I'm sure this has been covered, but I couldn't seem to find exactly what I was looking for:

My 74' currently has a set of OLD 165 SR 15 tires that need to be replaced. I believe on the height they say "85S" but it's hard to tell since they are so old... I'm looking for something a little more low profile, since these just don't seem to sit quite right with the low stance of the car.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

I find lower profile tires just look odd.

195/65-15 is one of the best fits on a narrow body, but on the odd car they rub the rear fender.

See Michelin, Vredestien

I 2nd that , 196-65-15 touring tires

But the rears fit tight

Thanks for the input guys, I think that's what I'll look for. Anyone have any pics of this setup?

No issues on my Mahle's going from 165 to 195?

No issues WRT the wheels. But as has been said, they may rub on one rear fender or the other. A little judicious pulling should be able to fix that, or possibly mashing the fender lip flat.

--DD

I doubt if they still making them, but my car came with a set of 185/70-15 that fit perfectly.

Pirelli makes the Classic line of tires and has the CN36 in 185/70HR15 and the CA67 in 165HR15 sizes.
Prices are ... well, they're not cheap but they are period correct (especially the CA67 if you have a 2-liter) if you're going for originality.

CN36 on left, CA 67 on right

Tire Rack Pirelli P6000 185/70 x 15. Not real cheap though.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchRe...7&zip-code=

I install 185x65x15. They are a bit smaller than original but they are cheap and you can find a lot of brands in this size. Never had issues with rubing even with non standard offset rims

Could anyone post a pic of their car with 185 65 15's installed? I'd like to see how they look on the car before purchasing.

Personally, I'd be less concerned about the look and more concerned about the speedo error and higher RPMs on the freeway.

> Could anyone post a pic of their car with 185 65 15's installed? I'd like to see how they look on the car before purchasing.

Great tire size IMO.

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?s=&...t&p=2111511

-Steve

You must be aware that speedo is 5% off with the 185/65/15 tires. You have 5% more rpm at cruising speed, but as the 914 has very long gearing, I found this is not a problem. When cruising at 80mph its only a 200rpm difference.
As I said before this tire size is very popular (in Europe at least) and there is a very large offer. Therefore prices are lower than on other sizes
Before I had 185/70/15, that is the corrct outer diameter but got inner rub when I turned lock to lock

Here is a picture from pelican parts forum with 185/65/15 tires on a 914

I used 185/70 x 15 tires, first Uniroyals then Pirellis, on my car for many years and was satisfied with the performance. The diameter is very close to the original 165 x 15 OEM tires that came on the car, so the speedo was also close.