[TR] Dumb tire and tube question

[Randall]

> So this is probably a dumb question, but bear with me.  I 
> have a 57 TR3 with steel wheels and Michelin radials.  I plan 
> on replacing the radials.  Do I need a tube in there, or with 
> the new tires seal on the wheels?

Tubeless tires work just fine on the stock steel wheels.  I forget the
required stem size offhand (maybe 1/2"), but it's a standard size, any tire
shop should have them.

>  Also where is a good place 
> to get tires. TireRack didn't have the correct size.

I found a seller on eBay offering the Kumho PowerStar 768 in size 165-15
tires that TireRack used to carry, at a reasonable price.

Also, one of our local club members just reported finding Vredestein Sprint+
tires in 165-15 at a local tire store (Performance Plus in Long Beach, CA).
$59/tire; he didn't mention whether that included mounting and balancing.

And Discount Tire has 165-15 listed on their website.

Any of these should work fine on the ground, but of course will be a VERY
snug fit in the spare tire well on a pre-60K car.  After years of having to
keep a rope tied around the spare so I could get it out, I finally switched
to using a "compact spare" type tire, in size T125/90-15.  It mounts on a
standard TR3 steel wheel, and leaves lots of extra room in the spare tire
compartment.  I had to stuff my emergency blanket in there to keep it from
sliding around.  Of course, it's only for short-term use at low speeds ...
but I covered probably 80 miles at 70+mph on mine and had no problems.

Randall