OK, let's settle this. Right here, right now!
What was your 914 delivered with when new (tyres)?
Proof required.
Pat

Pat,
I've been trying to find proof but I can't seem to find a photo that shows the brand of tires that were on my 73 2 liter that I bought new in March of 1973. However I do know for a fact that it had Continental tires on all 5 wheels. I also remember that they didn't last very long.

My 75 had an original Dunlop spare. My 74 has an original Conti spare. No proof other than the fact that neither wheel ever hit the ground.

Pat I spoke to Bill at Eurotire again. He said they carried the Vre. tires since the mid seventies. He also mentioned there was a five year gap when they were not available from the mid 80s to early 90s. I looked at the tire today and wasn't overly impressed. Narrower than my original Conti. After speaking with one of the local judges today, I ordered a set of the 195 65 15's in Contis. He said as long as they are clean you are ok. Made mention that Parade level "might" be abit more stringent. Saying that the availablity of the old stock tires is virtually non existant, they tend to overlook that now.

Tod, I don't think we'll ever convince Pat that Vreds are an option! I like your choice though on Conti 195/65HR15s - I mean what can they do - force 30+ year old tires in Parades!?

Pat, my spare since I had the car in 12/75 was the Semperit M266 which I posted on the other site, which the PO said hadn't been changed with the others while they owned it for the first 38 months of its life, because it was retrofitted with 4 Rivieras & a steel spare (probably by the dealer to avoid the BO Recall). Nor did I ever go to the extra step of "double swapping" the tires off the Rivs & onto the spare (just kept it), although it did see some miles in that back-up capacity over the years here & there. That's as close as I can get to "proof".

SEMPERIT M266 AT SPARE 165HR15 ON NON-OE "DEALER SWAPPED" 5.5Jx15 STEELIE:

Click to view attachment

Geesh, you CW guys are hard-a**es!

Oh & Pat - I can offer solid proof in the 1/73 Motor Trend "914S Road Test" & in the 2/73 Road & Track "914/2 Road Test" that both of those were equipped OE for the magazines with Dunlop SP57s!

How ever, I won't register those 2 votes for Dunlops unless you give me permission to do so!?

MOTOR TREND JANUARY 1972 "914S" ROAD TEST - TIRES ARE DUNLOP (SP57 ?):

Click to view attachment


ROAD & TRACK FEBRUARY 1973 "914/2" ROAD TEST - TIRES ARE DUNLOP SP57:

Click to view attachment

....so is this adequate proof?

If so, then I think you'll have to add the 2 Dunlop votes as moderator, because it says I've already voted.

Since I was there, May 1st 1974 @ HBL Porsche/Audi, I know this is my 74 original Dunlop SP 57 spare-

No "proof" but the spare in my '70 is a 155SR15 Michelin X. Bought the car from the original owner and he says it came with the car as delivered.
It has been used however.

Gee Pat, I think for "good faith", you should give Motor Trend & Road & Track a vote each for the Dunlops on their test cars, posthumously at least!

I don't believe that I've ever stated that Dunlops didn't come as OE on "some" 914's. The only thing that I'm 95% certain of is that Vred's didn't come as OE on any US 914's during the entire production run. Interestingly, when I bought my 73T 18 years ago, the owner (2nd & a good friend of mine today) swore that the spare tire was original. It's a General! Yep, it's new, but Generals were NEVER fitted to 911s. Point is, some people believe what they hear, without doing any due diligence. Read, research & ask questions of original owners.

I know that Dunlops were OE on most LE's. They could have been OE on earlier 914's - I just don't know that for certain. Have no prob's with Dunlop, so long as it is correct.
Pat


Pat

Have no doubts that you are correct. SP57's were (I think) the only tire that can OE on LE's (I refuse to use the marketing term 914S).
Pat

Have no problem with Michelin X as being OE - makes sense too. Those that I've had in the past were horrible tires that would NOT wear out. This is a prime example of why I won't go back to "vintage" tires. Plus, they are way overpriced from the suppliers.

Pat - I think that the 2 road tests also pretty clearly show that Dunlop SP57s were also OE on at least some 1973 MY 914-2.0s, in addition to 74 LEs.

