So what you are say is the cockamamie rule is your fault? :^)
Wasn't there one other car with a 12.5" wheel?
Matt Murray
----- Original Message -----
From: "Larry Steckel" <lorenzoscribe@hotmail.com>
To: <autox@autox.team.net>
> Gentlemen,
>
> I beg your pardon!!! It wasn't some POS Cortina that was given
the allowance
> of moving from 12 inch to 13 inch wheels. It was the 1978-1980
Ford Fiesta.
> Quite a nice little runabout if I may say so. I owned almost
two of them at
> one time. Boy could you carry extra race tires in the hatch
area. it was
> even bigger than my GTI.
>
> There were a number of parts that fell off the car every year
or so, on a
> regular schedule, but that's another story.
>
> The Fiesta came with 145-SR 12 Michelin XZX radials from the
factory. The
> upgrade was a 155-SR 12 The only tire available that even
approached a
> "performance" rating was the 175/70/HR12 Riken radials. They
fit on the 4
> 1/2" X 12" OEM wheels and did make the car handle better, but
were still
> hard as rocks. There was absolutely nothing else available. I
got tired
> looking at them. They simply wouldn't wear out.
>
> When the allowance hit, a friend who also autocrossed his
Fiesta went
> junkyarding and found a set of 4 1/2" X 13" Escort wheels,
which he fitted
> with soft tires. Boy did that make a big difference on the
car. It handled
> a lot better. i think he went with 185/60/13's.
>
> Of course the extra strain on the drive train also caused the
carrier
> bearing on the right side driveshaft to part company with the
car on a very
> regular basis. He always carried a spare to events. And one
time he even
> managed to pull both tie rod ends apart at the steering rack
during a run.
> Getting the car home that day was a real trial. Think about a
bunch of wire
> and racers tape!! Isn't that scary?
>
> So please...let's get our history correct. And just so everyone
is clear,
> the Ford Fiesta that came to the U.S. was built in a factory in
Spain, if I
> remember correctly. Ole!!
>
> Larry Steckel
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