What size tire for fat 70s sidewall look?

[JonT]

I have a narrow body 80 targa and would like the vintage racer tall sidewall look. I have a set of 16x7 and 16x9 on the car now but am not opposed to 15” sizes.

What were the vintage racer sizes? Thanks

[Racerbvd]

If you want fat sidewalls you will need to go to 15s. Then you can run 70s series tires.
BITD, I had a friend with a Turbo, and for most driving and traveling, he ran 15s with 70s series tires, but when it Came to spirited driving, he swapped out to 16s.
Remember, Porsche used 14" Fuchs for the "Comfort Package " with taller profile tires.
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[mikesarge]

Here's my SC on 15s with my "winter" tires with some chunky sidewalls:

front 205/65/15

rear 225/60/15

I run 16s with sticky tires when I want to drive hard.

[deemsriddle]

Pirelli makes a tire CN36 which is available for vintage cars. They have a 185/70-15 that were used in the '70s and 80's but also has a 215/60-15 that can be used for the "staggered look."

[Showdown]

I have 15x6" all around on my narrow 77 that's been backdated. I have 15mm spacers on the rear and could go more or go to a 7" if I wanted...

My tires are Riken Raptors 195x65x15. Michelin made, nice and meaty... lots of fun. Cheap too.

[JonT]

here’s my Targa with the 16s and Yokohamas. This is the performance setup. I’m going to pick up some 15s to experiment with some super chunky (stealing your word! sidewalls. Maybe do some white letters too.

[Cory M]

If you want really thick tires you should look at the vintage race tires from Avon and the Michelin TB series. Selection for modern tires isn't great. Pirelli makes some vintage tires in original sizes, but they're a little narrow. I run the Toyo R888R. It's also a track tire but easy to source and reasonably priced.

Here are 225/50 and 235/50 Toyos on 15x7,8:


These are 225/45 and 245/45 Toyos on 16x7,8:


For comparison these are the taller Avon CR6ZZ in 215/60 and 225/60R15:

[959swede]

I will try these 265/50-15 on 10 inch steelies.






Just to get the rpm down.
Not for the lack of performance & handling..

[gamin]

205/60-15 on 15x6 wheels front and rear with euro ride height on the '70. Looks good. Drives good.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by gamin

205/60-15 on 15x6 wheels front and rear with euro ride height on the '70. Looks good. Drives good.

I think that size is a good compromise between a "vintage" look and a bit more modern performance. I run the same size on my '72, except mounted on 15x7's all around. They look "correct" to my eye, while still performing well.

[ADDvanced]

PSA: Only 77 and earlier are narrow body. 78+ all had flares. Thanks for coming to my ted talk.

[Bill Verburg]

Here's a summary for what fits on different wheels in different sizes

15s range from ~23" to ~25.2" OD
16s from ~2.9" to ~24.9" OD