed! I think for road use a tyre with rounded shoulders would be a better around tyre. The ARI's I have are square shouldered and apply more thread to the road. Any of the budget tyres in the Fiat size will be a far superior tyre to what these cars came out with originally. The trick is to choose a tyre that will last no more than 5 years. If it's not a daily then tyre wear ratings under 200 are what you need.
Dave Bassett
True Classic
My guess is that there is general agreement that relatively stock Fiat 850s don't NEED wider wheel and tires. However, it seems that a fair number of owners WANT them, as this topic keeps reappearing.
kmead
Old enough to know better
As I wander along I know I will want a bit more tire under my 850, it will need a wider than 5.0 rim and will likely choose a 175/70 13 rather than the 185/60s a friend had under his Sports Coupe which tended to roll and exacerbate the jacking these cars tend to suffer under hard cornering. The CN36s now available would likely be a strong candidate given the rounded shoulder and tread wrap. I don‘t see anything more being necessary.
I know years ago Merkel had some serious rubber (205/60s on the back and I think 185/70s on the front) under his Abarth 1300 Coupe, he ended up changing them to something more period appropriate and was much happier. Gravedigger on his 850 sedan had some notable rubber under his car but had made some decent mods to accommodate them.
Given the limited horsepower a 850 generally delivers (aside from Graham’s car) putting too much tire under the car, particularly modern rubber which is much more capable than what came on mine in 1969, takes away much of what is fun about the handling of the car. Just my view.
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