Any recommendations for where to buy / what tires to buy? I'm looking for my '79. I don't drive it much when there is snow/ice on the roads but I do sometimes so I was thinking of getting all-seasons.

I have 195/60R13 right now. Whenever I ask for that size people say "what car is that for?" I think stock is 185/70R13 so I'm okay with that.

I've called a couple places about getting some new tires. The first place quoted me $570 for 4 all season tires. (185/70/13)

I just got off the phone with a quote for $250 for 4. As soon as I said "are those H rated?" he was pretty quick to get off the phone. They were S rated. (185/70/13)

I don't often drive really fast but I would not feel comfortable with S rated (160 km/h) tires.

PS: See http://www.goodyear.ca/tireschool/ti...oad_index.html for speed rating codes.

 

Your severly limited as far as "performance" all seasons go. Trust me, I know because I've searched for 2 years trying to find a nice tire for a 13" rim, and there are actually less now than there was 2 years ago. There just isn't any demand for them anymore so manufacturers are discontinuing tire after tire. I don't think a single new car comes with 13" rims anymore.

 

Put a nice set of 205's on there. They fit just nice.

 

...If you can find them. My '85 GSL 12A has 205-60-13 tires that I picked up in Vancouver two years ago. I searched high and low for them and from what I gather they are even more rare now.

Even if you do luck out and find a set of these there's the issue of what happens if you scrape a curb or if vandals slash one of them? It's hard enough to find a replacement for one tire of any brand, let alone of the exact ones you have. And I wouldn't even consider for a minute going with three 205s with one 195.

I'm thinking the best bet (and certainly an option I'm considering for both mine and my wife's GSLs) would be to swap in the GSL-SE suspension. The more common 4 x 114.3 bolt pattern would open up options in the 14" to 17" rim size range and make suitable performance tires much easier to find.

 

Yokohama Avid T4's are a not bad sporty all season tire - the T version being rated up to 180 kmh, so bit better than S's. They're also the only tire I found in your 185/70r13 size. Tire Rack price is $42 per, so in Canuck bucks from a local seller I would guess $85ish. I deal with Anand at My Tires for most of my tire needs (32nd Ave NE - 291-1661/mytires.ca) - he makes his name on bargain prices, and can get just about anything in. He may have brands/tires that the Tire Rack doesn't carry too, for further ideas. My brother had the Yokos on a '79 Corolla SR5 a few years ago and liked them - as I said, a sporty all season tire, biased a bit towards sport more than all-season.

 

BTW, I did try looking for 195 and 205's in 65 and 60 series and found nearly nothing - which doesn't surprise me - performance tires in 13, 14, and even 15 inch sizes and "vintage" profiles like 70 or 60 series are getting harder to come by, what with most new economy cars coming with 15 or 16" 60 or 50 series tires.
I did find Sumitomo HTR200 comes in 195/60r13 and 205/60r13, but it's a summer performance tire (around the same price as the Yoko Avid T4s), not all season. It got a favourable review in the Dec '05 Grassroots Motorsports as a choice for those looking for OEM sized rubber on 80's vintage sports cars. Of course, if you have a spare set of rims, or are willing to swap, you could get some inexpensive snow tires, and maximize your performance year round. Or maybe the GSL-SE suspension really is the best option.

 

I got a set of 205/60r13's brought in for a buddy of mine, they look and work great on his camden first gen. Just call Bashir at Kal Tire 243-0752 and tell him Gary referred you.