165-SR 15 tires

[garyt]

Ah well, Nankang 165/80/15 wore out on the inner edge due to alingment not camber problem (they were splaying out). Got it fixed by a garage, I could have done it but have no way to test properly. Those tyres seemed comfortable and quiet but don't know if they would have lasted, they certainly wore down quick...

Anyway now still have 195/65/15 Firestones on rear but new 175/75/15 Bridgestones on the front (79 cabrio). I have no problem with rubbing on the wheel arch any more, which I was having with the stock size (car isn't lowered as far as I know, but maybe it has sagged with age).

So far the tyres perform very good, because on the way back from the garage I was in a total thunderstorm downpour in the mountains and it really felt good and stable. The road turned into a river and some people were going too slow and risked stalling.

[AlmostHeavenWV_VW]

It's been cold here in WV, so the only thing I've been able to do is shop for parts and make plans. Thought I'd put my findings of decent options I found here on this thread.

Firestone F560 (155R15 or 165R15)
https://www.summitracing.com/search/product-line/coker-firestone-f560-tires
https://www.cokertire.com/firestone-f560.html

Nexen SB802 (165/80-15)
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Nexen-SB802-165-80R15-87T-tire/850904504
https://www.summitracing.com/search/product-line/nexen-sb802-tires
https://www.amazon.com/Nexen-SB802-All-Season-Radial-Tire/dp/B019IRPFQ4

Federal SS657 (165/80-15)
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Federal-SS657-165-80R15-87T-BSW-Touring-HP/138190578
https://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Federal-SS65...oduct.html
http://www.sears.com/federal-ss657-all-season-tire-165-80r15-87t/p-SPM9955658122
https://www.amazon.com/Federal-SS657-All-Season-Ra...op?ie=UTF8

Nankang CX668 (165/80-15)
https://www.amazon.com/Nankang-CX668-High-Performa...NMF7VCYV8C
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Nankang-CX668-165-80R15-87T/55190139
http://www.mamotorworks.com/VW/product/tire-nankang-16580-r15-each_319191
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1973 Standard Beetle
1600DP AK case
Solex 34PICT3 Carb
Bosch DVDA 205AJ Distributor

[vamram]

I've used the Nexen, Federal and Nankang on my Bugs. I found that the Federal wore out fast. The Nankangs are OK but don't give me confidence driving on wet days. I prefer the Nexens and they're what I'm running on the rears of my two Supers; i'll be getting a pair for the front of the '74 in the next month or so.

Btw, Simple Tire has them for $66/ea delivered to a tire shop near you. I do it this way when replacing tires and get mounting and balancing for 50% off the shop's regular price.

https://simpletire.com/nexen-sb802-tires?gclid=EAI...gKgo_D_BwE
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Eventually, "we are what we pretend to be.’”
Give peace a chance - Stop Russian-Soviet Aggression!!

'74 Super 9/16 - present, in refurb process.
'73 Super - 6/18 - Present - Daily Driver!
'75 Super Le Grande...waiting it's turn in line behind '74.
Click to view image
Save the Supers!!

[AlmostHeavenWV_VW]

[kpf]

[AlmostHeavenWV_VW]

[green1303]

I have these Vredestein tires on my car and am very happy with them. They are made in the Netherlands.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/cok-579821/overview/

Based on customer reviews, the Nexen SB802 may be the best discount tire that is currently available. I got a set for a friend's car, and so far so good. I can't say much about treadwear in either case, however, because we replaced the tires on both cars within the last year.
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1973 green Super Beetle

[Fiddlestyx]

I recently bought this Vitour Galaxy R1 165/80R15 tire. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M8OAQLV/ref=o...pldnSite=1

I bought it as a spare and to see the quality of it. It seems like a good tire.

The problem is, it does not fit in the spare tire location of my 73 super beetle. No big deal, I'll just get a different spare. I just wanted to let people know and see if anyone else had this problem. Is this a common problem with 165/80R15 tires?

I dropped the psi down to 15 and it still won't fit. The spare I replaced is 5.60x15 [/url]
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1983 Vanagon Westfalia Air-cooled
1973 Super Beetle

[kpf]

[kpf]

[Fiddlestyx]

It's both the diameter and width that don't fit. The tire hits by the trunk latch and under the gas tank.

Measuring the tire with a caliper the diameter of the tire is 25 5/16 inches (just over 25 1/4 inches)

The width is 6 7/8 inches

These measurements are at 18psi

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1983 Vanagon Westfalia Air-cooled
1973 Super Beetle

[kpf]

Wow, thank you very much for the pictures and measurements! I'm about to buy new tires, and I didn't realize that this is something I need to investigate.
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1971 Super Beetle

[dangersquirrel]

Fiddlestyx, how did you solve this?

Just picked up a 165 spare that also doesn't fit in my 73 super.

Will a 155 work?

[dangersquirrel]

Ended up getting a 155. Here's the fit.

