195 70 14?

[jason61c]

Whats options in this size, I'd like modern compound 70's/80's look. For a 240z.

I'm drawn towards these.

https://classic.michelin.com/en/Classic-Tyre-range...

however in a 195 65 14.

Any opinions? They seem a little 'spendy'.

[Shy Torque]

jason61c said:

Whats options in this size, I'd like modern compound 70's/80's look. For a 240z.

I'm drawn towards these.

https://classic.michelin.com/en/Classic-Tyre-range...

however in a 195 65 14.

Any opinions? They seem a little 'spendy'.

Try Camskill

[RichB]

what does 'spendy' mean?

[eccles]

I have this size tyre on my Mercedes W123 coupe and found it very hard to find people with stock of tyres with a name you've heard of.. Yes you can go to people like Longstone tyres, but they were really expensive. I ended up buying Uniroyals off a dealer on ebay.

Just editing to add that the 4 I got were £285 delivered, then another £40 for fitting.

Edited by eccles on Sunday 3rd February 10:17

[jason61c]

RichB said:

what does 'spendy' mean?

expensive! £190ish each.

[4rephill]

For pretty much all of the tyre companies, the market for a "classic tread" tyre, with a modern day compound, in that size, is simply too small, and chances are, most of them will have scrapped off the moulds years ago.

The vast majority of buyers with classic cars that need a tyre in that size, will be more than happy (and in most cases, prefer), to have a more updated, more efficient tread pattern, that offers better grip, hence the relative lack of demand for classic treads.

Because of that, the price of "classic tread" tyres is much higher, because the costs of production are so much higher (small batches, specially made - Tyres have a shelf life, so tyre companies cannot simply make tens of thousands of tyres,and have them stockpiled for decades in the hope of eventually selling them).

For those who do demand period correct parts, due to supply and demand, you have to pay higher prices for them - That's simply a fact of life.

If you want cheaper options, then you have to make compromises, in the case of tyres, accepting a more modern tread pattern.

Blackcircles show a modern Firestone tyre for @ £71 per tyre, and tbh, I'm not seeing a night and day difference between its tread pattern, and that of the Michelin mentioned in the OP's post:

https://www.blackcircles.com/catalogue/firestone/m...

Again though, if the period correct tread pattern is that important, and you're not prepared to compromise, then you're going to have to pay extra for the tyres.

[jason61c]

I have been looking at these which have a very correct looking pattern.

https://www.camskill.co.uk/m4b0s389p109964/Bridges...

[neutral 3]

My old 74 260Z ( VPK 426M Where Are You Now ?? ) had 195 x 70 x 14s, this size was also OE on the 3.0 CSL ( Michelin XWZ which are horrifically expensive )
I believe Toyo do a 205x70x14.

[eccles]

When I was buying my tyres, several of the companies I tried, including some of those listed above, said they had them for sale, took my money, then cancelled the order due to lack of stock, then took over a week to refund me! So just be aware that just because they are listed, doesn't necessarily mean they are available.