Tire Options in Traditional Cal-Look sizes 145SR15 & 165SR15

[GearHeadKeith]

My lowered 1971 Super Beetle is a sunny day driver with vintage American Eagle 8-spoke replicas and barely fits a 145SR15 front tire w/o rubbing. I have been running a set of Nankang 145SR15 front and 165SR15 rear tires for 15 years without a fitment issue: I have been very happy with them. Although my tires are still in good shape (car is garaged when not in use), I am starting to research replacement tires as I would want to replace them before a long highway trip. It appears that we have 3 options for our cars in these traditional sizes:

Nankang CX668
Firestone F560
Michelin XZX


I am looking for driving reviews of each. If you bought one of the above tires, would you mind sharing your experience?
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Keith Gilbert - DdK
1971 Super Beetle sedan, Shantung yellow with black interior. Cosmetically unrestored with over 366k miles.
1776cc: 9.2:1 compression, dual Weber 40DCN on Deano intakes, Primo Petrucci 40mm/36mm round-port heads, Crower VW284F cam, Kymco 1.5" exhaust
SSC trans with 3.78/2.25/1.48/1.04 & 4.12 Gleason R&P, Type IV output flanges, Berg Shifter
Topline front struts/springs/sway bar, Sway-a-Way rear bar, 4-wheel disc brakes
Owned since 1994: 3rd owner since new!

[doubledoor64]

I've ran nankangs for a long time (multiple sets) They have been fine and are priced right. If you are deadset on a being period correct look the others are a better choice e.

[Glenn]

I bought "real" XZX back in 1980, 165-15 all around. They were great and handled well. The current XZX are made by Coker and i'm not sure how thay are.

A 145-15 in the front will greatly limit the handling and braking so if that's a concern you should consider a wheel that will allow a wider front tire.

I have a Standard Beetle that's dropped 3" in the front and I have 195/55-15 front and 205/60-15 rear tires on "real" Porsche 5.5x15 alloys.

BTW, tires tend to degrade and should be replaced when 7-10 years old... even if the car is garaged.

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Glenn
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[Mike Fisher]

5.5X15 Fuchs 2.0 Liter wheels w185X60 & 205X70 tires ET40.
You want a flatter faced wheel than 8 spokes to run bigger tires when lowered without rubbing.

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[Erik G]

I had the "Firestone" F560 on my Porsche 912

I quoted firestone because I do not believe they make them. I believe they are also licensed and made by Coker (in the Ukrane). They are better than the nankangs to me, but I was never a fan of the nankangs to begin with

scott in the type3 forum swears that Michelin is manufacturing those XZX. They look great, I'd like to try them out. I never had the real ones, but I did have the Pirelli 135's and 145's way back when, they were great and looked like that tread pattern
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[doubledoor64]

[Glenn]

[GearHeadKeith]

Thanks for the feedback! I really appreciate it. Since it is winter here in Michigan, I have some time to think about Nankang vs. Firestone vs. Michelin.

To those suggesting a more modern, wider tire: I appreciate your thoughts and suggestions. However, a 1971-73 Super Beetle is very limited on tire options due to the lower ball joint location. I tried Pirelli 195/55R15 & 205/65R15 on my American Eagle 8-spoke wheels many years ago: the 195/55R15 rubbed the front fender lip on large impacts (205/65R15 fit the rear just fine). As you see in the attached picture, there is very little room to increase wheel offset to "tuck" the tire inboard. The ball joint is near the inside edge of the rim: in fact, I cut the ball joint stud on my vehicle when trying to fit it with OEM Porsche "Cookie Cutter" wheels many years ago (they did not clear the ball joint). This is the limiting factor on an early Super. Moving up to a 17" wheel allows a lot more options.

Since my car is just a cruiser, the 145/165 suit it just fine.

_________________
Keith Gilbert - DdK
1971 Super Beetle sedan, Shantung yellow with black interior. Cosmetically unrestored with over 366k miles.
1776cc: 9.2:1 compression, dual Weber 40DCN on Deano intakes, Primo Petrucci 40mm/36mm round-port heads, Crower VW284F cam, Kymco 1.5" exhaust
SSC trans with 3.78/2.25/1.48/1.04 & 4.12 Gleason R&P, Type IV output flanges, Berg Shifter
Topline front struts/springs/sway bar, Sway-a-Way rear bar, 4-wheel disc brakes
Owned since 1994: 3rd owner since new!

[[email protected]]

I’ve had 145’s on my 74 Super since 1990. The first set was made by Kleber, then went to the Nankangs, all with the tread pattern you have now. The latest set are the Nankangs with the CX668 tread pattern, and I’ve liked them the best. You’re never going to obtain good handling with the small surface area of a 145, but the latest tread design worked MUCH better in the rain. The Firestone’s, and Michilen’s are Coker produced replicas from the original molds. Unless you have your heart set on having the tread patterns of either one of the Coker’s, I’d get the Nankangs.

[carlos_magnum]

Had Nankangs and had no issues with them. Grip performance was good. They were smooth and quiet.

[theastronaut]

Traction with 135/145's isn't really due to the narrow width, it's that they're decades old tire designs and poor compound. And the front of a VW isn't heavy enough to make enough contact pressure to have more grip with wider tires alone. I had firestone F560's on my '64 and they were junk as far as turning and stopping. I switched to a softer compound modern performance all season 195/50 and there was more grip but they hydroplaned easier since they're too wide for the weight of the front in the rain.

A modern soft compound street/track tire like a 165/50-15 Nankang NS-2R (120 treadwear version) will have a lot more grip and still avoid hydroplaning better than an all season 195/50-15.

https://www.tires-easy.com/165-50-15/nankang-tires/ns-2r/tirecode/24605002

We've proven this over and over on lightweight 1800 pound Ford Festivas and the same principle applies to an even lighter VW, especially up front. I've gone from 185's to 155/s and 165's a few times an the narrower tires do much beter in the rain with no loss of dry grip when turning or braking due to the higher contact patch pressure.

My Festiva does 1.22g cornering on skinny 165 wide NS-2R tires which is roughly 10% more than a GT350R or ZL1-1LE so skinny tires can grip really well if they're a good compound. Old school 135/145's are ok on a show car but are seriously limiting your grip on the street and won't be anywhere near adequate in busy traffic.
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