[kpf]

Hi all,

As you can see from recent posts in this thread, some 165 tires are too large to fit in a Super Beetle trunk. Back in the day, the factory installed bias-ply tires and their width across the sidewalls was only 5.6". Radials were available as an option, but their size was 155, not 165. We use 165s today mainly because there are many more options available than for 155s. 165 radials range in width from about 6.5" to 7".

Since I'd like to run 5 matching tires, I wanted to make sure my tires would fit before committing to buying five of them. I also wanted a 3/4" whitewall radial, so that really narrowed the choices.

I bought one BFGoodrich Silvertown Radial 165R15 3/4" whitewall to test whether it fits in the trunk of my 1971 Super Beetle. The short answer is yes, barely, at least on a 4" wheel.

This tire is one of three 165s that I know of that have the 3/4" whitewall. It is the only one, as far as I can tell, that has the white wall stripe close to the rim like the original bias-ply tires. This tire also happens to have about the smallest dimensions of any 165, which I figured would give the best chance at fitting in the trunk.

Here are some details of the BFGoodrich tire.

Made in Mexico.

The date stamp shows that the tire was just 5 months old when I purchased it.

Also notice there is a visible gap in the white wall stripe. You can see it in the photo above if you look directly above the "B" in the "DOT" code. I looked at the white wall under a photographic loupe, and it looks like the black sidewall is ground down, the white is bonded in place and then ground smooth. Under magnification, the white has a rough, porous texture. It looks smooth to the naked eye.

You might also be able to tell from these pictures that the overall molding of the tire looks poor. It has soft, smooth edges on most details that in a modern tire would be sharp.

There are no red and yellow dots on the sidewall. Modern tires use such markings to indicate the peak runout and the heavy side of the tire, which is information that can be used with modern balancing systems to balance the tire and wheel more accurately.

The maximum inflation pressure is 35 psi, and a sticker warns not to exceed 40 psi when setting the bead.

With the picture above, I tried to capture the point at which the sidewall contacts the underside of the tank support, preventing the tire from sliding all the way back under the trunk. Luckily, the diameter is just small enough that even though it doesn't slide all the way back, the front of the tire can just squeak down into place.

With the picture above, I tried to capture the fact that the sidewall is about an inch (maybe an inch and a half) above the flat trunk floor. I can still place the front trunk liner in place, but it "floats" above the trunk floor, supported instead by the tire sidewall.

Please note that the fit you see here is using a 4" wheel. Since the widest part of the sidewall is half way between the rim and the tread, a wider wheel will make the sidewall wider too.

I had this tire professionally mounted and balanced. The owner of the shop told me the tire is not very round at all. He had to use much larger weights than he hoped. He said he's seen Chinese tires that are much worse, but for BFGoodrich, he expected better.


Regards,
Kris
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1971 Super Beetle

[janerick3]

What is interesting here is all Beetles and Super Beetles from 1972-on were fitted with 6.00-15L bias ply or 165SR15 radial tires from the factory, with a couple of exceptions. Garwood is very detailed on the various rims/tires available in the 1970s.
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Thanks,
Jan K.

[dangersquirrel]

Kris, thanks for the photos and info!

Next time I'm going to consider whitewalls.

[kpf]

[kpf]

I forgot to add these details of the BFGoodrich Silvertown Radial 165R15 3/4" whitewall:
treadwear 300, traction A, temperature C.

And here is the tire on the car (1971 Super; the front tire is the BFGoodrich):

So far, the tire drives well, but then again I only have one at this point.
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1971 Super Beetle

[creative native]

I'm posting to be sure other late model Super Beetle/Type 1 owners are aware of current tire options, as I was told that name brand tires are not available for Type 1s any longer.

I recently acquired a 1974 Sun Bug and the tires were dangerously bad. I began searching the local tire shops (which there are many here) and the only options that became available were brands I had never heard of, like Thunderer, General, Classic, etc. I did some research, including asking tire shop friends about these tires and at best, they said they were basic, economy tires and at worst, garbage that should be avoided. So, I continued searching. I finally found a name brand, Michelin, at Coker Tire in Chattanooga, TN. I had never before purchased tires online, but it seemed no other options were available to me. I have to say that my online tire buying experience was positive. Despite working remotely (due to the Covid-19), the sales rep made it a quick and anxiety free buying experience. I ordered them Friday afternoon and they arrived early Tuesday. These Michelin XZX tires cost a total of $504 and I bought them while they had a free delivery special. Otherwise delivery would have been, I believe, $64 for four tires. Compared to an estimate of $296 for the General brand locally, I'm much more relieved that I held out for quality with these Michelins. These Michelin XZX 165SR15 are made in France and Coker Tire are the only American distributor for them, I was told. Even the local NTB, who are Michelin distributors, could not acquire them via their special order department.

https://www.cokertire.com/165sr15-michelin-xzx.html