TIRES!!!

66buglover238 · Post by **66buglover238** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 7:01 pm

I have not had to get a tire for my (66 of course) bug in some time... needless to say, now I need a tire and I am having trouble finding one. The tires I have now are 165 R 15. I have two different places looking for them. I do not know if maybe it is a Tulsa thing and they are hard to find out here or what. Anyway, does anyone know of a comparable tire size? I do not want to get one and it not fit into my tire compartment.
Thanks,

Kiwi66 · Post by **Kiwi66** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 1:56 am

Hi. Not sure of availability in the States, but down here in NZ you can buy 165R 15 Hankook Tyres. The cost is about $NZ125 each, which includes fitting and balancing. Hope this is of help. Cheers. Richard

RobM · Post by **RobM** » Thu Jul 02, 2009 2:14 pm

66buglover238 wrote:I have not had to get a tire for my (66 of course) bug in some time... needless to say, now I need a tire and I am having trouble finding one. The tires I have now are 165 R 15. I have two different places looking for them. I do not know if maybe it is a Tulsa thing and they are hard to find out here or what. Anyway, does anyone know of a comparable tire size? I do not want to get one and it not fit into my tire compartment.
Thanks,

It's evidently a problem all over. The tire shop I bought my last set from in So Oregon said they had been having trouble getting them for a couple of years. They also said that the local Les Schwab had been calling them looking for some (So they figured NO one had any in the area.). Needless to say I had all four replaced-- which were the last 4 they had or I would've purchased a spare too.

We may have to begin ordering them on-line from overseas somewhere in the future.

Blue Baron · Post by **Blue Baron** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 4:17 pm

Here in Florida we have Tire Kingdom, who sell a dandy 16580R15 Classic All Weather radial that's a perfect Volkswagen blackwall tire. They were $49 each.

But for the ultimate for a '66 restoration, you just can't beat the B.F. Goodrich Silvertown narrow whitewall radials from Coker. The narrow whitewalls give our '66 that extra shot of pizaaz that makes it a standout.

fatalifeaten · Post by **fatalifeaten** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 11:53 pm

tirerack.com generally carries them, and you can have them delivered to your door or to one of tirerack's installers in your area. Barring that, you can look for 165/80r15 (which is pretty much the factory stock size, a little different but almost identical) or 165/70r15 which has a lower sidewall but will get the job done. If you need to, you can go up to a 185/70 or 185/75. Little wider than stock, but usually easier to find and still fits well/won't kill your handling or mileage.

fatalifeaten · Post by **fatalifeaten** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 1:12 pm

http://www.cbperformance.com/catalog.asp?ProductID=691

I noticed today CB Performance has a couple of options for 165's on their website as well.

bockegg · Post by **bockegg** » Sun Aug 16, 2009 9:34 pm

I need to get 4 tires for my new '66, and 1 for the spare. Is there anyone out there who has tires that really likes them or dislikes them? I'm thinking about getting a set from a local VW mechanic, but I'm not sure? Currently the car has thin white walls. I'm thinking about getting tires without white walls. Any opinion, or is it just based on preference? Thanks, Mike

bockegg · Post by **bockegg** » Thu Aug 27, 2009 8:53 pm

I picked up my new "Federal" brand tires today.

Heather · Post by **Heather** » Fri Jun 11, 2010 11:22 am

I'd like to put the Whitewall replica tires on my bug for a stock look. I see a few different sizes posted here. Can some one please tell me what size etc i'm looking for. I also understand the whitewall was a thin one in '66?

Also a place to get them, I'm in CA but I can have them shipped.

For your spare do people usually get a less expensive tire that isn't whitewall?

Blue Baron · Post by **Blue Baron** » Sat Jun 12, 2010 9:59 pm

You can get a beautiful Goodrich narrow white wall 165 radial from Coker Tire, (www.coker.com) but be prepared for sticker shock. (Though they are well worth it.)

branston · Post by **branston** » Mon Jun 14, 2010 4:40 pm

I dreamt of whitewalls and decided the sticker price was just too much.

Instead I painted my rims correct two tone and bought a set of 5 165/80R15 kuhmo tires from my local tire co. They got them in a day or so at about $68 each.

They look and drive good.

fatalifeaten · Post by **fatalifeaten** » Mon Jun 14, 2010 11:22 pm

Heather, you could also try fitting a set of port-a-walls, which are whitewall inserts that glue(?) to the face of your tire. Atlas makes the ones that are most commonly used. Think they run about US $50.00 for a set of 4 on average.

HOWEVER

They can be a bear to maintain on a daily driven vehicle because they scuff and yellow easily and are difficult to clean. They also can have a tendency to want to come off in little chunks if they dry out. That's the trade-off you get if you want to go the inexpensive route.

Those Coker whitewalls are actually not horribly priced at about a buck and a half each. Yes, compared to the Kumho's, they're 2x as much, but in the big scheme of things they're reasonable. I pay about that for decent tires for my Passat and for the Wife's enclave they're about 200.00 each. I agree with the Baron, on the correct car, whitewalls are extra icing on the cake and well worth it. You have to decide whether they're right for you, but maybe in the interim you could try the ports and see if the look is right, then save up your pennies for the real deal.

165r15 would be "stock" if you can find them. 165/80r15 are so close you'd have to measure them to tell. The other sizes mentioned will fit and drive nicely but are not a stock size. As for a spare, are you planning on showing? If so, get a whitewall spare too. if not, up to you.

My $.02

Heather · Post by **Heather** » Tue Jun 15, 2010 10:39 am

thanks
all good advice! I was planning on spending 100.00 a tire but hopefully not more. I won't be able to show for awhile so I think I will go w/4 white walls one reg spare and it's gonna be my weekend car not daily driver. So now I'll start shopping around now that i know size etc.

branston · Post by **branston** » Tue Jun 15, 2010 9:01 pm

fatalifeaten wrote:Heather, you could also try fitting a set of port-a-walls, which are whitewall inserts that glue(?) to the face of your tire. Atlas makes the ones that are most commonly used. Think they run about US $50.00 for a set of 4 on average.

HOWEVER

They can be a bear to maintain on a daily driven vehicle because they scuff and yellow easily and are difficult to clean. They also can have a tendency to want to come off in little chunks if they dry out. That's the trade-off you get if you want to go the inexpensive route.

Those Coker whitewalls are actually not horribly priced at about a buck and a half each. Yes, compared to the Kumho's, they're 2x as much, but in the big scheme of things they're reasonable. I pay about that for decent tires for my Passat and for the Wife's enclave they're about 200.00 each. I agree with the Baron, on the correct car, whitewalls are extra icing on the cake and well worth it. You have to decide whether they're right for you, but maybe in the interim you could try the ports and see if the look is right, then save up your pennies for the real deal.

165r15 would be "stock" if you can find them. 165/80r15 are so close you'd have to measure them to tell. The other sizes mentioned will fit and drive nicely but are not a stock size. As for a spare, are you planning on showing? If so, get a whitewall spare too. if not, up to you.

My $.02

Good Advise, Personally I'd avoid them. I love the look but the sets of inserts I've bought slowly detroyed the walls of my tires way before the tread was gone. I've given up on them. I could have bought whitewalls for all the money I wasted on tires+porta-walls Just my $0.02 too

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TIRES!!!

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