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

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Richard Sjolund
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Re: What type & size of tires to use / what fits? / "best" t

#316 Post by Richard Sjolund »

Anyone know anything about the Tire Rack 165/80 "Classic" tire? They are $75.72 each at Tire Rack

Richard

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.js ... toModClar=

Edwin Ek
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Re: New Tire Recommendations from Porsche Classic

#317 Post by Edwin Ek »

Edwin Ek wrote:Mark, these tires are made in Italy by Pirelli. At least for the time being ... Very nice and reassuring to hear that they are such good tires. I bet you were wearing out the rears three times as fast.

Pirelli tires for your bicycle? Like to hear more about that.

Scott, my car is emerging from a lengthy storage and should be on the road within a few months. I will wait to buy tires until it is truly ready to go. Sometimes things drag on.
Picked up my CN36 tires today. They are made in Germany. Things have dragged on with my car. But I hope driving is near.
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Bill Daugherty
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Wheels/tires

#318 Post by Bill Daugherty »

Good morning,
Could someone please tell me if Porsche made 5.5 X 15" wheels for '60Bt5, or were they all 4.5"? Also, can 5.5" tires go on 5.5" wheels? Thank you,
Bill Daugherty

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Wheels/tires

#319 Post by Bill Daugherty »

Good morning,
Could someone please tell me if Porsche made 5.5 X 15" wheels for '60Bt5, or were they all 4.5"? Also, can 5.5" tires go on 5.5" wheels? Thank you,
Bill Daugherty

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Doug McDonnell
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Re: Wheels/tires

#320 Post by Doug McDonnell »

5.5x15 wheels came later during 912/911 times. A lot of the aftermarket Brazilian chrome rims were 5.5x15 also. Many use them on 356s. From the factory 356s came with 4.5x15 rims although earlier cars had other rims. BT5 would have come with 4.5x15 rims
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Greg Bryan
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Re: Wheels/tires

#321 Post by Greg Bryan »

Bill - I'm going to move your question to the Tire 'sticky' thread - there are 22 pages of tire and wheel questions and answers
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=27101
As for your question, as far as I know, production cars in 1960 all had 4.5" rims, but, in the spirit of never say never, there may have been special models or options for wider wheels.
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Jon Schmid
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Re: Wheels/tires

#322 Post by Jon Schmid »

I'm virtually certain 4.5 inch wheels were all that were factory offered. If you go 5.5 inch, I highly recommend you keep the spare at 4.5 inches if my cars are any indication of the fit.

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Re: Wheels/tires

#323 Post by Paul Lima »

I have 5.5" wheels on my BT5; needs 10 mm spacers on the rear. Snug fit but it works.

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Re: Wheels/tires

#324 Post by Geoff Fleming »

The 4.5" wheels were not only standard throughout the 356 series but also used on the early 911 and 912s. The 5.5" rims became available some time afterwards and can be used on most 356 series cars, utilizing 165, 175, 185 or even 195 tires, although I wouldn't recommend anything more than 185.

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Re: Wheels/tires

#325 Post by Adam Wright »

Geoff Fleming wrote:The 4.5" wheels were not only standard throughout the 356 series but also used on the early 911 and 912s. The 5.5" rims became available some time afterwards and can be used on most 356 series cars, utilizing 165, 175, 185 or even 195 tires, although I wouldn't recommend anything more than 185.
The 5.5's came out mid-68. Though I think they were making both for awhile because I have several wheels of both 4.5 and 5.5 that have the same date.
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Re: What type & size of tires to use / what fits? / "best" t

#326 Post by Bob Lynch »

question for a 59' A coupe

Does anyone know if a Vredestein Spring Classic 175/70-15 on a 5.5" Tecnomagnesio wheel (or steel brazilian 5.5")
will fit in the trunk?
(sorry pressed send too soon)

Thanks
59' 356 A coupe

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Re: What type & size of tires to use / what fits? / "best" t

#327 Post by Mike Richardson »

First, I'll admit I haven't read all the posts in this thread, but I figure I need to reply to one of the early ones: the post talked about carrying a "repair kit" for a flat that didn't involve taking the tire and rim off the car. That kit usually involves pushing a "plug" saturated with adhesive into the tire. Unfortunately, when you push the plug in, it's always MUCH wider than the offending object that caused the flat, and will sometimes cause a rupture of the belts - radial or not. Once the belt is ruptured, the plug is just along for the ride, and will, almost assuredly, fly out with a lot of help from the pressurized tire interior. When that happens, you'll get a very fast flat, and a ruined tire. My suggestion is: have a tire shop fix the flat by taking the tire off the rim and applying a patch on the inside of the tire. And, if you have a flat fixed on any car you own, pay attention to how that flat is repaired. If they start to put in a plug, stop them. Either they patch or you go someplace else.
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Martin Benade
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Re: What type & size of tires to use / what fits? / "best" t

#328 Post by Martin Benade »

I agree that a plug is far from ideal, but in actual practice they almost always work fine. If you don't think too much about the tawdry details, they will hold the air in.
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Re: What type & size of tires to use / what fits? / "best" t

#329 Post by Keith Lee »

My tires are past their best before date and need to be replaced sometime in the near future.
I have Lemmerz chrome rims dated 1/65 on the T6B
My speedo reads about 7% high with the current 165R15 tires that are on it
Actual (GPS verified) speed at 3500 RPM is 111 KPH (69 MPH for the metrically challenged).


Questions:
Is the speed to RPM about what you guys experience?
Are my rims 4.5" or 5.5"? My best guess is 5.5" but can't measure very well with the tires on.
Has anyone tried 185HR15?
Current tires are 25.4" tall and the 185HR15 are (edit)26.25" tall. That would help with my speedo calibration and give me a little more speed at the same RPM. Fine by me.
Will they fit in the rear wheel well?

Any opinions welcomed.
Last edited by Keith Lee on Wed Jul 05, 2017 12:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Edwin Ek
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Re: What type & size of tires to use / what fits? / "best" t

#330 Post by Edwin Ek »

Speed to rpm relationship is normal.

You can measure the width of your wheels by taking one off, placing a straight edge on the rim edges on both sides, and measuring through the center hole.

Many, many owners run 185 tires front and rear. They don't fit up front as a spare tire.

Shorter tires mean less circumference, so less distance traveled per revolution.
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