Re: Tire sizes for '74 Spider

[Bill Bain <BBain@domain.elided>]

Brian - 

This may be late since I was on vacation last week, but if so, just hit
the "Del" key . . .

I believe that the original wheels were 14" diameter by 5.5" wide, if
they were the Campy "turbina" types (later Spiders had a 14" x 6" 'five
star' wheel available).  The original spec'ed size was, I believe
165R14, but later Spiders using 5.5" wide wheels spec'ed 185/70 R14,
which was only slightly wider and is far more common than the 165R14.
If you drive your Spider hard, you should seriously consider using at
least an "H" rated tire.  If not, well, use a 185/70 from a reputable
manufacturer and enjoy.  I've used Dunlops for years and really like
them, but others will advocate Pirelli, Continental, etc.

The 5.5" wheel means that you can't go too much beyond the width of the
original spec'ed tire without having the sidewalls flexed too much due
to the relative narrowness of the rim itself.  Performance tires for 14"
wheels are becoming a bit scarce.  Currently, there are no "H" rated
185/70 tires commonly available in the US.  If you move up to
195/65HR14, you have choices from Yokohama (AVSi), Dunlop (D60A2), and
Continental (Contact), at least.  The 195/65 is only 0.25" smaller in
diameter than the 185/70 so the effect on speedo and odometer accuracy
is not huge and ground clearance is not hurt excessively.  A friend has
the Yokos on his Spider and they stick like crazy but they'll only last
10-12K miles or so.  I have D60A2s, which I like a lot, and I expect to
get the more typical 30-35K miles.  Contacts are OEM for Mercedes and
Audi (among others) so they should wear well too. 

Just my $0.02 and I hope this helps!

Bill Bain
'83 Spider (baby's got new Dunlop shoes)

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