<VV> Supply of 13" Tire Question

[seoxford@att.net]

"....a club member that is working at a tire shop ....says that the 13" tires are going to a thing of the past...not much of a need for this size any more....owns early models and says you can't go and buy a set of rims like you can a late model to go to a 14"..."

Doug - your club member is dealing with a couple of different issues.  First, he is right that you cannot readily find "new" 13" aftermarket rims for an em with the 4 bolt suspension.  New 13" aftermarket rims are available in 5 bolt style, so some em owners have installed lm front suspension parts and had their em rear hubs redrilled with lm 5 bolt pattern.  The 5 bolt pattern allows for 14" and larger installations also.  There are lots of 4 bolt 13" rims available in good used (i.e. ULTRA) condition.

Your club member is also right that the availability of 185/80 and 195/70x13 tires for em's is dwindling.  Those tires are available through independent dealers most often rather than from the "high volume" (Tire Rack, Discount Tires) stores.  If an owner is willing to run 175/70's, there are lots of choices for tires.  

Bryan Blackwell's website at http://autoxer.skiblack.com/ is always a good reference to send people to for tire/wheel info.

Steve Oxford/'63 conv