Best fitting tires for a 71 240Z with 14" mags and coil overs

[5 Star Rising]

I have a early 71 240z. Looking to use the old slotted mags that I have but get some nice looking/fitting tires. I want to go with the white letter vintage look tires also.  I have coilovers on the car and was maybe trying to fit the largest tire to fill the wheel well gaps with out them rubbing. Looking for some recommendations on sizes and maybe a certain tire to go with.  Thank you.

[jhm]

What width are your wheels?  And what are your performance/handling/grip/comfort/longevity needs and goals for the tires?  That will help determine correct tire and size for your application. 

 

Not a lot to choose from in 14" diameter; but Tire Rack is always a good resource to see what's available:  https://www.tirerack.com/tires/sizes/results.jsp?diameter=14

 

Goodrich Radial T/As are kind of an old standby for street use.  Not exactly "high performance", but they wear like iron and will likely outlive the car.  And they're available with the raised white lettering.  I think I had 225/60s on the front and 235/60s on the rear when I was running 14" wheels.

[primaz]

jhm is right you should look at Tire Rack and see what tires are available.  You do know that you can get custom white lettering stickers to stick on any tire, with that you might widen your options going to a 15, 16, or even 17" as a 240Z with coil overs can typically take an 8.5" wide rim and if you roll the fenders you can easily put 245 or even a bit wider on all four corners.  The smaller diameter tires are being phased out so your options are limited...

[5 Star Rising]

I'm not sure what the width is of those old slotted mags. I just finished painting my car in the garage and haven't really measured the width but they are pretty standard old school mags they dont stick out of the well much and actually fit rather nice. Yes I'm aware of the stickers but rather go with raised letters as the stickers come off and white letter pen ink wears out. Not going to roll the fenders on the series 1.   I was thinking about trying 225/60/14s but not sure if they will rub.. I'm guessing they are 6-7" wheels but I will find out.

 

As far as performance , I mean somewhere in the middle. I'm running triple webbers, lightened flywheel, 5 speed, semi racing clutch, coil overs, headers and performance exhaust. Those are basically my mods nothing too crazy but would be nice to have some performance tires that are good cruisers as well.

[jhm]

Looks like the Toyo Proxe R888 is still available, and 225/50-14 would probably be a good size for what you're looking for (as long as your wheels are at least 6" or 7" wide.  Very good performance, especially at that price.  And even they they're rated at 100 tw, they hold up surprisingly well and do carry "real" tread if you do any driving in the wet.  IMO, the Proxes have a much meatier appearance than other tires of same size....overall fatter appearance, which may or may not be a good thing for you depending on your personal preferences.  They should certainly have no problem filling up your wheel wells, I would think.

[5 Star Rising]

Toyo proxes look good. However when comparing the height of the 50 series tire you suggested, it looks like it's almost 2 full inches shorter than the factory 195/70 14 tire.  

 

(#1) 195/70 14 stock vs  (#2) 225/50 14 in picture. 

 

A 225/60 14 is taller.

[5 Star Rising]

In this photo

 

#1 is the stock 195/70 14

#2 is 225/60 14.

 

Dont know if #2 tire being too wide would rub.

[jhm]

Sorry, I guess I'm just not understanding your goals and objectives here.  If tire fitment is your primary concern, you might benefit from a tire sizing tool.  You can make your own, or buy one like this:  https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Percy-s-01201-Wheelrite,6761.html?sku=91065475&utm_medium=CSEGoogle&utm_source=CSE&utm_campaign=CSEGOOGLE&gclid=CjwKCAiAirb_BRBNEiwALHlnD_G2eLaEBmIiz4TPDevxvaftqGoBU2SRD2IHOvJ4zBBHHDml3hgp7BoCLVQQAvD_BwE

 

Be mindful of all the variables here,...as tire size, compound and construction can affect every aspect of your driving experience.

 

Good luck with it.

[5 Star Rising]

14 minutes ago, jhm said:

Sorry, I guess I'm just not understanding your goals and objectives here.  If tire fitment is your primary concern, you might benefit from a tire sizing tool.  You can make your own, or buy one like this:  https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Percy-s-01201-Wheelrite,6761.html?sku=91065475&utm_medium=CSEGoogle&utm_source=CSE&utm_campaign=CSEGOOGLE&gclid=CjwKCAiAirb_BRBNEiwALHlnD_G2eLaEBmIiz4TPDevxvaftqGoBU2SRD2IHOvJ4zBBHHDml3hgp7BoCLVQQAvD_BwE

 

Be mindful of all the variables here,...as tire size, compound and construction can affect every aspect of your driving experience.

