I found out there are 20 year old 175/80R13 Sears RoadHandler radials on the '67 Dodge Dart that we are going to restore. Obviously we don't need to be riding around on 20 year old tires...

...so what is your best economical recommendation to replace these tires? We want to get out as inexpensively as we can but with decent tires. I've seen some 175/70R13 tires out there, but I want to hear what you guys think we should put on. This is not going to be a concours restoration - just a driveable fun car to show every now and then and to drive to work when it's nice out.

Thanks for your input as always!

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Barry

Jeremiah 29:11-13

Current: 1967 Dodge Dart 270/225

Previous: 1964 Dodge Dart, 1966 Plymouth Valiant Signet, '64 Valiant Convertible

Are you quite sure you are going to stay with the 13" wheels? Lots of things get nicer (handling, ride, stopping, tire selection) when you go to 14" wheels. Most of what's available in 13" tires is junk. As for what ones to install, I'm not really able to give you what you want; tires are on the short list of stuff I don't scrimp on (with brakes, eyeglasses, and shoes).

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

As I've been working on upgrading my 9" drums to LBP discs, I've also had to look at upgraded rims/tires. With the trend in modern vehicles going to larger rims, it is very hard to find a good 13" tire nowadays. If you don't want to change to a 14" SBP rim, you're only choice in a radial tire is the Firestone FR380, which is still available in both P175/80R13 and P185/80R13. I would go with the P185/80R13 as it should keep your speedometer and odometer more accurate.

If you go with a 14" tire, you have a lot more choices still available but there are even more choices available in 15" sizes. You would need to upgrade to LBP disc brakes but this is a good idea anyway.

See Tire Upgrades for more information.

Can we still use the 9" drums with 14" wheels? What modifications would need to be done if we went with the 14"s?

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Barry

Jeremiah 29:11-13

Current: 1967 Dodge Dart 270/225

Previous: 1964 Dodge Dart, 1966 Plymouth Valiant Signet, '64 Valiant Convertible

...and I found these tires at Tire Rack - would they even work on the 13" wheels?:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp ... mpare1=yes

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Barry

Jeremiah 29:11-13

Current: 1967 Dodge Dart 270/225

Previous: 1964 Dodge Dart, 1966 Plymouth Valiant Signet, '64 Valiant Convertible

175 / 70 - 13 has an over-all diameter of 22.6 inches, that is too small for an early A-body vehicle. (that small of a tire will not "fill-up" the wheel opening so the car won't "look right")
You want somthing with an O.D. around 24 inches.
DD

The minimum rim width for 175/70R13 Altimax is 4.5" so yes they would fit.

However, this tire is a smaller diameter so your speedometer & odometer will be off. With a 3% correction for rolling diameter, your odometer will read about 66 mph at a true speed of 60 mph with a 17 tooth speedometer gear. If you change to an 18 tooth gear, your speedometer will read about 63 mph at 60 mph. If you change to a 19 tooth gear, your speedometer will read about 59 mph at 60 mph.

The 9" drums just mean that your bolt circle is 4" and you can use a 13" or a SBP (ie 4" BC) 14" rim with your car. IIRC, 14" rims are typically 5.5" wide so you can easily run a P205/70R14 tire instead.

No. The small-bolt (4" bolt circle) plain steel wheels came in 14" × 4½" and in 14" × 5½". The narrow ones are much more common than the wide ones.

But a P185/75R14 fits and works very well on the narrow rims, and there's a decently wide tire selection in that size.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Man... this is just a plain Jane ol' '67 4 door, and I was hoping it would be a lot easier to replace the tires than it looks like it might be. The wheelcovers look great on this one, but it sounds like it's going to be tough to find some replacement tires without it costing a good bit.

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Barry

Jeremiah 29:11-13

Current: 1967 Dodge Dart 270/225

Previous: 1964 Dodge Dart, 1966 Plymouth Valiant Signet, '64 Valiant Convertible

For a plain jane car, what's wrong with the Firestone FR380? Although not listed on TireRack.com, another online tire store lists them for $51 each. Your local tire shop should be able to order a set if they don't stock them.

Hey, FrankRaso,

What online store is showing them? I called my local Firestone and he said they were no longer available.

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Barry

Jeremiah 29:11-13

Current: 1967 Dodge Dart 270/225

Previous: 1964 Dodge Dart, 1966 Plymouth Valiant Signet, '64 Valiant Convertible

I searched for FR380 P185/80R13 and found High Performance Tire for the $51 price. However, I just checked with my local tire shop and they too told me that this tire is now discontinued. I would have expected Firestone to be the first to show this size as being discontinued.

It does look like the P175/70R13 size is your best option if you want to stick with 13" rims. Speedometer gears are still available from T'Flite Patty's Shop Mart and Brewer's Performance.

If your 13" tires aren't cracked, you could alternatively wait until a set of 14" SBP rims came up for sale either here or on FABO. There's a set of 8 SBP rims in IL (ship by bus?) for $60 right now but you'll have to convince the seller into shipping them. If they look too rough, you could then finish them. A local powder coating shop has quoted me $45/rim to sandblast and powder coat.

I'm not sure I would Firestone tires on my car if someone gave them to me. They have been junk since at least the 1950s when my Dad was fixing flats on his Dad's car. I had a problem with the only set I ever had...

Go for some 14s...

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

Are 14s just ready to bolt on, or do you have to modify the brakes, drums, etc. from the 9" setup?

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Barry

Jeremiah 29:11-13

Current: 1967 Dodge Dart 270/225

Previous: 1964 Dodge Dart, 1966 Plymouth Valiant Signet, '64 Valiant Convertible

Factory 14s just bolt right on to nine inch drums. No modifications necessary.

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.