A70x13 -- what now ?

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A70x13 -- what now ?

Postby bsvega33 » Wed Aug 13, 2008 4:22 pm

I think I'm discovering that I can't buy tires (A70-13 or equivalent) except for Chinese stuff. Firestone "Firehawk Indy 500" 175/70/13 was listed on a factory website, but I can't locate them. Rumor is discontinued. Found 205/65/13 in an off-brand, but too short, and not really similar to the old Wide Ovals. The classic car tire stores start at 14" sizes.

Anybody (purist/originality types) been tire shopping lately ?
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Re: A70x13 -- what now ?

Postby Jitterbugdude » Thu Aug 14, 2008 7:42 am

I have not but I looked at my mint condition spare tire the other day and the manufacture date was 2000. So, probably next year I'll need to get tires. Post here if you find a supplier. Randy B
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Re: A70x13 -- what now ?

Postby AusRs » Thu Aug 14, 2008 9:03 am

strange isnt it how the tires are hard to get
I am modifying a set of 14 inch rims to suit my car and its hard enough to get them :(
yokohama make a 205/60x13 raised white letter writing
thats about all i have found in my travels
bf goodrich sizes start at 14 inch (yet i have a pair here that came on t he car that are 13 inch !
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Re: A70x13 -- what now ?

Postby cjbiagi » Thu Aug 14, 2008 9:47 am

I guess it's a matter of demand. How many cars need 13" tires? While there is a small number it's just not worth for most manufacturers to make them.
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Re: A70x13 -- what now ?

Postby spyder_xlch » Thu Aug 14, 2008 7:20 pm

I just talked to a tire guy. I don't know exactly what he is, a salesman I'd guess. He thinks 13" tires will make a comeback because of the smaller econo cars that will be more popular. I don't see it happening. Even those little smart cars have 15" wheels I think.
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Re: A70x13 -- what now ?

Postby heinz057 » Thu Aug 14, 2008 8:51 pm

all the firestone firehawks are discontinued.i work for firestone and the do make other types that are 13''. you need to go to a firestone tire store not the local place that sells tires.
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Re: A70x13 -- what now ?

Postby bsvega33 » Fri Aug 15, 2008 9:05 am

I called a Firestone store way back and they didn't have any 13 Firehawks, just FR380 or something like that . It was purely a Honda kind of tire. I saw a photo of a Vega with 13" "Winston Winner" white letter tires that looked sort of OK, but I heard last year that all Winston Winner tires are discontinued. (when I couldn't find a replacement for a blowout on a truck)

I guess an out-of-the-way Firestone store could possibly have a few leftover 13 Indy 500s, but then if you lost 1, you lose the whole set.

http://www.hollywoodbobsmoviecars.com/g ... gt01s2.jpg <Winston Winner photo
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Re: A70x13 -- what now ?

Postby ubaguba » Thu Oct 23, 2008 5:04 pm

I have a 77 Towne Coupe with a set of MasterCraft Avenger GT P205/60R13 on it . They are still in production.
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Re: A70x13 -- what now ?

Postby bsvega33 » Wed Oct 29, 2008 11:19 pm

What I found so far:


Brian Chaney
Internet Specialist
Coker Tire Co.
1-800-251-6336
http://www.Coker.com

Alan, sorry, nothing like that around here. I know those (70 series 13") have been out of production for a while now…you may be able to find some on eBay, but other than that I’m not sure. Sorry, wish we could help you out there!

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Carl King
Rustybore's Tire Store (for the best selection of specialty tires (and tubes...) on ebay, and maybe even the web!)
800-427-5558

Sorry, nothing marked A70-13 anymore. P185/70R13 however are available in Cooper Trendsetter at 59.30 plus shipping (depends on your location).

The same COOPER BUILD tire is also available in the LARAMIE tire, a few bucks less at 55.18.

There may be a few other non-Chinese tires availble. I would need to check further.


__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Eddie Styles
BFGoodrich Tires
Consumer Care Department

Concerning your question, there will never be 13-inch Radial TA's simply because the market is moving to larger tires. Thirteen and even fourteen-inch tires are very rare on new cars. It is all supply and demand so the chances of smaller tires would not be good. We appreciate your interest in our products.

It is our goal to ensure that your issue has been resolved or your question answered to your satisfaction. If we can assist you further, please respond to this email or call us at 1-877-788-8899 (toll free) between 8:00AM and 8:00PM Eastern Time Monday through Friday or between 9:00AM and 5:00PM Eastern Time on Saturday.
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Re: A70x13 -- what now ?