 

Good luck with it.

That's a pretty awesome tool, been a member on this site since 2006 not to mention working on tons of cars of all makes and never seen that. Thanks.

 

As far as an objective on this 240, I want to fill the wheel well with the largest performance tire that wont rub with my set up. Being able to raise or lower with the coilovers is nice but finding the right combination is what I'm looking for. I also have a painted fiberglass front valance that I dont want to scrape on the ground so slamming the car is not really what I want to do.

[jhm]

Without knowing your wheel width and offset, I think you'd just be guessing at what will and won't fit.  If you're not hard-set on staying with the 14" mags, I've seen the jellybean mags in 15" diameter and they look pretty nice.  Would really open up your choice of tires.

 

Also, at the risk of stating the obvious, make sure you can run the suspension through the full range of motion if you use some sort of tire sizing tool. 

[primaz]

I do not see rolling the fenders on a 240z affecting the value in my opinion.  If you roll the fender the car looks stock and if you use the tool jhm mentioned you can get a custom offset wheel.  I have two (2) 240Z's no flares but both have rolled fenders running 16x8.5" rims running 245 40 tires on all four corners which fills up the well very nicely and looks very clean. The extra width makes big improvement in handling...  I have seen others even put wider tires than I have with no flares either just squeezing it to the max.  I wanted to keep all four the same so I can rotate the wheels to get the maximum use of the tires.

 

If you do not lower the car as much you can run the same tires as I have.  The Red Z is pretty low, around 4" off the ground and the orange one is higher.

 

Edited January 1, 2021 by primaz

[5 Star Rising]

Just picked these old school wheels up they are 14x6 and have a zero offset. I did a little photoshopping with the wheels on a car similar to mine lol..

I need a tire that will last, good for sticking to road when driving curvy roads at higher speeds and Is somewhat comfortable for long drives.  I like the old school look with alot of rubber filling the wheel well but also don't want to get a tire that is too wide or tall that rubs when turning. Definitely going to get white letter tires or use a paint pen if I have to I guess.  Now that I have the wheel sizes. What do you guys think for a tire? 225/60 14 too big?

Edited January 29, 2021 by 5 Star Rising

[jhm]

Personal opinion is that 225/60 will not fit well on a 6" wheel.  It's hard enough to get a decent performance tire in 14" diameter; and you're just reducing its potential performance by pinching it on a narrow rim.  My two cents, FWIW.

 

Nice-looking wheels, though...I've had similar wheels on a couple of my previous Zs.

[5 Star Rising]

Thanks they have a date stamped on the back 1976.

 

So maybe stick with the factory size 195/70 14?

 

Found these Vitour Galaxy performance 91H tires with white letters anyone ever run this brand?

https://www.performanceplustire.com/tires-for-sale/vitour-tires/galaxy-r1-5/ty:Tire:ts:195-70-14/

Edited January 29, 2021 by 5 Star Rising

[5 Star Rising]

205/70 14? 

[Willflow]

I agree a 225 is not great on a 6. I ran 225/60-14 on all corners with my 260 slammed. I also had 245 on the same car in the rear. I think my slot mags were 7" though. Its getting harder to find those sizes and what you do do,d are not the best performance tires. I like the look too but if you get a much better quality tire in a narrower size you will be pleased. You get want you pay for.

[LooseRocks]

On 12/31/2020 at 4:45 PM, primaz said:

I do not see rolling the fenders on a 240z affecting the value in my opinion.  If you roll the fender the car looks stock and if you use the tool jhm mentioned you can get a custom offset wheel.  I have two (2) 240Z's no flares but both have rolled fenders running 16x8.5" rims running 245 40 tires on all four corners which fills up the well very nicely and looks very clean. The extra width makes big improvement in handling...  I have seen others even put wider tires than I have with no flares either just squeezing it to the max.  I wanted to keep all four the same so I can rotate the wheels to get the maximum use of the tires.

