Unfortunate tire news

The front of my car requires short, narrow tires. I can't fit anything wider than a 185 on either end of the car.

I have been rolling on the 20.8" tall Federal FD-1's in 165/45/15 but it is a pretty crap tire as far as performance goes. 13" wheels won't fit over my calipers so when I saw the blurb in GRM about how Maxxis was planning on offering the 21.3" tall 185/50/14 I got all excited. Even went out and bought some 14" wheels in anticipation. Called the local maxxis dealer every month and they still no nothing about them so I emailed Maxxis directly.

Maxxis said: Due to the minimal demand for that size we do not offer it in the U.S. Sorry we cannot help in this case

I really wanted to get a hold of some tires that had some sporting intentions about them. I see the Yokohama S-drive is avaliable in 185-55-14 but that sucker is 22" tall and I doubt that will fit up front.......at least not without shortening control arms.

Us small car people are really getting the shaft these days. With the HTR200 gone there is just nothing out there.

shame you cannot get them as non-US from somebody overseas

Flares?

I'm thinking that shorter control arms is not on the list of things that car needs...

mad_machine wrote: shame you cannot get them as non-US from somebody overseas

The Non-DOT label wouldn't be an issue since there are no vehicle inspections in this area but from what I understand US customs is very diligent on not letting things they normally tax through the border.

ransom wrote: Flares?

While the look is badass it just isn't what I have in mind for the car

One of the few things that can't be custom made... I feel bad for you. I use the same size tire but I have a lot of extra room to work with.

Good luck finding something :/

drive to canada and have them installed?

7 Enterprises to the rescue.

How about Yokohoma A048R 175/13? Not DOT legal though. Do you have inspections where you live?

They also have Yoko A539 in 175/50-13, also not DOT approved.

Finding tires for small wheels is tough.

I wonder if Coker tire would be interested in producing something? With all the small tire cars still around, and them being a niche market tire maker, it might work for them.

T.J. read OP's post again.

ditchdigger wrote:

Maxxis said: Due to the minimal demand for that size we do not offer it in the U.S. Sorry we cannot help in this case

mad_machine wrote: drive to canada and have them installed?

mad_machine beat me to it... go.. have them mounted come home

The 22" 185/55R14 isn't that much bigger---.35 or so in any direction. I'd give that a try. Heck, there's even a V710 in that size.

Not the most sporting of options but you can get the Kumho Estcas in 165/50/15. They make them for the Smart car, alot of VW beetle guys are using them on lowered beetles.

Dont use the OEM Continentals though, they have even less sporting intention.

wbjones wrote:

mad_machine wrote: drive to canada and have them installed?

mad_machine beat me to it... go.. have them mounted come home

A near 1000 mile round trip for some tires sounds fun but impractical.

I hope this hotlink works

I guess the 185/55's aren't that much larger than my current rolling stock. 30mm taller so..... about 1 3/16 inch.

But the 15's look BADASS on it

HiTempguy wrote: But the 15's look BADASS on it

Agreed. That pic in the first post looks just about perfect.

MIRS: a new revolutionary tyre technology

MIRS ™ (Modular Integrated Robotized System) is a revolutionary system in tire manufacturing. Using a single robotic fixture, it builds tires from beginning to end without having to move them from machine to machine. Robots manage the entire production cycle, at a speed unprecedented in this sector, in an uninterrupted sequence from the compounds to the finished tires , with no semifinished products to be moved around and no intermediate storage phases.

The technology employed in the MIRS™ produces tires with an exceptional degree of precision, so much so that it redefines all existing tire-quality reference parameters. Allowing the construction of a one-piece seamless cover, MIRS provides users with a tire with qualitative standards on a whole different plane than those obtained via the traditional process: absolute structural uniformity, no vibration or imbalance , and maximum comfort .
Proving once again, that as technology advances and evolves so does the Pirelli tire.

This Robot can custom-make a tire to spec. Too bad they don't offer it as a service!

damn.. that would be VERY nice

unk577 wrote: T.J. read OP's post again.

Ooops. My reading comprehension failed me I guess. "Now I see", said the blind man. Maybe he could just take off the brakes and run with the 13's?

Out of curiosity, why the big calipers on the front of an 850? Is this the Fiat big brake kit guys talk about on the Mira board?

Considering I never had issues with my 128 track car with the standard items (with good pads and fresh fluid) it sure seems like overkill. Especially for an 850.

In reply to subrew:

The calipers aren't large or anything just oddly shaped. I fit 4 piston Tokico calipers from a GSX-R1000 sport bike to the stock rotors.

The main reason I did it was I was tired of the maintenance that sliding wedges required (I had to dissasemble clean and regrease them every 3 months) and because the new setup dropped 8lbs of unsprung weight per corner!

They outperform the stock calipers by such an amazingly large margin I just can't imagine going back. The area of the 4 pistons is an almost perfect match to the single large piston in the 850 calipers so the biasing didn't change at all. Once I work out a suitable emergency brake mechanical caliper I will be putting these on the rear as well.

A pair of Gixxer calipers sell on ebay for around $20 shipped all the time, so they are cost effective as well.

NICE! I can see why you cannot fit a 13 rim over them though...

As as side note the S.Drives have an annoyingly large rim protector, so the tire is quite a bit wider than the contact patch, and quite a bit larger than similar tires in the same size. Measure them before you buy!

I shall forever mourn the loss of the HTR200.