Postby gerbsinmd » Thu Oct 30, 2008 7:28 am

spyder_xlch wrote:I just talked to a tire guy. I don't know exactly what he is, a salesman I'd guess. He thinks 13" tires will make a comeback because of the smaller econo cars that will be more popular. I don't see it happening. Even those little smart cars have 15" wheels I think.



Even my wife's Saturn has 15" wheels, they are 185 65 15s. that car with tire profile like that handles like a go-kart. I can' t see why they would want to go back to 13" tires. I just don't see 13's coming back, which is why I am moving my Mirage to 14's & 15's, and eventually to all 15s.
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Re: A70x13 -- what now ?

Postby Jeff Forss » Sat Oct 03, 2009 11:48 am

When shopping for tires for mine I looked into 205-60-13 Comp T/A HR4s from the "Legends" cars. The 600 Racing website had no information on the tires currently used, but a BFG logo is still one the website. A Google search brought up a 2007 photo of R&R Racing's Legends car with Comp T/As listed as the tire used. When I was looking in 2000 the tires were about $100 ea.

Jeff


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Tires: 205/13R60 BF Goodrich Tires Comp TA HR4
Wheels: Width:7" / Diameter: 13"
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Re: A70x13 -- what now ?

Postby gotmud7 » Sat Oct 03, 2009 11:48 pm

Check out Hoosier. They have a bunch of 13 in tires on their website. I am not sure of the sizes or treads, or lack of for thier 13 inch slicks.
The only Vega's that only had a little rust were the ones still on the assembly line.
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Re: A70x13 -- what now ?

Postby 72 SS PNL » Sun Oct 04, 2009 4:03 am

ive found several size 13's here - http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp ... mpare1=yes

they list a few sizes
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Re: A70x13 -- what now ?

Postby res0o7eb » Sun Oct 04, 2009 5:53 pm

You can still find 13" tires, but choices are slim.
The original poster is asking for the equivalent of an A70-13 tire which is 175/70-13 which calculates to 22.6" dia. and 6.9" section[edit] width. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearc ... &x=73&y=12
A 205/60-13 is nearly identical at 22.7" dia. Section[edit] width is wider at 8.1".
As mentioned, this size tire is still available. You need at least a 6.0" wide wheel, though. The Vega GT wheels are 6.0" wide. So, those are a good choice for an almost stock look.

As it looked like Michelin wasn't producing 13" Radial T/A tires any longer(Thanks for confirming that, bsvega33), I sent an email to Coker a couple of years ago about the possibility of Coker buying BF Goodrich 13" Radial T/A tire molds. I only got a "We have 14" Radial T/A's" answer. Coker, supposedly, makes low-volume, out-of-production tires. Correct?

Like gerbsinmd, I am moving away from 13" wheels on all of my H-Bodies either with 5-lug conversions or locating larger diameter wheels in a 4x4.00" bolt pattern.
Last edited by res0o7eb on Sun Oct 04, 2009 11:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: A70x13 -- what now ?

Postby Jeff Forss » Sun Oct 04, 2009 8:42 pm

Granted, this thread is a year old so he may already have found tires, but it's fun to think things over.

"...and not really similar to the old Wide Ovals." "Anybody (purist/originality types) been tire shopping lately ?"

This is why I thought of the BFG HR4s. They're more modern than a Wide Oval, but at least not 21st century tires. My car has 205/60/13 Radial T/As on it, but as stated in an earlier post, BFG no longer makes them. Cooper makes the Cobra in 205/60/13 RWL. In 185/70/13, I like the Kumho KR21 available from the "Rack" or your local retailer. 175s are too little for my taste. It looks like Hoosier will have the A6/R6s, or some DOT mini stock or vintage racing tires. The A6/R6 are virtual slicks, the others look too delicate for road use.

A friend/customer of mine sent me this link to an Alfa Romeo outfit that sells "wobble nuts" to adapt wheels with a similar bolt patterns to odd-ball cars... like Alfas. http://www.serpentautosport.com/HTML/Hu ... acers.html They're pretty expensive though.

PS, I started writing this before Tom's post was sent.

The Hoosier R6 is great tire but a misleading example. They're autocross/race tires that are built over sized. The Cooper, is closer to it's stated 205mm section width at 7.9" and has a tread width of 7.5" much like the Sumitomo. Cooper Cobra link: https://hookup.usoil.com/WHI/Cooper/CobraRadialGT.pdf

I wish the autocross forum that I am on had this guy: :dance:
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