[T3] Tired Searching for Tires
Bobsnotch at aol.com
Bobsnotch at aol.com
Sat Feb 4 15:07:08 PST 2012
In a message dated 2/4/2012 5:42:46 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
j_jonik at yahoo.com writes:
Has this topic been addressed here before? Can that be re-posted if
possible?
I haven't tried to buy tires for my T III for ages. They are all 165 R
15. When I found one bad tire, and having used up the good ones from parts
cars, I went to local used tire shops for a replacement or two. The
guys there didn't even recognize my measurement numbers. They all said
there MUST be a middle number...something about sidewalls.
Long story short...even the VW dealer couldn't help. They couldn't even
advise another size tire that would work...i.e. Narrow enough to not rip
itself up on front wheel well when turning. (VW dealers can't do older VW
keys either.)
So, finally, a Firestone dealer (two of my tires were Firestone) said he
could order tires with numbers 165 80 R - 15. $68 plus $18 balancing
and mounting. Almost $90 for ONE TIRE ! Quite a leap from my usual $20 or
so for good used ones, for decades. Don't know what the "80" is about.
And, I think these tires are Chinese.
One person told me that the only other car that used that size was
Triumph...but don't know what years.
What's to know about this? What range of sizes are compatible with a
T-3 ? How wide is the limit?
Are such tires now turning into some "specialty" item that needs to be
mail-ordered? Are there any known "hoarders" of 165R 15 tires who ship them?
This can be a real problem if traveling and getting flats...only to find
no tires are available nearby. A question then is...what to do in a pinch
as temporary tires?
Salvage yards? No luck. Most old VWs have been long trashed for
metal...and any tires ON the car would be rotted into the ground. Gotta get
lucky finding one in the trunk.
To those with parts cars out on the lawn...get them off the ground if the
tires are still usable.
Is there a question in here somewhere? Type 3s used either a 600-15 bias
ply tire, or a 165-15 radial tire. When you convert these 2 numbers to their
modern day equivalents, you get a 165-80-15. These have been getting harder
to find in the last 10 to 15 years or so, and the good tire companies like
Michelin, Pirelli, and other big names have discontinued them from their
product lines. Some brands to look for these days are Cooper and Nankang, or
possibly even Coker (expensive, like 125 per tire plus shipping). You
might want to try your local Discount Tire, or even Tires Easy, or even Tire
Rack.for them. Keep in mind you might have to order them. But, like you said,
plan on spending about 60 to 80 a tire for them.
I'm getting a set of Nankang's for my T-34, if I stay with the stock rims.
Otherwise I'll step up to some 195-65's on some aluminum 5.5 inch wide
rims.
Bob 65 Notch S with sunroof and IRS (Krusty)
64 T-34 Ghia (Wolfie)
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=412120
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