Aftermarket Tire/Wheel Information
Listed is the results of the October 2000 Quik Quiz. It should give an idea of sizes and brands of tires/wheels that will work on Spitfires and GT6’s.
Note: this page is not meant to recommend or discount a particular tire brand. EVERY listing on this page is one owner’s opinion only. The sizes are meant to give a GENERAL idea what will fit on a particular sized wheel or if (or how much) it rubs.
Also note that because a tire will fit a wheel, it may nor may not be the best choice for handling or safety. Triumph engineers made specific size recommendations based on many factors. Tire technology has made huge strides in the years after the cars were made. Tires grip much better than engineers ever imagined when your Spitfire was designed. What kind of effect does this increased grip have on a 30 year old car? Was your car’s suspension designed to withstand the higher cornering forces?
Information about factory wheels and tire sizes click here.
Category Notes:
The reason for this column is to get an idea HOW the driver uses his tires. If you use your Spitfire for cruising a race tire will have an uncomfortable ride and will be expensive. If you race, a “cruising tire” will hurt your lap times.
touring=car is used for relaxing cruising with rare or occasional hard cornering
sport=a balanced combination of cruising with often hard cornering or occasional autocross
racing=rarely, if ever, driven on public roads
| Tire Brand | model | size | wheel size *=aftermarket | category | rubbing? | buy again? | comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora | K103 TL | 195/50/15 | 6” x 15”* (Superlite) | touring | no | yes | A very good tyre and budget price |
| Avon | ZV1 | 175/70 13 | “factory” 4.5 x 13 | sport | no | yes | Very very very good… |
| Avon | ZV1 | 175/70 13 | 4.5 x 13 * (Superlite 3 piece modular ) | sport/racing | no | yes | Very Light & good performance |
| Avon | ZV1 | 195/45/15 | 6” x 15”* (Compomotive ML 8 spoke) | sport | no | yes | very good |
| BF Goodrich | Radial T/A | 175/70-13 | 4.5 x 13 | touring | no | yes | Great looking tread, very affordable upgrade with good handling and visual results |
| BF Goodrich | Radial T/A | 175/70-13 | 5.5″ x 13 | sport | yes | maybe | On a ’65 Spit they rub quite a bit in the front. Tires are awesome, but have chewed the edges pretty badly with the rubbing |
| BF Goodrich | n/s | 185/70-13 | 5 x 13 | sport | no | yes | wheels are from a 79 Spit |
| BF Goodrich | Radial T/A | 195/60 R13 | 5.5 x 13* (brand n/s) | sport | no | maybe | n/s |
| BF Goodrich | Radial T/A | 205/60 | 5.5 x 13* (brand n/s) | sport | no | yes | Looks awesome |
| BF Goodrich | Radial T/A | 205/60 13 | 6.5* (Panasport) | sport | no | yes | Slight front fender lip flare for clearance |
| BF Goodrich | Targa | 155/70 13 | 4.5 x 13 | sport | no | yes | Excellent wearing tires, and they grip good too. |
| BF Goodrich | Touring T/A | 175/70R13 | 13×5.5J * (American Racing) | touring | no | yes | Good all round road tire |
| Bridgestone | Potenza | 175/70/13 | 4.5 x 13* (Panasport) | sport | no | yes | The wet braking is great, and the way they let you slide, but not out of control around corners is great! |
| Bridgestone | Potenza | 175/70/13 | 5.5×13* (Cosmic alloy) | sport | no | yes | wheels are 28 yrs old |
| Bridgestone | RA1 | 185/60/13 | “factory” 5.5 x 13 (GT6 option) | racing | yes | yes | great for vintage racing |
| Ceat | – | 155×80 R13 | “factory” 4.5 x 13 | touring | no | yes | Excellent |
