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Street tires for the Midget

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Maybe this is old news to those of you who have been driving and rebuilding MG Midgets or A.H. Sprites for a long time but being new to the LBC hobby finding 13" street tires isn't easy. You can find "fatter" 13" tires but I wanted the original size. My 76 Midget has 2 brand new tires on the rear and 2 very good but old tires (1989 vintage) on the front. I wanted to replace the front tires (due to their age) and the spare. Finding 145R13 tires isn't easy. The rear tires are CENTRED M+S 145R13 tires and look great. After some digging I found that the CENTRED tires are made by TBC Corporation in Memphis, TN. Apparently TBC makes all types of tires and sells them through many tire stores under many different names. The 145R13 CENTRED tires are made for TBC by Goodyear in Brazil. They have a very nice tread pattern and are quiet on the road. The ratings are: Treadwear 320, Traction B, Temperature B. They only cost $39.00 each. No tire store in the Oklahoma City area carries them but Hesselbein Tire in Tulsa, OK ordered them for me. I now have 5 brand new tires for my 76 Midget. If anyone is interested the info on the side of the tire is: 145R13 74S M+S. Nice tires of the correct size for street driving & club activities. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
And a pic of those on the car??
 
The car has the CENTRED tires on the rear on the pictures I have listed in the Spridget Photo section. Before I mount the 3 new tires I have demounted the tires on all 5 rims so that I can refinish the Rostyle rims. After the rims are refinished I will have the tires mounted and balanced. I'm also waiting for new 13" trim rings for the Rostyle wheels.
 
KUDOS for ur effort....most of us just pick a 13" tire and roll with the flow ; ) haha.......zimmmmmy
 
OK I'll admit it, I have no idea what CENTERED tires are compared to the usual round black kind. Enquiring minds would love to know.
JP
 
great information to add to my black book ... now if only i could get the front suspension finished on my tub ....
 
JP - The Centred brand (not Centered) tires are the only tires I have been able to find that are the correct 145R13 size for my Midget. You can check your local tire stores (Goodyear, Firestone, Pep Boys, etc) and on-line tire marts (Tire Rack, etc) and you will not find a 145R13 tire anywhere. TBC Corporation in Memphis, TN makes all sizes and types of tires for many different tire stores. Go to any tire store and the salesperson can tell you about TBC. I found that they are the only company making 145R13 tires. At only $39.00 each I thought that the price was great.
 
Here is a picture of the tire. I can take a detailed picture if anyone needs one.
 

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Good looking tire and great looking ride. Go to the head of the class.
 
Jack - thanks for the nice comment. That's my 76 MG Midget that I bought on Ebay for $3700.00 last month. There are more pictures in the Spridget Photo section. They are photos that the previous owner sent to me before I bought the car. I now have many more photos that I took at my home but I haven't loaded them on this website.
 
Looks to me like you stole that one.
 
Looks great but I still have to get it clear. Does CENTRED refer to the brand name (like goodyear) If this is the exact size, what are others using?

JP
 
165/70 R13 (kelly tire) I bought for $20 each, with a 15,000 mile warranty. I figure the car will be long buried by then. I put the tires on at the same time I replaced the rear springs so I can't tell how well they're doing from a handling standpoint, but the car as a whole sticks solid.
 
JP - The factory tire size for the Midget & Sprite is 145R13. Even Moss Motors lists that size in their catalog where they list the Technical Specifications. You may be able to use a wider tire but the tire may hit the fender or other steering or suspension parts during sharp cornering. I like to keep the car as stock as possible (thats just me) so I looked for the exact tire size. 13" car tires are not that popular anymore and it is almost impossibe to find a 145R13 tire anywhere. CENTRED is TBC Corporations name for this tire. The sidewall of the tire says CENTRED. There is a whole CENTRED series of tires by TBC. Check out this website to look at the CENTRED tires (https://www.tiresbyweb.com/pc-5042-127-multi-mile-centred.aspx). TBC has Goodyear make the tires for them. The paper stick-on tag on the tread of the tire states: Made by Goodyear in Brazil. Hope this info helps.
 
Tis my understanding that a 155/60 13 is just the ticket. Think it is 60 anyway and these are available all over and fit is my understanding.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Tis my understanding that a 155/60 13 is just the ticket. Think it is 60 anyway and these are available all over and fit is my understanding.

[/ QUOTE ]

Jack,

155/60R13 tires would probably fit, but they wouldn't look very much like the stock 145R13 tires. They'd be a little wider and noticeably shorter (lower profile).
 
yea, wider and a bit lower. Both good things in my mind. Always thought the orginal were to narrow and too high.
 
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