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Which tires for a Midget?

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nathandarby67

nathandarby67

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I have a 73 Midget with wire wheels that is in need of new tubes and tires. I would like to put on some more modern, high performance rubber that what is on the car now, but I have had a hard time finding anything in a 13 inch size. Any recommendations for a good, sporty tire and where to find them? THANKS!
 
Cooper sport master 165-70-13 or pep boys sell the same thing house brand, bout 35 bucks either way. I use them on the track too. They work well.
 
i think they would most likely rub on the front.


mark
 
Nathan, I run 175-70's on 5 inch rims all the way around on both a '65 Sprite, and a '72 Midget, and haven't had any rubbing issues.
I went with the Sumitomo's from Tire Rack, based on a recommendation from Aeronca65T. They stick very well, and only run about 40 bucks apiece, delivered.
Jeff
 
The Sumitomo's are the ones I have my eye on as well! Those are great tires, especially considering the price. I had a set on my '95 Trans Am that I used to autocross with, and I liked the feel they had.

One further question: I have stock wire wheels on the car, so will the 175/70's fit those, or would I need to stick with the 155/80's on the stock wheels? I am guessing the fatory wires are 4 inches wide, is that correct? Thanks for all the help guys! I am trying to get this sorted out pretty quick, because I am getting married November 19th and we want to use the MG to drive away from the wedding in (no cheesy limos here)!
 
no rub? Kewl,guess come spring i will be getting two more 175's for my car.


mark
 
Mark,

My street tires are Michelin X's on stock 4.5" steel wheels, in 165/70R13, and I have plenty of clearance. My race tires, on the 5" wides, like Jeff, are 175/60R13's and they wouldn't clear without a bit of grinding on the fender lip (and a panhard rod). However, this grinding is really minimal, and I expect that the 175/70's probably a bit narrower at its widest part.

Unfortunately, the Kumho's are reputedly .6" wider than the Yokohamas, so there's little chance I can make that work without completely removing the fender lip, etc.

P.S. If anyone has a wasted set of Kumho's, I'd be interested in taking them (and pay shipping) so I could eventually test fit them. They don't need to do much of anything but hold air (and have the same shape as a new one). Seeing as this is the time of the season, perhaps someone will have some around they'd like to be rid of.

-- Oh yes, another reason that the 175's will work on stock rims is because the 5" wheels have the same backspace (the extra .5" sticks out toward the fender, so the fender clearance is less than it would be with a stock wheel by roughly this amount). Since I have space on the inside of the wheel, its likely that there would be no tire-spring contact either.
 
As to the question about the front of the car, I think there's very little to be worried about in this area. Up until the wheel/tire combo is either too large in diameter or sticks out from the hub too far to fit inside the fender as the steering wheel is turned, the car can tolerate a wider wheel. I'm actually toying with the idea of fitting larger tires/wider track on the front of my car than in the rear to improve cornering and reduce understeer. Since the class I'm in doesn't restrict wheel/tire size or track, this is one area where I can play fairly cheaply (2 diamond racing wheels and 2 tires are not inexpensive, but they're not astronomical either). Of course, then my wheels won't match, but who cares? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif It's only for autocrossing, after all. I still have to make some measurements to gauge the amount of improvement that could be made ...
 
Have you checked The Tire Rack. I have been dealing with them and very helpful people.

Bruce
 
I've been happy with the Tire rack for the one order I placed for my set of Yokohamas. I'd recommend them myself. However, I didn't ask about used rubber, as I'd think they were in the business of selling new rubber ...

Do you think they might have some on hand?
 
Doubt they have any used.

Bruce
 
Just an update for everyone: I went with the Sumitomo 175/70R13's all the way around. I got the old tires dismounted today, and dropped off the wheels to be sandblasted. Will pick up the wheels tomorrow and paint them, and hopefully have the tires on by evening. I will be sure and let everyone know how they fit (fingers crossed in Mississippi).

Which brings me to another question: I will need to paint the wheels tomorrow, but I do not want to use nor do I have time to wait for the shipment of the "classic color" wheel paint from Moss. Does anyone know of a type of paint I may be able to find locally that will look good? I definately do not want to use the Wal-Mart Ghetto Chrome spray paint, as I don't think that is anywhewre close to the correct color, nor do I think it would look nice in its own right. Maybe an automotive paint store mixing a color for me? Also any tips on what types of primers and paints would work best would be appreciated!
 
I had the folks sandblasting my wheels prime them with epoxy primer, but I didn't go high budget on the paint. I just painted them with a few coats of Rust Oleum aluminum color, then masked off and painted the black parts with gloss black. Masking them is a pain, but I've been told that the cutouts from Moss don't work very well. Lots of patience with masking tape and an X-acto knife.
 
You can go to the local auto supply. They have a couple types of silver wheel paint that works and looks like the real thing. It just doesn't say made for a british car on the can. It usually says something like for Chevy rally wheels or Ford oem wheels. You get the picture. I get mine from O'Reilly Auto Parts.
 
I read somewhere that DupliColor had a good silver color for wheels, but I can't really remember where ...
 
yep that is it. Quick run to the parts house. It will be there. Tell everyone that you had it mixed using the original paint chip found in an old original parts and paint manual found at an old closed BMC dealership
 
when i did mine i used generic silver and black, but the trick to masking them is to get stripe tape. it is easier to bend and sticks well to the wheel and gives a nice clean line.

mark
 
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