Looking for something as close to the original Dunlop SP for my car. As close
to the original size as possible. What do you guys suggest?

Thanks,

Tod

http://store.coker.com/

Michelins were still available last I checked, also period correct. Special order and about $500 for 4, but for the silver car....

I hate to say it, but you have to go with Cocker if you want original spec.

I, personally, will not do it. No longer care about concours - just drivability.

Will put new rubber on over the winter. Will put it on my chromies. Time to start having fun with the 914. All the original parts are restored & ready for the next owner. For now, I'm going to drive.

Tires will probably be Yoko's. As fat as I can safely fit.

Sorry to be anti-sacrosanct, but I'm tired of being parked.
Pat

Yep - I've gone to the dark side.

Pat I'm shocked. You might actually get water on it if you do that.

Drive it!!

Vredesteins are also available from Coker, 165 HR 15 86H, & much cheaper than Michelins.

I have agonized over this many times. I just can't make myself spend $153 each plus shipping, mount and balance for Coker's Michelins. Vredesteins are cheaper ($105) and period correct but the Michelin is the only one still available that was OE. Kuhmo makes a 165/80x15 and it costs $45 at Tire Rack. I have used them on a '66 911 with stock 4.5" wheels and found them to be fine. If stock size is not first priority, 195/65x15 works very well and are available in many brands.

Thanks guys. My concern is to keep the odometer accurate without haveing to take it out and have it recalibrated for a different tire size. An issue I had with my 75. The smaller tires added close to 10K to the odometer by the time I sold that car.

In that case I would buy the Kuhmo 165/80x15, or if you want 30 mm more width without rubbing issues, go with a 195/65x15. It will induce only 1.6% speedo error which is negligible. The speedo itself is likely off by that much in one way or the other. At the top of this page is "914 Info". Go there and you will find a tire size caluculator that will give you all you need to know.
Frankly, since I don't view a stock 914 as a "performance" car by today's standards, but rather a fun handling car, I like the nimble feel provided by the stock 165 size. My '70 came with 155's on 4.5" wheels and I may install those (Vredestein $68) to feed my originality fetish.

Not to belabor the point (but I am!), I just checked the PET and learned that the speedo in my '70 with OE 155's is different that a '70 with 165's. That tells me that my speedo/odo will be most accurate if I use 155's.
Of course the stock size on your '75 would be 165.

Jim, 75 is sold and went to Brazil, to a collector. have to update my data. I replaced it with 74 with 25K on the clock. Think the prior owner had 22k on it when he 1st purchased it. Unfortunetly I have to keep the miles down to keep the value up. Might end up selling it and get something else. Have to see.
The Michelin XZX I recall seeing on some 914's before. Mainly as spares. Being the tires that are on it now are brand new by the PO, I should be able to sell them and offset some of the costs.

A 25K original car deserves the Michelins. Maybe there is a source other than Coker but I haven't found it.
I have had many extemely low mile cars over the years. It is frustrating not to be able to use them without severe depreciation. I usually end up admiring and caressing them (dusting) and then selling to finance the next one.

I don't want originality I want a softer ride. I've got Dunlops 205 50 ZR15 in the front and 225-50-ZR15 on the back. I've let air out of the tiresand the shocks are on the softest setting, but the jarring ride is getting me down. Don't want to change the entire suspension system since it goes well with motor and brakes. Your suggestions. Thanks Karl

You have two things working against you. A "Z" rated tire will have a very stiff sidewall. And the lower the profile the less air "cushion" you have.

There are 7" rim in the front and 8" in the back. Don't know if I can use the same rims with a profile of 60 in the front and 65 in the rear. What tires would you recomend, and racing the car is not one of the things I do. Thanks Karl

With wheels that wide you must have flared fenders. Not sure there is a solution with wheels that wide. You need at least 205/225 for those wheels and those sizes are usually low profile. You might pose the question in the Garage.

Edit: I see you already did.

If you want something really original, I think I have a Dunlop SP for sale....

Tod,

I didn't say anything about driving it with even the slightest threat of rain. Nor will Fritz every see a hose again.

