spridgets
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Re: Tyre Sizes

To: ulix@u.washington.edu
Subject: Re: Tyre Sizes
From: spriteguy@juno.com (Matthew P Johnson)
Date: Wed, 18 Feb 1998 21:15:59 EST
Cc: spridgets@Autox.Team.Net
References: <Pine.OSF.3.96.980216215417.30453A-100000@saul7.u.washington.edu>
Reply-to: spriteguy@juno.com (Matthew P Johnson)
Sender: owner-spridgets@Autox.Team.Net
Ulix,

Thanks for your response to my e-mail.  I had been thinking about this
and wanted to add more detail.  My experience was on a Mk IV Sprite.  I
had 13x5.5 rims with 185/60 Pirelli P6 tires mounted.  (I seem to
remember the section width of the tires being 7 3/8".)  The car also had
a panhard bar and 7/8" front swaybar.  The thing that I found most
peculiar was that there was less clearance in the front  than in the
rear.  In fact the lip on the inside of the front fender wheel arch had
been scuffed from the top of the tire occasionally bumping it.

A friend of mine had a 1500 Midget.  Rubbing was not a problem for him
because his car sat considerably higher than mine.  He used 13x5
"mini-lites" with 185/60 Yokohama AVS Intermediate.  According to
Yokohama spec sheet this tire had a section width of 7.1".  I do not know
if his car had any suspension modifications.

As you know, 185s are really pushing the maximum width limit and may
require other modifications to make them work.  We all know manufacturing
tolerances in the 60s were not what they are today.  I'm suggesting that
what works on one Spridget may not work on another of the same model.  In
fact on my '67 Sprite, the left front fender well has more clearance than
the right front fender well.  Some of that could be minimized by fitting
the fenders more neatly to the car and, who knows, maybe the fender molds
weren't exact mirror images of one another.

Best non-committal advice I can give:
There are many variables, and the decision ought to be made carefully.

Matt


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