| Cooper | Cobra Radial | 205/60/13 | 6 x 13* (Panasport) | sport | no | yes | only rub on sway-bar under extreme parking maneuvers (full lock) |
| Cooper | Cobra GT | 205/60/13 | 5.5 x 13* (Western wheels) | sport | no | yes | rear only. 175/70’s in the front |
| Cooper | Trendsetter | 185/80/13 | 5.5 x 13* (TR7 wheels) | touring | yes | yes | Easy to correct minimal rubbing and gained (or lost) 450 rpm at 60 mph, is this a 12% “overdrive”? Easy to “chirp” tires into 2nd gear!!! |
| Continental | c51 | 165×13 | “factory” 4.5 x 13 | touring | no | maybe | what is available in chrome in 13in beside wire wheels? |
| Continental | sportcontact | 165/60/R14 | “factory” 4.5 x 13 | sport | no | maybe | these are so hard and the traction of these tires in water is not so perfect and the sides of tires are somewhat weak |
| Custom | Deluxe | 155/80 R13 | “factory” 4.5 x 13 | touring | no | maybe | I say maybe because they do give a good ride, but performance wise? like pulling shifting down to 2nd around a corner is not good at all with these tires |
| Custom photo | Deluxe | 155/80 R13 | “factory” 4.5 x 13 | touring | no | no | Cheap, Cheap! Smaller contact patch than other 155’s I’ve seen. The very soft, thin tirewalls produce a comfortable ride; who wants a comfortable ride in a sportscar? |
| Dunlop | n/s | 160/80 14 | “factory” | touring | no | yes | ok |
| Dunlop | n/s | 185/60/14 | 14×6* (U.S Mags) | touring/sport | yes | yes | custom drilled to match original bolt circle.Modern styling 5 star. made in Mexico. Ordered from Discount tire Co. circa 1994. Soon to appear in Spitfire Magazine? (purple Spitfirossa). |
| Dunlop | GT Radial Qualifiers | 205 60 R13 | “factory” | touring | slight | yes | fantastic in the dry, slippery in the wet. A little wide looking for the rims |
| Dunlop | SP20 A/S | 155/13 | “factory” | touring | no | yes | – |
| Dunlop | SP20 A/S | 165/70 R13 | “factory” | touring | no | yes | British cars should be shod with British, or at least European tyres. |
| Dunlop | SP40 | n/s | 5.5* (TR7) | sport | yes | no | The tires are too close to the wheel lip openings, especially in the front. This makes tight cornering on anything other than a totally flat road a tire rubbing event! |
| Dunlop | SP40 a/s | P175/SR-13 | “factory” | touring | no | yes | Spitfire rims ARE Dunlop rims! Wouldn’t go any larger than 175’s!! |
| Dunlop | SP Sport 2000 | 185/60R13 | 5.5 x 13* (Dunlop 5.5″J Formula Ford) | touring | no | yes | Great grip, no rubbing. will also fit 1″ lowered uprated springs in front. also slightly better acceleration due to the smaller diameter. Pressure 28lb rear, 26lb front. |
| Dunlop | SP Sport 8000 | 195/55 14 | 7 x 14* (n/s) | sport/racing | yes | yes | Roll the front fenders, and get the necessary negative camber via the upper ball joint/a-arm location |
| Dunlop | SP Sport 9000 | 225/40ZR16 | 16×6.5 * (Koenig Racing) | sport/racing | no | yes | Are you kidding? My cheeks are still stuck to the side windows. |
| Enduro 70 | Runway | 185/70 R13 | “factory” | n/s | yes | no | They repel the road! |
| Euro Tech | Metric A/S | 185/70 R13 | 5 x 13* (Minator) | sport | yes | yes | Rubs front with extreme turn, rubs rear with two people on a big bump |
| Falken | ziex | 185/60H13 | 5 x 13* (Minilite 8-spoke) | sport | no | yes | excellent grip, wet or dry |
| Falken | ziex | 185-70 | “factory” | sport | no | yes | Got all four for fifty bucks at a salvage yard off a Fiat X19. Great sticky tread, good in rain, aggressive look! |