I've been known (once, anyway) to hide under an overpass when rain appeared for 2 hours, until the road dried.

And I think I'm normal!?
Pat

Dave- Dulop SPs are still made... just not in the original size

Tod -

Below are links to the tire sources which I've recently found for 165HR15's for my 73-2L, but many of these tires look like "sedan treads" instead of sport tires which would have been OE on 914's. That's especially true for the Vredstein's, so I doubt that they'll handle well on a 914. The Pirellis & Michelins below look the closest to good sport tires so far.

And careful web & physical shopping plus wheeling & dealing, can probably get a good set for less than their "list prices", as I've seen on some other 914 & 356 posts! Hey - it's a tough economy & sales are WAY down for these folks - strike while the iron is hot, as they say! You can always order them at a distance online/phone to be shipped & mounted/balanced locally - or just go to your local tire guy & tell him to do the leg work & order them for you (most will).

I've also found out that Dunlop is now a brand/marketing name for several manufacturers - depending on where you are in the world - with it just being a label for each, and they're Goodyear here in the US. Semperits are a label of Continental, but only in Europe. Kleber is & was a subsidiary of Michelin.

I disagree with the above post about the 914's handling characteristics being just "fun", since the 914s can build up a lot of heat & stress in just moderately aggressive driving, as one would do in any sports car. 914s have always been notorious for "eating tires" - the "softer" & better handling the tire, the faster you went thru them - for those of us who actually drove/drive them! And Dunlops were the worst for short wear, but boy were they sticky!!!! Certainly my service records from my daily driver days attest to that!

That is why Porsche put SR's on the 1.7/1.8's to exceed their spec. top speed with a 119 mph speed rating, and HR's speed rated to 130 mph to exceed it's spec. top speed of 115 mph. I personally was glad for that 15 mph cushion, when I got mine up to 126 on I-15 between Las Vegas & Salt Lake! Okay - it was a downhill stretch in the wee hours with no/minimal traffic, but still winding through a canyon! Mine has F&R factory sway bars & Bilsteins (now Konis Rear in `83), so it was at the upper end on handling of non-modified "street" 914s.

In my humble opinion, I would highly recommend HR or VR (149 mph) speed rated tires on any 914, and the 195/65-15's induce a minimal error & are enough wider to improve the handling, while still clearing the wheel wells (they would've been my next tires after the Klebers, had she not been hit 5/85 & garaged since). The 205's some teeeners use tend to limit the travel of the front tires in turning, ergo reducing the native excellent turning radius & response in even stock cars.

But like you, I'm now thinking of running down some acceptable 165's with a sport tread, and so far the Michelin XAS & Pirelli CN36 appear to come the closest - but my "personal jury" is still out on this issue! The choice for each individual owner is probably more exact-OE/concours vs. a bit more handling.

165's:
http://www.lucasclassictires.com/PIRELLI_OPEN.html
http://www.longstonetires.com/productPage....p;productID=739
http://www.356registry.com/forum/viewtopic...a51a07ed95f6cf9
http://www.longstonetires.com/search.php?s...chTerm=165+X+15
http://www.universaltire.com/
https://store.coker.com/165hr15-vredestein-...kwall-tire.html
http://www.performanceplustire.com/product...HR15#prodAnchor
http://www.americastire.com/dtcs/searchTir...d=15&cs=165

195's:
http://www.americastire.com/dtcs/searchTir...d=15&cs=195
http://discounttires.com/ads/brand/contine...CFRYiagodEXacSA
http://www.bridgestonetire.com/tireselecto...Size=P195/65R15
http://www.bridgestonetire.com/tireselecto...ze=P195%2f65R15
http://www.hankooktireusa.com/support/tire...searchtype=size
http://www.kumhousa.com/FindATire.aspx
http://www.michelinman.com/action/tires/fi...eRimDiameter=15
http://www.michelinman.com/action/tires/fi...eRimDiameter=15
http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop.pl
http://www.yokohamatire.com/Search2.aspx?t...65&tire3=15


I'm pretty sure that the OE tires & mfgrs. varied with 914s over time & even within model years. Here's a pic of the type of "sport tread pattern" from the Semperit spare which was on the car when I bought it, and I was told they were the same type as OE on my 914-2. It is a 165HR15 Rayon/Steel Belted Radial marked on the sidewall as "SST" & "V1", along with what appears to be a production date of 2-1973, and my next replacement set were the same or similar (long gone now) but called "401" on the invoice.

