tire selection for 80SC - trying to get smart

[Rick K]

All,

I have an '80 SC and the tires are beginning to get a little hard/cracked and I don't believe that the tires that are on there are even in production anymore. I bought it about 1.5 yrs ago and the PO drove it infrequently, hence the old tires. I am thinking about doing some drivers ed in the spring, and the tires need to be replaced.

I want to get smart on wheel/tire sizes. I currently have the standard size fuchs on the car (6's & 7's I believe). I was told that the tires that are on there now are 1 size up (both front and rear), so the tire walls actually come out farther than the lip of the fuchs a fair amount more than I have seen on other SC's. My mechanic and other PCA potomac folks say that this isn't dangerous, some people like the look of the larger tire on smaller fuch. I personally don't mind the look, but I am getting some rubbing/small cuts in the outside part of the tire tread (not good for driver's ed let alone daily driving), so I think sizing down will help that problem. If not, I will mess with the camber until right.

So, my questions...
-What are the standard fuch sizes? What tire sizes fit on these (I will be sure to double check w/ my mechanic)?
-Any suggestions for tires/brands that will be a good weekend driver (will be good if I happen to get caught in the rain) as well as decent in drivers ed that would not break the bank?
-Price to expect per tire?

I would appreciate the feedback, thanks all! -Rick

[TerryH]

I ran 245's on 7's with no issues, but I think the majority will say 205 and 225 on 6's and 7's.

[racer]

Maybe you should mention the tire size you currently have.

SC's could have either 15" diameter wheels or 16" diameter wheels. They can vary from as narrow as 6" front to 9" rear. Most likely you are have 6x16 fronts and 7x16 rears. It would be recommended to run a 205/55-16 front and a 225/50-16 rear.

To accurately determine wheel size, remove a front and a rear wheel. On the back side of the wheel, in one of the "spokes" you will find (and it may be under some caked on brake dust) the factory stamping of the wheel size.

16" tires are still fairly common. 15" tires are becoming less common, unless you go with a specialized tire. Tires can be dirt cheap (75/tire) to "break the bank" $200+/tire. That said, you sometimes do get what you pay for. You do have a car with some good performance, so don't settle for "cheap" tires.

[nostatic]

egad, get new tires NOW! Old cracking tires are incredibly dangerous.

A few favorite budget tires are Kumho Ecsta MX and Yokohama ES100.

[anthony]

but I am getting some rubbing/small cuts in the outside part of the tire tread (not good for driver's ed let alone daily driving), so I think sizing down will help that problem. If not, I will mess with the camber until right.

With 6es and 7s you shouldn't even be coming close to cutting tires on the fender lips. If you are I'd guess that the car is too low or something else isn't quite right. I'd sort that out before getting new tires. (I also wouldn't drive the car on old cracked tires.)

[Rick K]

Thanks for the feedback all. Not looking to go cheap-o on future tires, just looking for a place to buy good tires at the right price. My current tires are not that bad, just getting a little hard and I don't want to track them. As for the cuts in the tread, its a little bizarre. There haven't been any new cuts since I have owned, and my mechanic says that it almost looks as though the PO tried to run the 7's up front at some point and that is where the cuts came from. My car has been professionally lowered, and has plenty of clearance. Check out the attached pic (weird formatting for some reason, car is light blue metallic).