Wheels Size Question

[jhorton3]

Does anyone have experience with fitting 13X6 wheels on their car? I saw a pair of Superlites that would look really great on Midgie (rwa car). The guy at the tire shop couldn't find a tire that would fit them though. I know I can find them for 13X5.5. The tire shop guy even suggested going up to a 14 inch rim, which I didn't think was possible without spacers and bodywork modification.

 

[Trevor Jessie]

I have 14 inch Superlites on my Bugeye with 185/60 tires.
The back is a nice fit requiring no mods,
the front offset is not enough. The tire protrudes too much for my liking.
I'm going to put about 1.25 degrees of negative camber on the front and see how the car looks/handles then make a decision to stick with them or find something else.

 

[bill_young]

I've had 13X6 alloy wheels on my 73 RWA with 205s and they fit ok. There was a little tire rub on the rear at full suspension deflection, but for most driving it was fine. The wheel offset does make a lot of difference both in front and the rear. In the front the offset really comes into play when the steering is at or near full lock. Then you can get tire rub on the lower inside of the front fenders. I'd think that you should be fine with 6" wide wheels and no larger than a 185 tire. Check Tire Rack for tire options, Sumitomo makes a 185 60 13 that would probably fit fine. Other wheel options for RWA Midgets and Bugeyes are those from the 70s GM small cars such as the Vega and Monza. Here are some of the wheels available from the factory for those cars. Lug pattern is the same and offset is ok for a RWA car. You'll need special lug nuts though these wheels were designed to use a 7/16" stud instead of the 3/8" stud the Spridgets use. https://monza.homestead.com/wheels.html and some photos of different style wheels seen at last year's Spridget 50 party. The wheel labeled "Custom built" is very special, with a customs offset both front and rear to match the Bugeye they're installed on. (Spridgets have different width tracks front and rear so some offsets will work well on one end and not the other)

 

[jhorton3]

Thanks for the info guys. What Trevor described would be my biggest fear of fitting 14 inch wheels on my car. Sumitomo does make a 185/60/13 at the moment that look like they would fit the 13X6. Looking at Tire Rack there's only two tires in that size though, the Sumitomo, and a racing tire. Not looking to race, just some spirited driving in the mountains.

 

[lbc_newbie]

I found my Falken's at Discount tire. Look good, fit good, and handle good.

https://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/searchTiresBySize.do?r=WASINT|pc|98296&cs=185&ar=60&rd=13

 

[jhorton3]

I did manage to find a couple more tires taht would fit. Now waiting on a quote for the Superlites to see how much they'll break the bank for.