Another Tire Story... for stagger enthusiasts!

The "ever popular" (HA!) PRO-METER P205/60xR13's are available here... and they fill the REAR fenders nicely.

Should be on a 6 inch wide wheel but I find my 5.5s to be OK and have run this size for years. If interested in a 50K mile street tire for reasonable money... go here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/35117160371...item=&sspagename=ADME:B:WNARL:US:1123&vxp=mtr

I called Greg at (402) 323-4237 to ask when these NEW tires were actually made and he quoted May of this year. He's shipping them tomorrow and knocked off 10 bucks off the price. I'll let you know more when I do, like which PLANET they came from and just how they perform and wear. They have about 60 in stock. He has no other 13 inch tires... But if you are NOT in a hurry, he might be able to order some others.

Secondly... I'm about to order some Achilles 175/60xR13's for the front. They are the next size smaller than the typical 185/60xR13's and I feel it will give me the rubber-rake that I like without adversely effecting my "cruising" performance. Use your Tire Calculator to see the difference. Should also eliminate any rubbing issues also.

Go here to see:

http://www.tires-easy.com/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?dsco=135&Cookie=froogle-CJDw76a74cACFUZgfgod-wsACg&details=Ordern&typ=R-207262&ranzahl=4&nichtweiter=1&pk_campaign=froogle&wt_ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Egoogle%2Ecom%2Faclk%3Fsa%3Dl%26ai%3DC3NfuQe8VVJL3EtCD%2DgP0zYKYDObj87EFvur0%2DqkB9qWEzvEBCAkQAiDezc8eKBRQpsHq5AVgyd76hsijkBmgAYrNztEDyAEHqgQnT9CotuW3GWBkONrc5kc8wRFLA67USQezOSyk3qTv%2DyDAdy0RQwXowAUFoAYmgAfesrEukAcDqAemvhvgEs6g%5Ftf98t6SFw%26sig%3DAOD64%5F2l5xI1eyEOTzVbgVYX04XNPLof8w%26adurl%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Etires%2Deasy%2Ecom%2Fcgi%2Dbin%2Fp%2Epl%253FID%253Dfroogle%2526Country%253DUS%2526typ%253DR%2D207262%26ctype%3D5%26rct%3Dj%26q%3D%26ei%3DQe8VVJCVD4q7ogTCtIGABw%26ved%3D0CGwQpyswAQ&ID=froogle&wt_t=1410723698000&wt_ga=&wt_kw=#

No real specs are given but these are their Platinum 7 series, whereas the 185/60xR13's are their 122 Series... whatever the hell that
means...

Here is a link to the TWO makes that Tire-Easy offers for the 185/60's:

http://www.tires-easy.com/cgi-bin/r...yre_for=&rsmFahrzeugart=ALL&suchen=View+Tires.

I say about to order as I'm on hold "for the next available service representative" to ask them about their damn taxes and waste fees... as I ain't disposin' them there... Shipping for Tire Easy tires seems to range from 17- 20 bucks each... and this was another 10 bucks on top of that. Just doesn't sound right.

Another 13 incher some may be interested in...

This tire looks cool but is really small, and your car needs to be SLAMMED to look decent... Probably with a DOT racing tire in the rear also in a 50 Series. I once ran these with no problems for a few years but they were just a bit too small in sidewall height for my taste.

http://www.tires-easy.com/cgi-bin/r...Q&ID=froogle&wt_t=1410722289000&wt_ga=&wt_kw=

Hope this helps and is of interest to some...

OH... I finally figured out the tax issue as I thought these tires were coming from out of state, but they are actually coming from Northern California. The waste disposal is an ad-hoc DEPOSIT of sorts like soda cans as if they are gonna refund it in the future? Geez... Welcome to California... now get the hell out as soon as as ya can! There are two other states they do this to ya if you happen to reside in one of them. You'll need to look them up on the Tire Easy site for more info. Not a deal breaker... but with shipping costs as high as they are lately... its just another POKE I don't need.

Thanks

I really like the Federal SS 595 185/60R13's those look like nice tires any one using those if so are they good?:excited:

Well, you really need to rephrase your post for more answers...