| Firestone | F570 | 185/70R13 | “factory” | touring | yes | maybe | Light weight, wide 6.6″ tread. low noise. Good dry/sand. Poor wet. |
| Firestone | F560 and F570 | 185/60-13 | 5.5J x 13* (mk4 style) brand n/s | touring | no | yes | fitted onto a mk3 haven’t had any problems. 20psi front, 25psi rear seems ok. |
| Firestone | Triumph | P 155/70 R13 | 5.5 x 13* (Panasport) | touring | yes | yes | wanted tire that says “Triumph” on my Triumph! |
| Firestone | n/s | P 165/80 R13 | “factory” | touring | yes | maybe | prefer a lower profile tire |
| Federal | n/s | 185sr13 | “factory” | touring | yes | maybe | nothing special but cheap |
| General | n/s | 170/13 | “factory” | touring | no | maybe | n/s |
| General | Ameri TE | 175/70 R13 | “factory” | touring | no | yes | n/s |
| General | 400SL | 175/70 R13 | “factory” | sport | no | yes | n/s |
| Gislaved | Speed | 175/70SR13 | 4.5 x 13 | sport | no | yes | Anyone know a supplier? |
| Goodyear | Allergra | P155/80 R13 | “factory” | touring | yes | maybe | Great Price, Good Tire. |
| Goodyear | Corsa GT | 155/80 R13 | “factory” | touring | no | maybe | These tires slide a LOT due to sidewall rollover at factory recommended pressure, but are OK on the autocross when inflated to 40PSI. Next time will try 175/70 13. |
| Goodyear | Eagle Ventura | 185/60×13 | aftermarket (Minilite) | touring | no | yes | Excellent tyre but perhaps a little wide for the rim. |
| Goodyear | Eagle | 20x8x13 | aftermarket | racing | no | yes | Racing Slick |
| Goodyear | Gran Prix S | 165×13 82 | 5J* (Wolfrace) | sport | no | no | can anyone tell me any other makes of European car which use a 14 inch wheel suitable for a Spitfire? |
| Goodyear | GMetrics | 155 | “factory” | touring | no | yes | n/s |
| Goodyear | GPS | 185/60 14 | 14* (Superlite) | sport | no | yes | cut uper control arms for right camber |
| Goodyear | GT70 | 175/70 13 | 5.5J x 13* Dunlop | touring | no | maybe | Tyres have been fitted for some time – the car has hardly been in use for 10 years! Tyres are probably obsolete, but grip pretty well. Wheels are steel, same pattern as Mk 4 Spitfire, with wider rims. As used on “Formula Ford” single seat race cars back in the 1970s. |
| Goodyear | TMetric | 175/65 13 | 4.5J x 13 | touring | no | maybe | no problems |
| Goodyear | Viva 2 | 155/80R13 | 5 x 13* n/s | sport | no | maybe | All around good tires!! |
| Goodyear | Wingfoot HP | 185/70-13 | 5-1/2 x 13* (American Racing Spector) | sport | yes | maybe | Inexpensive tires, too “greasy” for autocrossing but fine for daily driving… |
| Goodyear | n/s | 155/80 R13 | 4.5 x 13 | touring | no | maybe | Tires were on car at purchase. I am replacing soon, hopefully with Michelin 155R13 |
| Grand Prix | Radial GT | 175/70SR13 | 6 x 13* (brand n/s) | touring | no | no | the tyres the previous owner selected. They are in no way to be considered agressive. Any sort of spirited driving far exceed their limits. Admitedly this is a large contact patch for such a Spitfire but the compound is simply not up to the job. |
| Handcook | Vectis | 195/45 15 | 7 x 15* (brand n/s) | racing | no | yes | Had the wheels cast and machined to the correct offset |
| Hoosier | R33 | 20×8-13 | 6 x 13* (American Racing) | racing | no | yes | good grip, poor life |
| Hoosier | R45 Cantilever | 20×8-13 | 6 x 13* (Revolution) | racing | no | yes | New R45 better than old R45 or old R33 – Kevlar belts |
