New tires for my 260

[midgez]

I am new to the z club... I am trying to learn as much as possible about my Z

I want to buy new tires for my Z but am confused about size. I have 14 in old school slotted mags that came with the car (but are not on the car). I want a sporty look and wider than the 75s I have currently with the original wheels and hubcaps. I have heard that 60 series make the car soft... Any suggestions on the perfect tire size? Thanks

[DustinD]

I'm interested in this too, the z I am planning on buying in the next few days has pretty bald tires and will need to be replaced before winter.

[hd240z]

The perfect tire will depend on your own driving style and preferences. Im running 215/60 BFGs on the original 14 inch slotted alloy wheels and stock suspension. I wouldnt say the car is "soft", if anything the shorter 60 series sidewalls makes the ride a little stiffer but handling is improved with the wider tread. Steering effort at low speeds is also a little harder with the larger tires if that matters to you.

You can do a search on tires and get plenty of other experiences and opinions.

[ggarrard]

If I remember correctly the original tire size for the Z translates to 195/70 x 14 in current tire lingo...(195mm width, 70% ratio width to height, and 14' wheel diameter). So a 75 aspect ratio (MidgeZ) is actually taller than the original if the width of 195mm is used.

A good method to determine what size you "need" is to use one of the many tire calculators available on the web. An example is http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp

Tire types are a presonnal preference usually regulated by your wallet...but buy the best you can afford.

hd240Z is correct. The sidewall of a 60 series tire is harder that that of a 75 series tire. The shorter the sidewall (height) ratio the stronger the sidewall.

GWGarrard

[Arne]

As an ex-tire guy (20+ years), I agree with the above posts, with the additional thought that the best choice also depends on how wide your 14" wheels are. Typical widths run from 5.5" up to 7" wide.

The 195/70-14 size should not be used on wheels wider than 6.5", or narrower than 5.0". The 215/60-14 size will be a bit wider, but also a touch shorter than stock. While they will fit on a 5.5" wheel, pinching them down that narrow will negate much of the improvement that a wider tire can bring (probably the source of the "soft" comment you heard), so I'd recommend that size for 6.0-7.0".

Another size not mentioned would be 225/60-14, which is good for 6.5" and 7.0" wheels. But this size is getting hard to find, and can cause clearance problems depending on wheel offset and whether or not the car is lowered.

[beandip]

I have been going over and over this for my Z for some time. I have decided on a tire that is rated for H performance and has a softer rubber compound that I desire for stopping and cornering. I am running a 14'' turbine mag that the car was delivered with from the dealer in '73 and I want to keep them. Falken ZIEX ZE 512 205/60 R14 88H seem to fit the bill. In my estimation . They are not a high mileage tire but my Z is not a daily driver, and this is not a concern to me. 15,000 miles of use will give me three years of driving worst case scenario. My 2cts. Gary

[ktm]

"Another size not mentioned would be 225/60-14, which is good for 6.5" and 7.0" wheels. But this size is getting hard to find, and can cause clearance problems depending on wheel offset and whether or not the car is lowered."

I am running these on my 14x7 Turbines. You are quite correct on all counts. I rub slightly on sharp turns and there are only a handful of choices.

[midgez]

Wow, thanks for all the replies. To clear things up a bit, the wheels are 6in. wide. The original owner had them on the car before I bought it. I am going to find prices and decide what to do. I am not too concerned about the difficult steering on low speeds. I drove a 70 camaro for years with no power steering. The Z seems easy after that. I'll let you all know what I decide and post pics when complete. Thanks again for all the advice, I will definitely take copies to the tire shop.

[red_dog007]

I was asking about tires a long time ago for my 240z. I am not sure if the 260z is much the same way, but I was basically being told if I went higher then what I did, I would probably start rubbing my tires in the front while turning.

So I just stuck with the 195/70 R14 performance tires that I found. I could have gone larger in the rear, and I wanted too, like 225's, but the tire manufacture don't go that high for 14's for this tire and I really don't want to be driving around with two different makes or models.

Here are my tires, and they are going on the original 19-spoke rims.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Sumitomo&tireModel=HTR+H4&vehicleSearch=false&partnum=97HR4HTRH4&fromCompare1=yes&place=3

Plus I have always thought the Z car to look better with smaller rims and taller tires, then bigger rims and shorter tires.

[bigoak]

FWIW. I went from stock tires on Western Wheel Mags to BFG 225/60-14's on vintage Chowini Racing rims and the performance difference was immense (original tires were quite old mind you). The car corners like its on a rail now.

[Arne]

Wow, thanks for all the replies. To clear things up a bit, the wheels are 6in. wide. The original owner had them on the car before I bought it. I am going to find prices and decide what to do. I am not too concerned about the difficult steering on low speeds. I drove a 70 camaro for years with no power steering. The Z seems easy after that. I'll let you all know what I decide and post pics when complete. Thanks again for all the advice, I will definitely take copies to the tire shop.

For 14x6 wheels (which is what I have on my red 240Z) I'd go with either 195/70-14 or 215/60-14. Either should fit fine, unless the wheel has more reverse offset than is standard, in which case the 215/60 might barely touch the lower corner of the front valance when turning.

[Zs-ondabrain]

I totally understand keeping with the 14" wheels but if you ever decide to upgrade and upsize, I think you'll love the feel, fill, and ride of the 16" wheels on 50 series tires.

I have 225/50R16's

They fill the wheel well beautifully and give the Z a nice stance.They are stiff enough to hold tight around corners and soft enough to give a decent ride without discomfort of a low profile tire..

But maybe thats just me,

Dave.