Tires & Rims for '62 Skylark

[samandmaz]

Hi,

Our 62 skylark is in desperate need of some new tires! right now we have a mixture of A78-13's and P175/80 R13's and I think it is time for some new tires, shocks and a wheel alignment (she really starts to rattle when you get above 50)!

Any suggestions on what tires to put on to improve the ride?

Any thoughts on "upgrading" the rims at the same time and if so how available are rims with the 4 bolt pattern. I would really like to go with something that would allow me to keep the original hub caps.

Thanks for your thoughts

[skylarkman2]

The mixture of bias-ply and radial tires may be a part of your problem. It is not a good idea to mix them. To keep the same wheel covers, you will need to keep the 13" wheels.
There are some specialty aftermarket wheels available with the 4 bolt pattern - some in a 14" which are easier to get tires for.
I think that some MG wheels have the 4 bolt pattern - but they don't look very good (my opinion).
13" tires are available in blackwall a variety of places. Often specified as trailer tires. Whitewall 13" tires are available from some of the specialty tire dealers like Diamondback and Coker, but they are expensive.
I was able to buy the remaining WW stock from a dealer, so I have tires for my cars. I do have a set (4) of 175r80-13 WW that I will sell at a reasonable price.
dave-TX

[samandmaz]

Thanks, that is a great help. The shop manual indicates that 7 x 13's were an option - this I think is approximately equivalent to p185/80r13's but most of the fit guides I have seen indicate you would need 5" wide rims (mine I think are stock which would make them 4.5")

Dave, if you are still interested in selling the 4 175/80r13's you have, drop me an email at slcoopz@gmail.com with how much you want for them, what brand they are, and how long you have had them (ie have they been sitting around for 20 years?)

Thanks for your help

[GL03]

http://www.wheelsmaster.com/rt_specs.jsp

you can input wheel and tire dimensions and it will give you image of tire comparison

how big your going, etc.