Thanks to the many people who responded to my inquiry about soft
sidewall tires on my 1979 spitfire. I have found that tires vary a great
deal even with the same dimensions, ie, it was not the size of the tires
but the brand/model. I now have decided to get pirelli p44's at 177/70
size mounted on 4.5 inch stock rims. I only have two on the rear of my
car (I pick up the other two on saturday) but they feel OK. They are
about $50 each. I think it is best to stay away, in general, from the
cheaper, lower speed rating tires. I will post on this topic when I
have my complete set of tires on the car tomorrow. I really like the 6
inch mags I have had on the car but the 205/60's rub on hard cornering
and bumps. I was going to go with 185/60's but they have less diameter
and I don't want to lose any ground clearance because I do a lot of
driving on less than perfect roads in the foothills and mountains around
here. The 175/70's are very close to stock diameter. I do say that the
car really handles well though with wide rims and tires - a lot of fun!
I got this car about four weeks ago and this is my first experience
with actually driving a spitfire over many miles. I have a 1965 mkII
that drives but it needs paint, interior and u-joints so its been
sitting on the back burner for the last year. I can see why everyone on
this list likes this little car so much. It is the only other car I've
driven that is as much fun (or more) to drive than the porsche 914's
that I've owned and driven for the last 15 years (don't laugh you guys,
they are good cars when fixed properly, sort of like the spitfire. I'm
even going to sell my 914 to make room for another spitfire.
I've replaced a few things on the car - ujoints, fuel pump; 35
year old starter from my mkII untill I get another - and now I need to
obtain a rear axle/hub assembly because one side is rumbling. Anyone
have a good one for sale? Or can anyone tell me where I can get a
factory hub puller or its equivalent? Anyone want to trade an excellent
set of 6 inch 8-spoke mags with conical inserts that use the stock lug
nuts for a factory hub puller? I do all of my own work and I know I need
this tool.
thanks again
David
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