Malcolm,
I had not been aware of saftey concerns with mounting too wide a tire on a
narrow rim, but the tire & rim width need to be a reasonable match for the
tire to work properly.
Too wide a tire will have the tread surface held in an arch, and you will
not have full contact with the road.
Additionally there will be a lot of side to side flex of the tire on the
wheel, contributing to instability.
I have chosen not to go over a 185/70-13 on my LAT 70 for those reasons.
I am running Bridgestone Potenza's, H rated, not the stickiest thing around,
but good for general road travel.
I did at one time have a set of Yokahama 008 street legal autocros tires on
the wheels, I believe they were 195/60-13. They were very sticky, but wore
unevenly on the narrow wheels. I can see how the increased loads from modern
performance tires could contribute to suspension failures, such as fulcrum
pin breakage.
I've been running tubes on my rims for 20+ years & have never had a tire
failure, but I rarely get over 100 mph.
Doug Leithauser
Date: Mon, 7 Oct 2002 08:41:59 -0400
From: "Malcolm McDonald" <suprmac@mac.com>
Subject: LAT70 Tire Recommendations
I have a set of LAT 70 wheels with no tires.
I am getting them repaired and I have never had tires on them.
I know that they are 13 x 5.5.
I am not looking for Z rated tires but something better than all
weather.
I am looking into getting 205 50-13 in the rear and something smaller in
front. It looks like there are a number of members that suggest getting
the camber adjusted on the front tires in the set-up.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Malcolm
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