I'm sure this has been covered before but I couldn't find anything on it. I have come to the conclusion that I do not have the funds to do the performance mods I want and get wheels I like, so I'm sticking with the stock 13"s. I actually really like the look of them, I'm just hating that there is no good 13" Tires. I'm running Cooper Cobras right now and the white letters look good but the tread is disapointing. I'm slipping wherever I go and on the track I'm spinning all the way thru first and partway into second.

So, whats the best tire size and choice for the 13" rims? I really don't like the idea of messing up the speedo and odo, but if somebody can convince me that there is an improvement to be made I may just have to do it.

 

find something with a softer compound. i'm running sumitomo(sp) HTR 205 60 13. my car is a daily driver and doesn't see track time, so i couldn't tell ya how they would do for that application.

 

Ditto on Sumitomo HTR200's in 205/60-13. They look great on stock wheels and are probably the best performance tire in 13" that you can buy for the price they are(I paid $49 a tire for mine thru TireRack). My SA is also a DD and they have been fantastic for me, very very good grip(although I don't throw my car all over the road).

 

I have the cooper cobras as well and they suck *** as a performance tire. I got em for the RWL to put on my reconditioned waffles.

Depending on your funds you have two choices for "performance"; the Sumis' for ~$50.00 per tire from TireRack or you can get Toyo Proxies for ~150.00 per tire. I may put the Sumis on my other set of waffles for track stuff.

I know the Coopers won't handle 90+ mph for very long I'm sure. They would probably grenader after several laps.

 

+3 Sumitomo HTR200's in 205/60-13.

 

Sorry but you are not going to find anything except the Sumitomo tire unless you are willing to spend money for just track tires. Then you could go with the Hoosier R6
ZR rated tires at $166.00 each. :-)

Here are some Toyo's that are available-

http://www.edgeracing.com/tires/2056013

Too bad Michelin stopped making their XGT V tires in that size. They stuck like glue and still lasted around 30k.

 

Hmm well it sounds like the sumitomos are the way to go. I looked at them once before but I kinda wrote them off as they seemed like cheap chinesey junk tires I'd see at wal-mart. They must be better than the Cobras though, they may look cool but they slip all the time. Anybody have pics of the 205/60/13s on the stockers?

 

Jeezus I beleive has them on his stockers. I'm sure some others do too. Mine are on Libra's

 

I have the sumi's too.

Been through a few sets now. Nothing beats them for the price. There's not a ton of grip like an R-compound, however they have a very controllable loss of traction. You can feel it going away slowly, and you can get it back before it's gone.

Sumitomo is a pretty big company. In fact the Falkens on my wifes' maxima say "made by sumitomo" on them somewhere.

 

Yeah I got some pictures. I will get some in a second. They are great tires, and can handle 120+mph at RA. Didn't drive her to the max, since if I crashed it would be a 250 mile walk home

 

I remember the tire's holding their own at about 8/10ths driving, then starting to get a little sloppy towards 9/10ths. This was after 4-5 laps, and with track temps about 130-140*F

 

I have both the sumi's mentioned above, and Yokohama Touring 185/70 's

To me the Yokohamas are just as good as a DD and are the stock size for the car. They also fill the wheel well more than the 205/60

 

I'm running Sumitomos for the 2nd time. This time I went with 215/50/13 and have no regrets.

 

Hmm, isn't that going to be even smaller? Do you get any rubbing on the fronts?

Those 205's you showed me Jeezus look like they are pretty small. Man I wish there was some good choices for 13's. Ourx7, aren't the Yokos even more expensive, and they aren't they more for a 'passenger' car?

 

They look the same size from the ones I took off before. I think they were 175/something/13 Michelins. Obviously these are thicker

 

check out tire rack for prices on the yoko's , they are not expensive 60$ i think

they are an all season performance tire which are great for street driving. They are good for sprited driving , but I have never spent a day at a track or autocross with them . I just checked and they don't seem to have them anymore , but the avids would be good in 185/70 . I have avid on my vert and really like those . the 185/70 size fills the well the best. link below . read the specs comparison , that may help

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compar...t=All&x=59&y=9

 

hey I just saw you are in minnesota , maybe the other yokohama would be better for traction if you are driving in wintery conditions at all

 

the sumitomos HTRs are excellent value for money!!!!!
I had a quick search but, what models of tyres are available in Yokohama and Bridgestone in the US in 205/60/13????
In my opinion Yokohama make the best tyres, but it really depends, what models are avail in that size over there.....oh and the costs of each, for reference too!!
If working to a tight budget, then funnily enough the nankang 205/60/13 is a good little tyre for the price too!!! better than the cooper
but it is no Yoko-Sumi-Bridgy
Sumitomo owns DUNLOP.......massive company, huge technology base, they make brakecalipers etc
tyres are like shoes.....
a size 12 Nike is slightly different than a size 12 ADIDAS
with tyres and their specifications there is a max and min criteria for sizes
most tyre manufacturers skimp on their product and make smallest/skinniest tyres possible to save on rubber and put more cash in their pockets
However Yokohama always make the widest tyres when u compare the tyres side by side in same size across the brands, they always try to give u the most width and up to date technology, and regularly update their product line with the latest technology
just for interest
a 265/50/15 Yokohama Y352 is the same size/width as the 295/50/15 BF Goodridge T/A

 

I haven't bought 13'' tire in a long time but I got a set of nexxen tires for my GSLSE from tire-easy.com

 

Yep I am in MN but I'm looking for a performance summer tire really. I DD this car only about 8 months a year, and I'm planning on stopping driving it as my DD actually this weekend, and have it stored after thanksgiving. We just got an inch of snow though and on my good treaded coopers it was all I could do to keep it on the road-seriously it was terrible. I don't know how anybody can drive an RX7 in the winter.

 

Choosing tires is a pain especially for the 13's. I was running 185/70 grand ams all around but i wouldnt recomend that. even for daily, you just have no grip at all. Sure the *** end of the car loves comin out to play but once that happens the fronts are soon to follow. Trust me my 7 recently had to be dug out of a ditch cause the grands failed to hold at 35mph, which was really sad. . . but now ive got toyo r888's and those dont come loose at all. period. But i missed the *** sliding so i left the toyo's on the front and the grands on the rear. front grips super well so no outofcontrolledness like with all 4 grands but you can still have some fun letter her go sideways when your whippin her thru the autox.

 

I've driven nothing but 7's in the winter for the last 3 years. This year will be #4. I've never had any issues, as long as you know how to drive in the winter. I'll probably be swapping out my Sumitomo's for the stockers here in a few days since it's gotten much colder

 

Damn shame that Goodyear doesn't make the 13" RWLs any more. I used to have a set of Eagle GT's in RWL on my 80; excellent tires, lasted many years.

This thread is really timely for me; Once Spry Beastie is back on the road, I'll need new skins. The Rikens it's sitting on right now are more than a dozen years old, and more than half-worn. I expect they'd not take much driving, as they are kinda hard now.

Got the original-equipment Bridgestone spare still in the trunk, too.

 

Even B.F.Goodrich Radial T/As with RWL would be nice. They still make them in 14 and 15 inch but stopped making the 13s.

 

Ug, yeah man I wish there was something we could do to get the Eagle GTs or the B.Fs back, its a real shame they don't make them anymore.