Or start another one. Simply ask for folks to tell you of their experience with Federal 185/60 tires.

I haven't used the Federals but others have. About 3 years ago our friend Herzel installed some Nexen's on his ride in Israel which caused many of us to research them.

We found our mainstay of Sumitumo's had essentially dried up and Federals and Nexen's were the only readily available tires in that size. Now I see Federals and can't find Nexen's. As far as I can tell, they are almost equal in price and performance with one having a UTOQ rating of 400 and the other at 420 I believe. Not necessarily great for autocross but should be a great Cruising Tire.

Lately we see Nankang's, Federals and these new Achilles 122's in the 185/60s.

Of course there are also some high end Falkins and others, along with the "DOT" racing course only tires from Summit as well as a bunch of others.

Well, I digress, the original PURPOSE of my post was to list 13" tires that I prefer for a Rubber-Rake and that others might be interested in... that I found currently available for very reasonable money.

More stuff, QUESTION for Jeff Van Dyke...

Hey Jeff...

My Achilles 175/60x13's arrived today and they are their "Platinum 7" style and I wanted to ask you about what your "122's" were like as a comparison. I know you chose the 185/60s...

So here are my tire's specs:

Achilles 175/60 R13 77H

Platinum 7

Treadwear 420, Traction AA, Temperature A, Made in Indonesia.

"Official Tire of FormulaDrift"

Basically, they are 12mm less in overall diameter and also 10mm less in width, $10 dollars less in price for both, and they are DIRECTIONAL.

Bottom line... these two tires were $31+ cost, $17+ shipping, + 5% Benicia CA taxes, + CA deposit, + CA fees and took 4 business days from NorCal and totaled $103 bucks to my door. Tires costing $62 bucks ran another $45 bucks to get them to me.


The 205/60's arrived the other day for the rear and these are their specs:

Pro-Meter 206/60 R13 052B

LL600

Threadwear 400, Traction A, temperature A, Made in China

They are 24mm taller and 20mm wider than a 185/60... and compared to the 175/60's... 46mm taller and 30mm wider.

Bottom line for these calling DIRECT and not using EBAY was $155 flat.

If these tires were coming from a CA warehouse like the Achilles, then $45 bucks of it would be for all the fees and shipping, or $55 bucks a tire.

The final figure, $258 dollars plus $60 to mount, balance and install or $318 total.

Use this calculator to compare if you want...

http://www.rimsntires.com/specspro.jsp

It'll be a while before I can say how they ride and feel... but I'll get back when I know more...

Pictures

When you are ready to post a review can you post tire fitment pictures?

Sure... but there are NO fitment issues...

The 175/60s clear up front beautifully as most 185/60s have been found to rub a bit when backing and full lock. A bit of fender rolling or removing the plastic liners usually cures this.

My car is lowered up front as well by 2 inches at the front bumper.

As for the rears, the 205/60s have NO problem whatsoever now. I must admit 15 years ago when I tried this I had the stock OE and leaking struts that needed replacement and they would rub a bit when bottomed out. I temporarily fixed that with rubber lift-kit blocks and when I replaced the struts with KYB's, I never had a re-occurrence.

I will post some photos when I have them installed, which should be early next week. For photos of the tires themselves use the links in the original post above.



A more accurate appearance...



Here's a photo from a few years back with 185/60s up front and 205/60s in the rear. These are Sumitumos all around and although not a close-up, you can definitely see the clearances. In this shot the front tire actually looks bigger than the rear and truthfully, not much difference can be seen anyway. With the 175/60s, it should be a bit more pronounced, which is the LOOK I am trying to achieve, without going overboard (IMHO) with 175/50s.

Here is a shot of those back then... Note clearance here on my FIRST set around 2005 or 2006.



Note the rather large gap with the 50 series in the front.



HTH... Again, after I have the new ones installed I'll post them. Thanks for your interest.

Black-Tooth said:

Hey Jeff...

My Achilles 175/60x13's arrived today and they are their "Platinum 7" style and I wanted to ask you about what your "122's" were like as a comparison. I know you chose the 185/60s...

Click to expand...