| Hoosier | R45 | 20x8x13 | 6 x 13* (Panasport) | racing | no | yes | Switced from Goodyear to Hoosier in 2001, and will never go back to Goodyear. The Hoosiers like a little more camber, and a bit higher pressure, but the handling difference was notable. |
| Kumho | ECSTA V700 | 175/70 R 13 | “factory” (4.5×13) | racing | no | yes | very good autocross tire, if you calculate the real size from the width and section height they are 190-50-13. They are a bit pinched on the 4.5 inch rims and really should be mounted on 5 in or large rims. However they stick like glue in the corners and are great for autocrossing. |
| Kumho | ECSTA Supra 712 | 185/55 R 14 | ?x14* (Compomotive) | sport | no | yes | hard to find tire size-1010tire.com only one that can get this size |
| Kumho | 771 | 175/70 R 13 | “factory” (1980-5×13) | touring | no | yes | very grippy and look good |
| Tire Brand | model | size | wheel size *=non-factory | category | rubbing? | buy again? | comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michelin | Pilot Sport | 225/35ZR-17 | 9 X 17* (brand n/s) | racing | no | yes | These tyres are the best ever! A bit expensive at £160 ($230ish) but well worth every penny! They look mean, are great performers and have a very, very large contact surface (as you can imagine) buy them now! |
| Michelin | Rainforce | 185/70-13 | “factory” (1979-5×13) | touring | no | maybe | good grip, ok price |
| Michelin | MXL | 175/70-13 | “factory” (1980-5×13) | touring | no | yes | good all-around tire |
| Michelin | MXL | 175/70-13 Frt 185/70-13 Rr | 5.5 x 13* (TR7) | touring/sport | no | yes | tire size is ideal for adequate ground clearance and cruising speed but the TR7 rims are very heavy |
| Michelin | Wheather Wise | 155/80R13 | 5 x 13* (brand n/s) | touring | no | yes | Great deal last summer. $50 rebate and $38 each (then the rebate) Good looking factory size tires. Run good |
| Michelin | Wheather Wise Sport | n/s | “factory” (4.5 x 13) | sport | no | yes | look good and meaty |
| Michelin | Wheather Wise Sport | 175-13 | “factory” | sport | no | yes | look good and meaty |
| Michelin | X Metric all season | 175/70 13 | “factory” | touring | no | yes | work well for an every day driver. Fairly inexpensive at $45.00 each |
| Michelin | X Metric all season | 175/70 13 | 5.5 x 13* (American Racing) | sport | no | yes | I’ve run 185/60R13s, but I like the better highway gearing I get running the taller tires. The handling is better than the stock 155/80s, but not quite as good as the 60 series. |
| Michelin | XLX | 155 SR13 | “factory” | touring | no | yes | a great balance between inexpensive, roadholding and period looks |
| Motomaster | Predator | p175/70R13 | “factory” | sport | no | yes | n/s |
| Nankang | n/s | 185/60R13 | 5.5 x 13* (Wolfrace) | sport | no | yes | Very good “budget” brand from Yokohama. Good in both wet and dry |
| Nitto | n/s | 185/60R13 | 5.5 x 13* (Panasport) | sport | no | yes | reasonably priced, looks good on the Panasports |
| Pirelli photo | Cinturator P3 | 155 SR13 | “factory” | touring | no | yes | Great balance of classic looks, low price and good grip. I do not know if they are still available. |
| Pirelli | P4 | 165/70-13 | “factory” | touring | no | no | tire rollover at low presure,will go to 175/70 next |
| Pirelli | P4 | 165SR13 | “factory” | touring | yes | no | Rubs in the rear of the GT over large dips |
| Pirelli | P400 | 175/70-R13 | 5 x 13* (Panasport Replicas) | sport | no | yes | Very quiet, Excellent grip, and really long tread life. I will buy another set for my ’79 Spit |
