Does anyone run 13 inch tires any more

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Princess Valiant

A.K.A. Rainy Day Auto
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I am really thinking of running 13 inch wheels and tires on my slant six 63 valiant for a real conservative, stock early 60's look.....like 195/80R13

Anyone run 13's , and if so......feedback??
 
In the day they weren't that small, as bias ply tires were pretty tall. Nowdays the radials squat pretty good. But, I have 13's on my 66, and it drives quite nicely.
 
Yes, I always thought the 13-inch wheels on the Valiant and Dart cruised just fine, Rani. And I believe they steered better with the 13s than with larger-diameter wheels.
 
Im keeping the 13's on my 64, I found a set of tires on e-bay for $206. Now, I just need to find a set of hub-caps.
 
Yes, I've still got 13s on my 64 convertible. They are not real easy to find but they definitely look correct and it drives just fine.
 
Many scooters and youth bicycles run 13" rims with no problems whatsoever.
 
I am really thinking of running 13 inch wheels and tires on my slant six 63 valiant for a real conservative, stock early 60's look.....like 195/80R13

Anyone run 13's , and if so......feedback??
my custom built ATV trailer
 
13" on '66 Barracuda
IMG_20160611_123800.jpg
 
Why wouldn't you run 13s if you are running an all stock A body that came with 13s with a slant ?
 
P195/80R13 are about 25.3 tall. E70-14s were about that
P205/70-14s are 25.3
P235/60-14s are 25.1
P215/60-15s are 25.2
P255/50-15s are 25.04
P275/50-15s are 25.8
The point is; IMO, they look right cuz the height is right, and cuz the 13 inch rim is scaled right to these early cars. And 80 series tires ride pretty nice , and especially compared to 50 series.
It's the front view I have a little trouble with,lol.And most especially the rear view.
 
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1964 Valiant convertible w/225.
The car had been in storage since 1982 and came with 185x13 white wall M&S tires. They were new, never mounted tires (date coded early 80s) when the previous owner had them mounted just before I bought it. With the whitewalls toward the inside, they looked terrible. Black car with blackwalls and wheel covers, yuck. After rebuilding the engine and getting close to driving it, I had them remounted and balanced with the whitewalls out. Huge improvement in the way the car looked. I put 500 mlles on the car last fall before winter.

This is the best riding A body I've ever driven. I added V8 torsion bars up front with KYB shocks. I have not gone faster than 55 because they are old tires. I've registered the car for Carlisle and these tires will not be on it for the trip as it's 4-5 hrs each way. The ride is good but they handle badly. If I drive into a corner a little fast, they squeal like a pig . Sounds like a chase scene in an old movie.

I have a set of SBP Rallyes and a perfect set of black 14x5.5 Formula S wheels. Everybody puts Rallyes on early Valiants so I may go with the black wheels with dog dish or full wheel covers just to be different. It'll still look mostly stock. I also obtained SSBC K-H style disc brakes for the car that require 14" minimum wheels as this car is going to be a driver.

In my opinion, if you are going to drive like Granny Rani, the 13" will do. If you want to go a little faster and not sound like a Starsky and Hutch rerun, you should upgrade.
 
My Valiant felt like a low rider with 13's on it and I was always watching out for speed bumps and any other road conditions more. I prefer the 15's it has now
 
I just saw Milestar MS775 P175/80R13 white sidewall tires and P185/80R13 Maxxis MA-1 90S WW tires on Amazon. There are still some 13" car tires available.
 
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if you're still looking - I pulled the 13's and went to 14" - so the set + spare with '66 wheel covers are available (see pic above) - tires were on the car when I bought it, but look to be maybe 5k miles on them
 
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