 

If you do not lower the car as much you can run the same tires as I have.  The Red Z is pretty low, around 4" off the ground and the orange one is higher.

 

 

What wheels and what offset?

[primaz]

On 7/15/2021 at 4:12 PM, LooseRocks said:

 

What wheels and what offset?

 

I am using CCW wheels, 16" x 8", offset +13, backspace 5", lip size 2.125" on the orange 240Z with BC Racing coilovers; that enables us to run 16x245x40 series tires on all four corners no flares and no rubbing.  Every car can be slightly different as you may use different suspension such as different brand coilovers, springs, etc.  By measuring using those wheel measuring tools you can determine what is the ideal offset, etc. that you can fit and thus the widest tires.  Running 245's on all corners is very easy as there are others I have seen on the forums going much wider pushing their setup to the maximum.  Our 240Z's with 245's, with good suspension and good quality tires handle extremely well.  The orange car uses fairly soft springs to give it a very mild ride and the red z is running much stiffer springs but that is the one I drive.  I like the CCW brand and styles but any good quality wheel that is a 3 piece design will enable you to custom choose the offset, etc.

[LooseRocks]

10 hours ago, primaz said:

 

I am using CCW wheels, 16" x 8", offset +13, backspace 5", lip size 2.125" on the orange 240Z with BC Racing coilovers; that enables us to run 16x245x40 series tires on all four corners no flares and no rubbing.  Every car can be slightly different as you may use different suspension such as different brand coilovers, springs, etc.  By measuring using those wheel measuring tools you can determine what is the ideal offset, etc. that you can fit and thus the widest tires.  Running 245's on all corners is very easy as there are others I have seen on the forums going much wider pushing their setup to the maximum.  Our 240Z's with 245's, with good suspension and good quality tires handle extremely well.  The orange car uses fairly soft springs to give it a very mild ride and the red z is running much stiffer springs but that is the one I drive.  I like the CCW brand and styles but any good quality wheel that is a 3 piece design will enable you to custom choose the offset, etc.

Thanks for the answer.  I'm going to run T3 Evolved coils with their BBK and I want to run 245's with no flares.  The issue has been wheels.  There doesn't seem to be many options out there with a small enough offset to work.  I was looking at TE37V (17x8 or 17x8.5) but the only ones with 0 offset are 4x and I would prefer 5x.  I suppose I could go with 16" wheels but I worry about clearing the BBK and tire options.  I do like the looks of the CCW.  That might be a viable option.  Are you running a BBK with your setup?

[primaz]

On 7/18/2021 at 11:04 AM, LooseRocks said:

Thanks for the answer.  I'm going to run T3 Evolved coils with their BBK and I want to run 245's with no flares.  The issue has been wheels.  There doesn't seem to be many options out there with a small enough offset to work.  I was looking at TE37V (17x8 or 17x8.5) but the only ones with 0 offset are 4x and I would prefer 5x.  I suppose I could go with 16" wheels but I worry about clearing the BBK and tire options.  I do like the looks of the CCW.  That might be a viable option.  Are you running a BBK with your setup?

BBK? I assume Big Brake Kit? As long as you are using a 16" or larger it should be fine.  I am running the Arizona 12.5" big brake Wilwood kit on two of my 240z cars.  Actually the larger the diameter the more tire options as new cars are not using 14" or 15" anymore.  For 17" there are good tire options with the Michelin Pilot Sport which is a good tire https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Pilot+Sport+All+Season+4&frontTire=445YR7PSAS4XL&rearTire=44YR7PSAS4XL&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

 

My Red 240Z is running ground control coil overs with the same Arizona 12.5" vented rotor big Wilwood brake kit and the same tires.  16" wheels has less options than the 17" I believe for the ultra low profile but there are still options in both 16" & 17".  I would look carefully at the tire size and brand options and let that guide you between 16, 17" or even 18" if you are ok with the large diameter.  You will need to see the options in different tire heights from 40, 45, 50 to help guide your preference.  The right offset is critical to avoid rubbing and I would recommend to roll your fenders. I would recommend to spend the money for a 3 piece wheel which will be easy to replace an inside or outside barrel if you ever dent it vs the 2 piece welded versions I am running. A 240Z with 245 wide quality tires with coil overs will handle incredible, you will love the feel...

Edited July 20, 2021 by primaz