| Pirelli | P400 Touring | 175/70TR13 | “factory” | tourning | no | yes | Fantastic! Quitness & ride are 10 thousand % better than stock size Michelin ZX’s I’ve used for years! Like a new car! |
| Pirelli | P600 | 195/55-R13 | * n/s | racing | no | yes | pirelli do not make them anymore. Must be careful not to blow out a tire |
| Pirelli | P2000 | 185/60×14 | 6 x 14* (Compomotive) | sport | yes | yes | modify wheel arches to minimize rubbing |
| Pirelli | P3000 | 175/70×13 | 5.5 x 13* (Cosmic) | sport | no | yes | Fill up the fenders nicely with the 6J13 rear and 5,5J in front |
| Pirelli | P6000 | 195/50/15 | 6J15 * (Panasport) | sport | no | yes | these wheels are for the tr-7 application and have slightly larger diameter wheel lugs |
| Pirelli | P6000 | 195/50 | 15″ x 6″* (OE MGF Alloys) | sport | no | yes | MGF Alloys a good fit, Tyres Very Good |
| Pep Boys Performance House Brand | 86S series 60 | 205/60/13 | 5 X 13 “factory” | sport | some | yes | The front lip needs to be rolled to fit with no rubbing. Great on dry pavement but light car big tire’s when wet, Slow Down! |
| Performance (Pep Boys) photo | Radial GT | 205/60/13 | 5 X 13 “factory” | sport | no (on rear only) | maybe | Since these were on the rears only, rubbing was not an issue. They look too wide for the wheels for my taste. |
| Roadstone | n/s | 155/75 | 4.5 x 13 | touring | no | yes | excellent for touring |
| Sears | Guardsmen | 185/70 R13 | “factory” | touring | no | yes | n/s |
| Sears | Roadhandler | 175 R13 | “factory” | touring | no | maybe | factory wheels and skinny tires always make the spitfire handle better; fat tires=spin out |
| Semperit | Sportlife | 195/55 13 | “factory” | sport | no | yes | As wide and as original as you can go on a Mk1,2,3, bodystyle car |
| Sumitomo | HTR100 | 185/60 13 | 13″ x 6″* (Diamond Racing Wheels) | sport | no | yes | diamond wheels make several wheels with our bolt pattern, affordable!!! |
| Sumitomo | HTR200 | 195/60R13 | 5 X 13 “factory” | sport | no | yes | Great autocross tire |
| Sumitomo | n/s | 185-60hr14 | 6 X 14* (Chevoid) | sport | no | yes | the best to go 14 inch. A much better ride |
| Sumitomo | n/s | 205-60 13 | 6 X 13* (Hayashi) | sport | yes | no | Much too wide as the fender sliced the left front tire through to the cords on the first drive. The other three also rubbed as I have not “rolled” the inner lip of the wheel opening |
| Tire America | gt+4 | 195/65-r13 | 13×5* (American Racing) | sport | yes | maybe | Front- rub inside when steering locked/ Rear- DON’T GO BACKWARDS WITH ANYTHING IN THE TRUNK– other than that great looking and sticky |
| Triumph | n/s | 155/80 R13 | “factory” | touring | no | no | really really cheap tires |
| Wal Mart | Guardsman | 155/13 | “factory wire wheel” 4.5 X 13 | touring | no | yes | pencil white wall! |
| Wal Mart | Ulysses | R155/80 R13 M&S | “factory” 4.5 X 13 | touring | no | yes | cost $24.00 Cdn(=$16.00 A) |
| Yokohama | A008RSII | 185/60-13 | 5.5 x 13* (TR7) | sport | no | yes | Excellent dry grip; dicey when wet. Wear rate acceptable for moderate street use. Difficult tire to find anymore. |
| Yokohama | A008 | 175/50-13 | 5.5 x 13* (American Racing) | sport | no | yes | Can’t get them anymore (darnit!) |
| Yokohama | A509 | 165/60HR-13 | “factory” | sport | no | yes | Have previously used Dunlop, Goodyears, Hankook and Sime tires. Yokos give better grip in the wet than any of these did in the dry. Amazing. They are also very predictable and progressive on the limit. |