My current 1983 Klebers look nearly new, but they're actually 26 years old and unsafe to drive! ...so I'm in the hunt too & happy to share! Note that even the decade later Kleber has a more "passenger car" looking tread patten than the Semperit - so perhaps the 165 Vredsteins will handle okay?
Does anyone know first hand about how the Vredsteins handle in 914 driving??

Semperit "SST V1" 165HR15 Rayon/Steel Belted Radial production date 2-1973 from 73 914-2.0 - 2nd Set Spare:

Click to view attachment


Kleber 165HR15 mounted in 1983 with about 20k miles on them:

Click to view attachment


As Compared to Vredstein:

Click to view attachment


...and Michelin XAS:

Click to view attachment


...and the "Period Classic" Pirelli CN36:

Click to view attachment


Hope this helps Tod & others!
...the links & pix that is, not just my humble opinions!

I've been running Vredestein Sprint+ 165SR15 for the past few years--haven't pushed them very hard, but they've seem to be a good all-round street tire (and they've been very good in heavy rain the few times I've gotten caught). Not as soft a tire as the original Dunlop SP57s, not as hard (slippery) as the Michelin XZX. They seem to wear pretty well--very evenly too--they remind me of the old Semperit M401s I had long ago. I think I got them here:

http://www.vredesteintire.com/products/SPRIN.asp

around 80 a tire more or less.

Hope this helps!



Hope

Thanx for the input Steve.

That pic of the spare's "dog bone" tread in my earlier post was a Semperit M401 or its predecessor (V1 - SST ?). I too ran the M401s until they had the M166's (maybe a replacement?), and really liked them.

If yours is a 1.7 which specified an SR rated tire, then Vredstein's Sport+ is okay, since it is SR rated. However, for the 2.0 & 1.8 914-4's they specified HR rated tires. Those relate to the maximum maintained speed for which the tire is designed. If you're in the latter engine category &/or souped your engine, then you'll want at least the HR rated tire by whatever maker available.

You should match the tire's speed rating to exceed your atual maximum speed potential, because it's also designed to withstand higher lateral forces - even if you don't maintain the top tated speed, & which is why Porsche specified a particular type (plain ole "R's" aren't rated at all, I don't believe). This is what I was told by both Porsche's & several Tire Companies' "experts" back in the 70's & 80's. The SR rating is for up to 119 mph, the HR is up to 130 mph, & the VR is rated up to 149 mph.

This is the link below, to that same place for the Vredsteins HR rated "Sprint Classic" tires, which you may want to try for your next set. They show $110+/-, but I've found them for $105 elsewhere on the web. So you might want to check the Sport+ prices at those other links in my other post above, to see if they offer a better price than at your link.

Know what guys? There are limits to being a CW! Those old tire designs are just that - old! Give it up - but something safe & useful.
Pat

Hi Tom,

I agree with everything you say regarding matching speed ratings and car's potential . . . . When I got the V-steins my car WAS a 1.7 so I was comfortable with the SR rating. Also, my old AmRacing wheels (VW offset) limited me to 165/15. Now that I'm running a larger engine, I've got a set of Pedrinis (and a set of Fuchs) and am moving up to 195/65VR15s . . . you know, modern stuff (safe and useful as Pat says) . . . .

Best,

Steve A-

I think that's what I'll run too - 195/65HR or VR15's with "modern" treads & construction - but on my current 5.5x15 Rivieras (hopefully with the 914 & not VW offset!?), until I can get a set of the proper Fuchs 2.0s to recreate what should have been on the car as OE when I got it!