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TR2/3/3A Tires for TR3A?

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jharmon

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I have a TR3A with circa 1981 Sears 165R15 tires that are rocks. I am just now starting to drive this car after almost 30 years and I need tires desperately. I need help since there is no such thing as a 165R15 tire out there anymore. My car has disc rims (not wires).

I searched the forum and found lots of tire threads. It appears that 165/80 R15 is the size to use but with only a few manufacturers available. I suppose Vredestein is the favored choice.

Am I on track with this choice? Seems way expensive and I'd hate to order (from tires-easy) and make a mistake.

Thanks a lot
Jim
 
Lower cost alternatives in the 165/15 or 165/80/15 are the Kuhmos (if they're available), Nexen & Fisk.

I have the Kuhmos and Nexens at present -- thinking I saw the Fisk on a friend's car recently. Having said that, I just looked at Tires-Easy and see none of those brands in that size.

Dang -- every time I buy a set that brand disappears - Michelin, Dunlop, Cooper, Kuhmo & now Nexen.

Well the Vreds are fine tires by all accounts and you do need some -- I wouldn't want to push the car around the garage on 1981 tires.
 
I just bought 4 Coker 165R15 with 2 1/4" whitewall from ad Coker Distributor in Watervleit MI.

They are beautiful.

They were $145 a piece with $60 Shipping.

I couldn't find the Kuhmo 165/80/15. I'm not sure they are still available.

Ron
 
Kumho's. I love them - they are still made, and a good price too. It just may take a little searching to get them. Look for old VW (beetle) sources - same tire size.
 
Thanks for the replies.

I could not find any Kumho's either - at least not in the 165/80/15 size.

Coker's look great but the price I found was aroun $165. ea + shipping - ouch.

Vredestein is right up there in price too. Nankang is about 1/2 the price - can they be any good?

Does anybody run a 185/70/15 on their TR3? Will that fit?

Sorry to pound on this so hard but I think I see my belts coming out the sides!

Thanks again
Jim
 
I bought some of these Kumhos. They look good, but car is still not back on the road so don't know how they will work, but I had several people recommend them when I was looking a few months ago. Also had to go with alloys as I could not find 4 rims that could be straightened Cheers, Mike

Kumho.jpg


NewWheelsandTires.jpg
 
jharmon said:
I could not find any Kumho's either - at least not in the 165/80/15 size.
Click to expand...
You might try calling Tire Rack and talking to a salesman. Last time I did that, he said they had 3 sets in stock in a warehouse near me, they just weren't listed on the web site.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:] Nankang is about 1/2 the price - can they be any good?[/QUOTE]
I don't have any direct experience with them, but with tires there does not seem to be a strong correlation between quality/performance and price. I've had $200 tires that didn't work as well as $70 ones. And some "no-name" tires have worked much better for me than (relatively) well-known brands.

For example, I won my class at the 2005 VTR autocross, on a pair of "Capitol" tires. Never heard of them before or since, but they were the only thing in stock at the tire place I stopped at in Davenport, IA. And they performed much better than the Dunlops that wore out on the way there, with less than 20K miles on them.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]
Does anybody run a 185/70/15 on their TR3? Will that fit?[/QUOTE]
Technically, those are too wide to safely mount on a stock TR3 rim. However, years ago I tried a pair of 185/65 on the TR3 rims, and they worked fine for me. You might have trouble getting a reputable tire shop to mount them, though.
 
a company called eurotire in NJ has a pretty good selection of tires. The website does not show prices, but they list a few brands of that size.Including Kumho
 
I just put a set of Nexen's on a friends MGA. I forget where I ordered them from but they came to about $248 delivered to my door. They look like pretty decent tires, didn't have any abnormal runout on the balancer. Havn't driven on them yet though.
 
Vederstein Sprint S80. I got these for my TR3 a year or 2 ago via the knowledge of the form. They are very nice tracking and quiet tire. As like TR3 Driver I last year blow everyone away by almost 2 seconds in a auto cross but the dummy knocked over a cone for a 2 second penalty. They hold the road well! The only thing I don't like is the black walls. I tried for weeks to find any reasonable priced white wall but just could not find them with out spending $800. You just to decide what's more important to ya.

The size on the side wall is Vederstein Sprint S80 165 R 15 86s.

Good luck!
 
Not sure if you pulled the trigger on a set yet, but just bought (5) Vredestein Sprint Classic 165/15 from JEGS for $103.99 each and shipped for $21.00 total (really a "handling and shipping surcharge") They are offering "free shipping". Not quite free but close. Shopped around and that was the best I could find anywhere.
 
jharmon said:
Thanks for the replies.

I could not find any Kumho's either - at least not in the 165/80/15 size.

Coker's look great but the price I found was aroun $165. ea + shipping - ouch.

Vredestein is right up there in price too. Nankang is about 1/2 the price - can they be any good?

Does anybody run a 185/70/15 on their TR3? Will that fit?

Sorry to pound on this so hard but I think I see my belts coming out the sides!

Thanks again
Jim
Click to expand...

Just pulled a set of 205/70/15's off of stock steel wheels that were on my TR3A. They fit, but were too big for my liking. They were Yokomaha Aegis 4's. My Dad put them on over 10 years ago so they may not be making them any longer. I like the look and feel of the new Vredesteins better.
 
Jim

I spoke directly with Kumho a few weeks ago and was told that they no longer manufacturer 165 x 15 tires. Any Kumho 165 x 15 tires you find will be from old production runs so you may want to check the date code on the tire.

From my research, that leaves Vederstein and Michelin as manufactures of 165 x 15 tires. Michelin has a very limited production run of these tires each year. Cocker is the best usually for the Michelins, but they usually sell their allotment before they receive the tires.

I priced the Vederstein 165 x 15 Sprint Classic tire with EuroTire, Tire Factory, and XK’s Unlimited. Bill at XK gave me the best price, “on sale” at $99.00 plus shipping. Shipping was $80 for 5 tires.

Ron
 
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