I thought the purpose of the poll was to get a statistical proportion sense of what tires came OE, ergo my suggestion to add 2 more to the Dunlops.

NOBODY is claiming Vredesteins were ever OE either here nor Europe, by their reps own information - we've already researched that. However, it does appear that they were available in the US as aftermarket in the 1970s. They're just one of the few left making the appropriate size/rating/tubeless radial type of tires today, without going to up-sizes.

As for the "914S" terminology - it's just an interesting factoid tid-bit to those of us who own them from early 73. ...and one which I hadn't heard before I started really researching to restore mine. Who knows, had it gone the other way because it boosted sales & PAG instead liked the idea - maybe we'd be calling all 2.0 914/4's by that name & the badges would show such!?
...after all - it's ALL marketing games & terms - 911, 912, L, T, S, 2.0 or whatever!

However, I don't think that either Dunlops, Vreds or 914S are anything to "get your shorts in a bunch" with those of us out here learning & trying to contribute!

I'm 90% sure my European-delivered 72 is still sitting on its original Dunlops. They have about 90,000 on them and they're pretty worn down, but uniformly across all 5. The only uncertainty I have is because I bought the car through an intermediary and know very little about the first 10 or so years of its life.

Oddly, after 37 years I have only had to top them off a few times over the 25 years it has been sitting in my garage.

I noted that Pirellis are not on the list above Pat. ...ditto for Coopers.

Were they not any of the OE brands supplied on the 914s?

Anyone else know or have Pirelli or Cooper on theirs when new?

I ask because the Pirelli CN36 is supposedly coming back in 165(/80)HR15 soon, but I don't know if tube or tubeless (Cinturada is usually tube), & understand that they've moved the molds to Ireland factory for production.

In the English magazine Motor, from July '71, they do a test on the Crawford 914. This is the custom right hand drive version made for the British Empire. There is mention in the article of "skinny-looking 155x15 Cinturatos". So there are the Pirellis.
A local friend of mine is an original owner of a '73 1.7. Still has the car and drives it. He told me he had a choice between Michelin or Conti's. He chose the Michelin (ZX).
Personally, I have a 14K mile 2.0 with origanal-never-used Dunlop SP57 spare tire. I voted my Dunlop, but somebody needs to add the other two.
An Owner Survey article in Nov/'74 R&T stated that owners had major issues with the short life of Dunlop's, (19k miles) Michelin, Semperit, and Conti's (24k miles ave). No mention of any other brand. My own personal experience never knew of any other OEM tire brand for the 914.
As a final note here. Michelin XAS tube type seem to be on 914/6 text vehicles both 14's and 15's. They were the best at the time. The 916 tested in R&T (now at AA) was shod with Michelin XVR 185/70-15's.
Don

1 vote for Conti, but you can add 1 more for dunlop for the 75 if you like Pat. The white 75 was purchased in Ohio. The silver 74 was Conn. Not sure if year or where it was delivered has any bearing.

While shopping for my 2nd 914 in '79 I looked at a Bumble Bee that had Pirelli CN36's, the owner claimed they were exact replacements. My 1st 914 had Michelins, and the seller too claimed them to be the exact same OE tire.

I have what is almost sure the orig spare of my '70 -6, it is Dunlop SP57.

You can still get 185/70VR15 Mich XWX tubeless thru Lucas Tires in the USA (Long Beach CA & Springfild OH), but they'll set you back $400+ apiece!!!!

I seem to recall that Porsche raced the 914-6s at Le Mans etc. on Dunlop SP57's??

Most everyone I knew with a 914 fitted with the Dunlops got only 10-15K miles on them, so I stuck with Semperits until they stopped the 914 sizes in the 1980's.

Do you know if they also painted Fuchs 2L Alloys Orange for the LEs, or were they only fitted with Mahles like your pic?

I think it was originally the dunlops for 914's, just because others have mentioned that


I know on the order form for our particular car, my mom and her then husband special ordered the car to have Michelin tyres. The spare I recently replaced was the original tire and was a Michelin.

Now, I have no idea why they ordered the car to have those tires, but it's written on the order form, and the delivery form, etc..