| Yokohama | A520 | 185/60HR-13 | 5.5 x13* Revolution 4 Spoke | sport | no | yes | very good in dry less understeer very good brake performance neutral handling, scary in the wet |
| Yokohama | AO 32R | 175/60HR-13 | 6 x 13* (n/s) | racing | yes | yes | minor rubbing easily fixed; excellent on both wet and dry tracks |
| Yokohama | AO 32R | 175/60/13 | 5.5 x13* TR7 wheel | sport | no | yes | totally awesome. grip is astounding, cut 10% off lap times, Use car ocasionly in summer only and with light car tread wear acceptable for street use. |
| Yokohama | AO 32R | 185/60 HR 13 | 13 x 6J* (Superlite) | racing | yes | yes | n/s |
| Yokohama | AO 32R | 185/60 HR 13 | 6x13F 6.5x13R* (Superlite Ultralite 3-piece) | racing | no | yes | Yery Good |
| Yokohama | AVS | 185/60-14 | 6 x 14* (n/s) | sport | not after modification | yes | Very good traction. Had to turn up the front fender lips for clearence |
| Yokohama | AVSi | 185/60-13 | 5.5 x 13* (Hayashi) | racing | no | yes | No longer available from what I can tell |
| Yokohama | A008 | 185/60R13 | 5.5 x13* (Panasport) | racing | no | yes | Difficult to find now. Toyo radial can be used as replacement but must be shaved for racing |
| Yokohama | A008RSII | 185/60 | 5.5 x13* (Panasport) | sport/racing | no | yes | excellent |
| Yokohama | H Rated | 175/70 HSR | “factory” | sport | no | yes | This is my 4th set of these tires, & I love em. They work great in the rain too. |
| Yokohama | H Rated | P205/60R14 | 14 x 6* (Panasport) | sport | yes | yes | Only trouble in the front. Could alleviate by rolling the inner fender welds or dropping down on tire height. |
| Uniroyal | Rallye “280” | 155 SR 13 | 5J x 13 “factory 1980” | touring | no | maybe | Original factory tires: 20% worn with 30K Km. Still contain factory air, also unused spare as new |
| Uniroyal | Tiger Paw | 165-13 | “factory” | touring | no | yes | n/s |
| Uniroyal | Tiger Paw | 165-13 | “factory” | touring | no | yes | Excellent in wet weather, good smooth ride |
| Uniroyal | Tiger Paw GTS rwl | 185/70frt 195/70rr | 13 x 5.5* Opel GT rims | sport | no | yes | Nice handling, crisp response, even rolling, sure feeling, very appealing looks |
| Viper | TR | 195/60 | “factory” | sport | no | yes | Good Price/Holds the Road |
n/s is information not supplied by submitter
This is a visual comparison between 155 SR 13, 155/80 R13 and 205/70 R13 tires on my car and parts car. All tires are mounted on stock 4.5″ wide Spitfire wheels.
All my measurements were “eyeballed” with a tape measure and not exact but should give an general idea.
| tire brand | size | tread width | tire width | sidewall height | diameter |
| Pirelli Cinturator P3 | 155SR13 | 4.25″ | 6.25″ | 4″ | 22″ |
| Deluxe Custom | 155/80 R13 R+S | 4″ | 6″ | 4″ | 22.5″ |
| Performance Radial GTH | 205/60 R13 | 6.5″ | 8″ | 4″ | 22″ |
Size: the size stated on the sidewall
Tread width: the width of the contact patch
Tire width: the overall width at its widest point
Sidewall height: the distance between the edge of the tire and the edge of the rim
Diameter: the width measured from the front of the tire to the rear
Thoughts (my opinions): The Deluxe tires are very thin in both looks and handling with very soft sidewall. They are a little too “toy like”.
The Pirelli is a good balance between period looks, low price and decent handling. They look like the belong on the car.
The Performance Radials just look too wide to me. Sure they grip well (in the dry) but the also rub in the front and slightly on the rear.