What type & size of tires to use / what fits? / "best" tire?

[Jon Schmid]

John,
What size rims are you running? The stock 4 1/2" wide ones or wider aftermarket units?
Thanks--

[David Jones]

Walmart. Unless you have rims that are to wide. If you have stock rims then these work perfectly.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Nexen-SB802-T ... 5/19473481

[Mark Pribanic]

I love my Vredestein Sprint Classics from Coker tire. www.cokertire.com.

[Steve Douglas]

A friend got Big O Classic 165 - 85 X15 put on his 356 last week, the store had to order them, took 2 days. $53.00 plus the other fees, plus the had the balance adaptor.

[Tom Coughlin]

This is a great subject to research because you find so many different answers. One good place to look is at the article link below. Once you decide on the size you want you'll have a better chance of finding something appropriate.

https://porsche356registry.org/article/162

Also, the Nexens at Walmart are out of stock and have been for a while.
Tire Rack has a generic "Classic" all season tire at a reasonable price-has anybody tried them?

[Jon Schmid]

Walmart. Unless you have rims that are to wide. If you have stock rims then these work perfectly.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Nexen-SB802-T ... 5/19473481

X2 on Nexens. I have them on my coupe and when the no longer made Kumhos need to be replaced on my Roadster, they will be put on that car as well. A very good tire at a very reasonable price when you realize that you will most likely age out your tires long before you wear them out.

[David Jones]

The 165 is as you say no longer available but the 175 and 185 are. Either one will work though the 175 is a little less likely to rub on the inside of the wheel arch when parking. Under normal driving conditions one would have to be completely out of control to get enough lock on to make them rub. Of course at double there price Coker tires have the correct size available. Downside of the incorrect size is that the tire diameter is changed so a check on speedometer accuracy will be needed after fitment.

[Pascal Giai]

For the best driving experience on your convertible D, assuming you have 4.5" rims,
I recommend Michelin XAS 165x15 from Coker Tire.

[Steve Douglas]

On my A coupe I am running 185-65X15 Kumho Sense KR26 with Brazilian 5 1/2" wheels, great cornering without the insecure feeling that the 4" rims and Michelin 165 -85 X15 gave. Actually smoother ride too. Sears sold them for about $390 for the set of 4. The 165s make for lighter and easier steering and quicker "turn-in" on corners, but also have the tendency to oversteer once into the corner. I have set of old Lemerz 356 wheels with Buick 6" outer welded on, and have Direzza Dunlop 195-50X15 on them and they fit very close in the rear and touch the inner body on sharper turns, they came off of a friends autocross VW. Too tight to the body for practical use plus lowers gearing substantially, but do the stick in dry pavement, wet streets are not advisable.

[Dave Wildrick]

I had some Nexens on my 2006 Toyota Sienna minivan that wore out really fast compared to the Bridgestones I used previously. So, I’m inclined to avoid that brand.

The best deals on Kumhos and Nankangs, etc., seem to come from online sources, but you don’t get to know the manufacturing date when you buy on line. My local Discount Tire outlet had some Kumho PowerStar 758s (165 x 80r15) in stock, just like the ones I almost wore out on my 65 C coupe. But the manufacturing date was 2 years ago.

Instead, I opted for some Michelin 186 x 65 Defender XTs from Costco. They were $118 each but there was a $70 rebate, so it came out more like $400 for the 4, which is higher than the Asian tires, but at least I know they were manufactured this year.

[Greg Bryan]

John - everything you want to know about 356 tires is in this sticky thread
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=27101

I recently bought a Michelin X from Universal - same price as Coker but half the shipping ...

[John L. Nelson]

Thank you all so much for your advice. I was so surprised with such a quick response. I appreciate all of your help.

[Darryl Deppe]

Hi John!

I just bought a set of these Firestone radials for my 'C' from Coker Tire and at only $76 each, I splurged for a matching spare!

https://www.cokertire.com/155r15-firest ... -tire.html

[Jim Nelson]

I love my Vredestein Sprint Classics from Coker tire. http://www.cokertire.com.

+1 on the Vredestein's, I like 'em a lot.

[Bob Campbell]

+2 on the Vredestein's. They have the exact rolling diameter as the original tires, and EVERYTHING the Porsche engineers set forth works as intended. You will wonder why the car steers so easily, as it did when it was new. We have been driving around on lower profile and wider tires so long most drivers don't know how a 356 is supposed to feel. Vredestein's are always on my personal cars.

You asked,

Bob