Well, I confess I have no idea about the specs other than the listed size 185/60/13, no UTQG given, speed rating H
According the man. date code on the tire they were made in March of 2014. No fitment issues but my suspension is all stock (until I get off my butt and lower the front).

No problems reported by shop during balance. They feel fine on the road. Grooved pavement makes the car a little squirrelly. I can't attest to performance I just drive. So far no slippage in the wet and I haven't broken it loose on a turn in a long time, mostly because I'm a whimp, I can tell you the loose items in the car are flying around long before the car is.

Thanks Jeff, but the UTOQ rating and where they are made...

MUST be on the tire, along with traction and speed ratings... and an ARROW if they are directional.

Could I ask you to get out a magnifying glass and take a look closely at the tire?

((Don't make me come out there and slap you around...))

HA!

I will look at the tires then, didn't know it was on them, someone else already had me check the manufacture date (which is on the tire), I'll try to figure it out later today. So far I think $30ish/tire is ridiculously cheap for tires that seem pretty darn good.....so far.

A note about UTOQ ratings...

Lifted from the Discount Tire web site:

Treadwear


"The treadwear grade of a tire is a comparative rating based on the wear of a tire when tested carefully under controlled conditions. For example, a tire graded 400 should have its useful tread last twice as long as a tire graded 200. However, a different tire manufacturer may grade a comparable design as 300, so a grade of 150 would last half as long under their grading scheme. Therefore, it is not recommended to use one manufacturer's grade versus another, but instead to compare tire grades within a given brand. Actual treadwear performance can vary tremendously according to the tire's real-world use. Variations in driving habits, service practices (especially air pressure maintenance), road conditions and climate will affect the life of treadwear."

And I would haveta agree Pete... but geez, we gotta...

try something. Even SIZING is not always adhered to.

In this case I was asking Jeff what the specs were on his Achilles 122 Series 185/60xR13s as compared to the SAME Achilles brand Platinum 7 Series 175/60xR13s. Also neither series appears to carry any other 13 inch sizes, at least not in the Continental US, and the Pro-Meter brand's 205/60xR13 is only available in that size as well!

This will probably be my LAST set of 13's and almost was this time as well!

my 122s
Treadware 440 Traction A Temperature A

Thanks Jeff... So NO Direction Arrows... and no...

indication you can see where they are made?

Indonesia
No arrows.
Tread seems like it might be such that direction doesn't matter?? Symetrical/mirror.

HA! So who here has anything bad to say about...

INDONESIAN tires???

HAHAHAHA!

I am sure yours are NOT a directional tire then... I have BIG arrows on my sidewalls... Same for my Mickey Thompson HUGE x LARGE, and even HUGE x LARGER Street Radials... which are made in AMERICA to my surprise!

MORE OPTIONS off the wall for 13's...

SummitRacing.com

http://www.summitracing.com/search/department/wheels-tires?N=4294950865%2B4294898495%2B4294920858&PageSize=100

74 different sizes. Not many for the street... some outrageous prices... and some really cool SLICKS and barely legal DOT tires for the rear for those with K20's and the like. Various widths and sizes for M&H, MT, and Hoosier for example.

Jegs.com has 54, 13 inch tires...

http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/stor...rch=3021497&SWIDTH=&ARATIO=&WDIAMETER=3021497

One Kumho 1791713 I hadn't see before is a 235/45/13 which really needs an 8 inch wide wheel, measures about a 1/2 less in height and 9 inches wide.

Both Jegs and Summit offer Coker Tires and other "original sizes" for the purists. I found NO 13 inch tires listed for Continental or Pirellis.

Toyo.com... everyone seems to know that their Proxes R888's are quite popular in 185/60s... http://tirefinder.toyotires.com/?sw=185&ar=60&rd=13 ... but they also have them in 205/60s and as a RA1 in the 205 size... http://tirefinder.toyotires.com/?sw=185&ar=60&rd=13

Kumho.com offers ONE 215/50 in a racing slick http://kumhotireusa.com/tire/find ...

and TWO in the 175/70 sizes, which I personally would not recommend here: http://kumhotireusa.com/tire/find

Welp... that's about all I can find at the moment... If there are others out there, I sure welcome folks to let us know...