Best Tires for Stock Car, Fair Weather Driving Options

[Nogoodwithusernames]

Yes that would get spendy I would just buy the wheels and get new tires locally.

I was thinking these tires look decent and not too expensive. I don't think I want to go bigger than 195 since that will hopefully keep me from rubbing at all. Anyone have experience with these? The reviews seem good.
https://www.americastire.com/buy-tires/yoko...envigor/p/43478

[914forme]

Tirerack rating of the tires the Yokos are compaired with. Not bad not great.

[Dave_Darling]

BTW, 195s may still foul on one rear fender lip or the other. It depends; every 914 is a little different. That can usually be solved by pulling the fender out slightly and/or flattening or trimming the fender lip.

I think that 195s on stock wheels will generally rub some on the inner front fender when the steering is at full lock, aft of the shock tower. It's not usually a big deal, because if you've got the wheel that far over you are usually going fairly slowly, but it is something to keep in mind.

--DD

[poorsche914]

Here are some Mahles on the Samba

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)

[72 IXXIV]

Yes that would get spendy I would just buy the wheels and get new tires locally.

I was thinking these tires look decent and not too expensive. I don't think I want to go bigger than 195 since that will hopefully keep me from rubbing at all. Anyone have experience with these? The reviews seem good.
https://www.americastire.com/buy-tires/yoko...envigor/p/43478

I have these tires and I really like them. They are sticky but progressive. I've even driven them in the snow! Unfortunately the negative camber in the front of my car ate up the fronts in about 6k miles. But I'm not going to take the camber out just to save a $75 tire.

I find they feel the best at about 33psi all around. What pressures to other folks run?

[72 IXXIV]

Tirerack rating of the tires the Yokos are compaired with. Not bad not great.

looks like the Sumitomos are the best rated tire in that size...and the cheapest...

[thelogo]

Humor me for a minute bucause you guys have been around and seen it all so

Putting price and stickness or grip aside for a moment

What tire will last the longest ?


I have continental rear and nitto front and they are at least 8 years
Old , came on the car so who knows

So what is the most durable tire ?

[drifter914]

Greetings... I just bought new tires for my 914, ended with happy results, so far !
I have the 15" Fuch alloy rims & want to keep them, so was limited to that size range, obviously. Finally decided on the Yokohama S-Drive 205/55 R 15, which is, surprisingly, made in USA !
It's an aggressive looking tire, business like in the spirited driving venue. A more modern low profile, which is better for cornering, but provides slightly less ground clearance. Has a high speed rating, temp & traction ratings also. Looks like it was made for the 914, in my opinion. However, being a 205, looks a bit pudgy on the 5.5 " Fuchs rim. Height is 23.5", mounted, not 24" that Discount tire claims.
Price is a moderate $95. per tire, plus the usual M&B fees, etc. Oh yes... tread width is 7.5 " So far, I like it.

Here's some pics of the occasion... [attachmentid=634
165]

[Nogoodwithusernames]

I haven't found anything confirming this in my searching yet, but intuitively I would think the lug bolts for the Riviera alloys would be long enough to use with the Pedrini's I should be getting. Does anyone know for sure if that is the case?

[aharder]

I'm running with 195/60/15 Pirelli, Cinturato P3000
I've been very happy with these.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Tom_T]

I haven't found anything confirming this in my searching yet, but intuitively I would think the lug bolts for the Riviera alloys would be long enough to use with the Pedrini's I should be getting. Does anyone know for sure if that is the case?

It depends upon whether the PO used the longer alloy wheel bolts. If not, then Bruce Stone/bdstone &/or other members have sets of the alloy spec bolts.

You should also pull off one or all 4 of the Rivs to see if they are the 914 spec ET40 offset, or one of the VW spec offsets.

If not the 914 ET40, then you will have fitment problems (rubbing inner &/or outer fenders F &/or R) with anything but the OE spec 165HR15 (/80 profile), because the VW offsets push the tires/wheels in or out off the spec ET40.

For typical street pleasure & DD driving - especially in CA - the Vredstein Sprint Classic 165/80HR15 & the pricier period Michelin & Pirelli tires are fine.
IIRC Americas Tire & some other national/regional & local tire shops can order the Vreds for you.

For a bit more grip similar to the OEM "dog bone tread" Dunlop SP57 165HR15 (& period Semperit M401, M501), you might try out the Blockley tires from Lucas tires in Long Beach CA linked below.

http://www.lucasclassictires.com/165VR15-B...al-NOS-504p.htm
(I'm not seeing them new recent mfgr there now though, so call to ask)

For other 165/80HR15 (& VR) tires & the closest 185/70VR15 size:
http://www.lucasclassictires.com/165R15_c70.htm

As noted by others above, many 914s can't handle the 195/65HR15 size due to either rear fender rubbing, &/or rubbing on the front inner wheel wells on near-lock-to-lock turns (more so on 205s). Mine was one of those when I tried them back in the early 1980s, so I stuck with 165s.

The 185/70VR15 (or HR) are the closest tire up-size for minimal speedo/odometer error, & IIRC the 195/65R15 has an 8-10+% error. So if you use those or other different diameter tires, then you will end up with "ghost mileage" on your 914, which can negatively affect its value as higher mileage than actual.

You can use a tire size calculator to see the differences from the original 165/80R15 profile tires (the calculator in the 914 info section on here no longer works AFAIK).

https://www.tacomaworld.com/tirecalc

Bottom line, pick what you like & fits your intended use, needs & budget.

Good Luck! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
Tom
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[Dougal Cawley]

Hi

Can i suggest that the majority of replys to this post, have not been recomending the best tyre.

Could i suggest taking into consideration what Porsche say https://docs.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url...-ab-klassik.pdf and going for the CN36

Also here is a German report on the tyres https://docs.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url...sic-article.pdf

The car will not handle so well on modern tyre carcasses unless you heavily modify the car.

[horizontally-opposed]

Man, the pics above remind me just how much I love the look of 205/55R15 tires on a narrow-body 914. Ran a set of BFG Comp T/A3s for years in that size, and the car handled and rode beautifully. Looked great, too.

I've been through a lot of sets of tires in the last ten years trying to find the perfect tire in terms of handling, ride, and appearance (I've grown to like more sidewall, and have grown to hate busy/modern sidewall graphics) in that order. Vredesteins 185/70s had sweet steering response and rode well but were just too far a step back in terms of grip for me, and modern 195/65R15 Dunlop SP4000 (or were they 8000s) just didn't cut it. Currently on Avon CR6ZZ 185/70R15s, but while I love the clean sidewalls, they look a bit wimpy from an angle or behind the tire. More importantly, they have super stiff sidewalls as a tarmac rally/vintage racing tire, and I get the sense they don't come into their own until they're very hot—and I just don't drive my 914 the way I drive a GT3.

I'm back to the tire I probably should have gotten last time: The N2-spec Pirelli P6000 in 195/65R15. They are a modern summer tire that is factory tested and approved (now for a second time) and they look "old enough" to get away with. If I was going down the concours route, I might try the CN36s, but the 185/70s are too narrow while the 215/60s are too wide.

Oh for a great choice in 205/60 that looks period correct, but the only one I've seen is the BFG Radial T/A, and I wonder if they'd be any good on a sports car. Of course, they're probably leagues better than what these cars came on.