MG Midget Forum

I recently bought a '67 midget with wire wheels and the (rotted) tires. The tires are 165/80r13 and I noticed that the size looks great on the car compared to the 145/80r13 on my other Midget. However, I read a Moss Motors chart that showed that 145 and 155 tires are the best suited for the Midget.
Since I'll be buying new tires soon, is it "safe" to run 165 on a midget?

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"Quite by accident, I bought a genuinely brilliant little car."
-Jeremy Clarkson ('69 Sprite)

The 170/80s on mine rub in the rear. I'm going with 145s next time.

I'm running 155/80s on mine. I think larger sizes tend to rub (especially on the square arch cars) on the bodywork, may have interference issues with the front suspension/steering, and throw off the stock speedo - you're actually going a bit faster than indicated. I've never had an issue with the 155s. Do a search in the Midget forum; you'll probably find all kinds of pros and cons.

I guess I'm getting a slow education on tires! I originally thought that 165 refereed to the diameter which is clearly not the case. I'll have to check the numbers again to see what the diameter is. They really fill out the wheel wells nicely and it doesn't look like they have any clearance issues. What is the largest diameter I should look for?

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"Quite by accident, I bought a genuinely brilliant little car."
-Jeremy Clarkson ('69 Sprite)

165 is the tread width and the 80 is the percentage of the width as height. In mm's of course. I used to have a set on my BE but if they were new they would rub when turning on the front. I would replaced two and ran worn ones on the front with no problem. Last I tried to find some though they no longer existed....may have changed now.

Kurt

165/70 is a good fit, but are generally not available. 155/80 will be the easiest/cheapest option that will not rub.

What Trevor said.

Here are my thoughts. Finding an appropriate tire can be a big problem for Spridget owners, depending on the way one drives. There are few choices in the 13" wheel size.

145 radials or bias belted tires are rare these days and unless one is attempting a correct restoration I would suggest shifting to the slightly wider 155 width tire.

Widely available, the 155/80R13 size all season radial is an excellent choice in terms of fit, comfort, general grip and easy availability. The 155 radial all-season tires are not the best in wet conditions, especially when the tread is past half-life. Look for these in the usual chain stores and online dealers but also at the local independents (shop local!). These are fine for general use and some spirited driving but they have their limits.

A driver who spends some time tossing the car around as I do will soon find he's wearing out the corners of the 155/80R13s as the sidewall rolls over a bit. Tread life is frustratingly limited. The limits of grip come quickly. But there are few performance alternatives in the USA. The usual solution in the past for those who like aggressive playtime was to move to a wider tire with a shorter profile. A 155/70R13 or a 165/70R13 would be perfect for a SWA car to provide grip & a more consistent contact patch. But these sizes are hard to find anymore, especially in a performance tread formula. The 175/70R13 is a size that is not uncommon, but presents issues of mechanical interference on SWA cars and sometimes on RWA cars.

My suggestion is for anyone looking for a set of tires that will fit and are easily available for replacement to simply switch to the 155/80R13s and get on with driving. This tire should just be the baseline for Spridgets today. They are common and cheap and they fit stock steel and wire wheels (with tubes). But if you drive like I do sometimes you will eventually have to try to find something wider and lower that will fit, and that might require shopping special order.

When looking, just Google the tire size and see what comes up. I see there are a few 165/70R13s out there (all season but oh well). Find a few brand names and model numbers, make a list and visit your local dealers.

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1969 MG Midget with Datsun A15/5 speed



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-11-26 08:53 AM by 58custom.

I found my local and most online dealers can't get these tires. But eBay... These tire sizes are all over eBay. Order a set and have your local garage mount them.

Never shopped E-bay for tires....I'll take a look. I do believe that 13" tire selection is better in other parts of the world. It's getting so that you need huge tires to safely drive US road's. Used to be you had to worry about pot holes swallowing your mini's tire's....now the size has moved up! [least in the midwest]

Kurt

I'm running 155/80R13 on my 79 and the speedo is 5 mph low at highway speeds according to my gps. I've not had any rubbing issues that I am aware of.

I had 165/80s and they rubbed, front and back, under hard cornering. No issues with the 155/80s. The speedometer seems more accurate, too. My local mom & pop tire store had them in stock, and they were cheap. Probably not the "best" tire on the market, but certainly way better than what came on the car new in 1964.

165/70x13 is the closest in diameter to the original equipment these cars came on. They are in fact very slightly smaller in overal diameter, but only in the order of 1/10".
BTW, 80 profile tires do not usually have the aspect ratio number (80) on the sidewall like lower profile tires, and CAN have actual ratio's slightly higher than 80 depending on the manufacturer.

I think even the cheapest of all season tires these days is probably as good or better in construction and compound than those originally fitted. Tires have come quite a long way technically in 40 years.

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Andy

NAMGBR# 20-7738

Be sure, too, that whatever tire shop you use has experience with wire wheels. Independent shops are better than the chains for this. The mounting and balancing procedure is a bit different. Moss Motors has a PDF on their site showing which sleeve the shop will need to put them on their balancing machine. You can print it up and bring it to the shop. Expect to buy new tubes as well. Some people say that the wider (70 series) tires may not be best on the narrow wire wheels.

I bought 165/70 13 from Tire.com for my 77. They drive great and handle well. They are a Hercules brand and were 43.00. Have had no issue with rubbing. Been on the car 2 years still look new. Chuck

165/80 works fine on our 73 RWA car with wire wheels.
On my 62 Sprite SWA disc wheel car 165/80s would rub in rear.