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Need a Quick Answer RE Tire Sizes


ol' yeller

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I have done a search here and didn't find an answer to my question. I just bought my '90 and I don't even have it home yet. It has ugly Corvette wheels (with no center caps) and the tires are at least 8 years old and probably a lot older. I have an opportunity to pick up some aftermarket wheels with Toyo tires already mounted for a real bargain (I love Toyo tires). The problem is that the tires are 215/75/15. All the posts I found discussing tire sizes are 50, 60, or even 65 for the middle number. I went to calculator that gave the specs for each size but without the car it is impossible for me to determine if they will work. Will a 75 series tire work for the '90 Reatta? These are a really good bargain that I'd hate to pass up but if they won't work I guess they wouldn't be too much of a bargain. Thanks.

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Guest spyhunter2k

Will it work? Well...you already know that it is a different size than factory, so if by work you mean will the car still roll with nothing interfering...yes, but it will look funny to have that tall a sidewall. The wheel will look very small inside the wheel/tire combo. That tall a tire (in relation to the tread width) is normally reserved for trucks.

According to the tire size calculator at the miata.net site here, the overall diameter of this combo is almost 2" taller than your stock wheel/tire combo, which means your car will sit almost 1" higher.

Remember how the Delorean looked in Back to the Future Part III when the Doc put huge high-profile 1950s tires on the Delorean...?

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I don't think you can use the tires.......

the problem is the diameter. the stock tires are 26" in diameter and just miss the lower coil spring mount by about 1/2 inch.

The 215/75r15 is 27.7 inches in diameter, making it about 7/8 inch taller than the factory tires and I believe the tire will rub on the spring mount.

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Guest spyhunter2k

Aghh! I forgot about the lower spring seat. Barney is exactly right. It is very close to the top of the factory tire--almost surely not enough clearance for the .85" extra upward protrusion of the tires you are looking at.

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Guest weewilly

check out these rims for sale. You can find them in the for sale section or the reatta forum:

Since I am a rookie and not experienced with the nuances of this experience, I am listing items individually. This posting and offer is genuine and not intended to create any ill will.

I am offering 4 x 1990 Reatta factory wheels and used tires. Please respond only to this item for this listing. I am in South Florida and not familiar with the best value shipping for your situation. I have a buddy who sells wheels for a living and has custom boxes for this application. My suggestion is try uship.com or pick up locally. I will facilitate shipping via UPS, USPS, common freight, etc. Wheels may be disassebled from tires for less weight. I would prefer to sell them intact with tires, but am willing to accommodate.

The wheels are in very good condition and I am willing to strip and clear coat them before shipping. They include the centers as pictured. I do not have the factory locking nuts.

Price is $500.00 for the complete set + shipping.

I have not figured out to post an image on this site, so if anyone is interested , PM me and I will send a set of pics. If anyone cares to lend a hand, please feel free to assist me in posting images to this thread. In the meantime I will attempt to research the site for image posting technique.

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Thanks but wheels cost too much to ship especially when the tires are still mounted and you are across the country from me(I'm in WA). I would prefer to buy something locally as I can inspect them prior to paying for shipping and return shipping if I didn't like them.

I will probably put aftermarket wheels on it anyway as I don't really care for the original wheel look myself. I was asking because I had the opportunity to buy some locally but I wasn't sure about tire sizes. Thanks again.

Greg

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