Tires, tires, tires

7006 messages, Last post on Oct 29, 2009 at 11:24 AM

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What is this discussion about? Tires, Wheels, Steering

Edmund's Feature Article: Tire Safety: Don't Ignore the Rubber on the Road

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#21 of 7006 General Tire Ameri-G4S? by olegphil Apr 07, 2000 (6:34 pm)
Are they any good? How do they compare to the cheapest Michelins that are available at SAM's club? Replies to this message: btenvy1 (May 21, 2005 12:42 pm) dwray47 (Apr 13, 2006 4:10 pm)
#22 of 7006 Anything good in 13" size? by olegphil Apr 11, 2000 (1:43 pm)
I'm looking for tires for my wife's Corolla and it appeares that my choices in 13" are singnificantly limited, even comparing to '96 when I bought the current set of Michelin X-Radials. Any suggestions? Replies to this message: tireandservice (Aug 21, 2009 5:15 am)
#23 of 7006 penskesouth2 17" Regal GS tires by loyola Apr 12, 2000 (5:01 am)
The comp T/A ZR tires are highly recommended... quiet, outstanding dry/wet traction, but expensive and wears fast (200 treadwear rating, please correct me if I'm wrong). Believe me,I"ve been using them on my 92 Camry with 17" Fittipaldi Polaris wheels since 1996. I tried 225/45ZR17 and 235/45ZR17 with both oustanding results but I will say again,,, EXPENSIVE! Discount Tire charges me around $170 per on the 235's. For a pair, installed, balanced, tax...totals almost $380. If you want the same ultra-hi performance as the comp T/A try the FALKEN ZE-502 (300 treadwear!) they only 117 each and total job costs for a pair is (drum roll!!) ....$270 down here in San Diego. A savings of $100. Try them at falkentire.com
#24 of 7006 Help with Old Tire Sizing by akashino Apr 17, 2000 (2:53 am)
I'm rebuilding a 1979 Suzuki LJ80 4x4. Sucker has a .8 litre (Yes, a POINT EIGHT Litre) 4 cylinder, but even weirder is the tire size. The tire size is FR78-15. I think the 15 is the rim size, but what the heck is the FR78???? Can anybody tell me what replacement size I need???? Thanks in advance !!!!
#25 of 7006 old tire sizes by heng Apr 17, 2000 (10:04 pm)
Man that brings back memories! FR78-15s, I doubt those were the originals on that Suzuki because that is what I had on a '78 Olds Omega (same as Chevy Nova) and it was a 3500 lb car. 15 is the rim size as you figured out, 78 is the sidewall ratio (like 70, 60, 65, etc), F is the load rating and R means its a radial. Any tire dealer can give you the translation to modern tire sizing. But somewhere in your car should be a sticker giving the tire size the mfgr put on.
#26 of 7006 Oooops, Heng, I forgot !!! by akashino Apr 18, 2000 (1:14 am)
The Suzuki Service Manual mentions that the 1979 model came with FR78-15's and the 1980 model came with 165SR15's. What does your memory tell you (or anyone for that matter) what a 165SR15 means?????? Thanx in advance.
#27 of 7006 FR78s on Suzuki by heng Apr 18, 2000 (10:13 pm)
The 165 is the width (ie 205), 15 is the rim, S is the speed rating, R means radial. It probably is an 80 aspect ratio (ie 78 on the FRs). Akashino - you shouldn't calculate the diameters since 2 manufacturers of the same size tire would have different diameters. You need the mfgr's number for the specific tire. But if you just want to estimate the difference, I also estimate less than a .25 inch difference in tire diameters which is a 1% difference. It doesn't matter. I agree with the rec to use 215/70s.
#28 of 7006 FR7815 by tireguy Apr 20, 2000 (8:54 pm)
Akashino Heng is correct in everything he told you. But the FR78-15 is actually closer in size to a 195/75R15. Heng is also correct that you can't accurately calculate the dimensions of a specific size because production dimensions vary among manufacturers. For example, stand a General G4S next to a Michelin X-One of the same size. The Michelin will look as though it is a whole size larger. Consult the data sheets available at most websites for exact dimensions of specific tires. If you can't find one, ask to see it at the tire dealer. In addition to dimensions, it will also show load capacities and acceptable rim widths. This is an issue if your stock rims are less than 6 inches wide. I don't know how precise you want this rebuild/restoration to be, but if you are seeking the original 165SR15s, you will have no problem finding them becuase this tire size was O.E. on the ubiquitous old Beetle. However, it would behoove you to purchase a larger, more driveable tire, such as a 205/70R15. I wouldn't recommend anything as large as the 215/70R15, since this is 25% larger than the original 165. If you think your .8 liter is puny with the stock tires, imagine how it will perform with larger tires. If you don't care if it takes you half an hour to go from 0-60mph (if it even goes that fast), most 15" SUV type tires start at size 205/75R15.
#29 of 7006 Tireguy.... by akashino Apr 21, 2000 (4:50 am)
Thanks for the info! My model year came with the Bridgestone FR78-15's (1979) which are still on the trucklet after 21 years. I wouldn't dare take them on the road though. The following model year(1980) came with 165SR15's. I'd like to keep it original so should I go with the 195's? Do they come in a truck tire? If not, will the 205's seriously affect (joke) performance? I remember when I drove the beast 16 to 21 years ago, I could go 65 mph with a good tail wind and hit 70 if I had a good tail wind and a cliff.
#30 of 7006 for the folks by xorbtant Apr 23, 2000 (6:24 am)
Loyola: you got ripped off! and Falken? Why don't you just go buy a set of k mart tires while you are at it. Projectzx3: I totally agree with you. caprirooster: Michelins are good and the MXV4's will do just fine. I got 70k off my michelin MXV4's.