[Fot] Tires

[Mark Haynes]

While not specifically a triumph question, I hope I get get some info here.
I have a ‘73 Lotus Europa John Player Special. The car only weighs about
1500 pounds.

The tires that came on the car are:

175/70-R13 Front
185/70-R13 Rear

Because of the weight, the specified air pressure is only 20 pounds.

The rims are 5.5” wide

It is difficult to find street legal performance tires for 13” wheels.

Some manufacturers sell the 175’s & some sell the 185’s but few sell both,
& those that do, may only sell both using different model tires. I hate to
mix 2 different tire models on the same car.

If I go with a 205/60-R13, I get basically the same diameter/circumference
as both the 175 & 185 tires, & there are a number of track performance
tires, & even the old BF Goodrich Radial T/As available. The 205’s would
look great!

>From some old on line posts, it sounds like the 205/60’s will work fine on
the rear, with some very slight interference on the front at full turn
lock. That would be easy to deal with.

Some charts I have seen say that a 5.5” wide rim will take up to a 205, but
some say only up to 195 widths are acceptable.

Your thoughts?
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