12" TIRES needed
 

I just bought a basic 1991 Geo Metro and the tread is down to wires...I
didn't put much into this and would like some basic, INEXPENSIVE (or donated)
12" tires to get me by. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks! Looking forward to learning more as I read past posts.
Mark
Charlotte, NC

Tire Sizes by Diameter - 12"

otherwise call your local tire shops, I buy my tires on line and take them and my rims to a auto shop to mount them, they charge me $5 per tire, normal price if the put the car on the lift is $20 per tire but I am not in a time crunch and pay cash and send my friends there.

tires
 

thanks for the info!

Or you could upgrade to 13" wheels and tires which are readily available.

Go to walmart if you must. Marshal 791 P145/80-r12 are $25 each here in Canada. Your price might be less.

145/80/R12's????
 

I've looked everywhere and have been told they're not making 145/80R12's any longer, so I had to upgrade to a 155. But it messes with my odometer readings and gas mileage calculations. You say you've got them up in Canada???

David

As of christmas both walmart canada and canadian tire both sold a p145/80R12 tire.

Hmm... I'm in BC Canada... I was told they are phasing out 12" tires...
After contacting 4/5 (local) tires shops, Canadian Tire was the only shop who had any,
and I got the last four, they said they were not going to get anymore...
That was late last summer.
It was under 120 bucks for 4 tires, mounted, ballanced and installed. :thumbup:
The van tires are ~150 each + + + :rolleyes:

tirerack.com has the Yokohama in 145R12 but they're $43 each and the treadwear rating is not so good. They also have the Kumho 155R12 for $35 each but they're now listed as "closeout".

Tirerack.com is a good source for tires, especially odd sizes and can ship to you. Local tire shops may be able to steer you to the 12's you are after, or you can switch to 13 inch rims. I used to know the calculation to step up in rim size, but the website can help you on that as well. Good luck.

One option for scroungers is to use four compact spare tires. They only last 10,000 miles, but they are almost free for the picking. Take a measuring stick to the wrecker's to check hole spacing. To re-figure your odometer, stick some tape on your tire so it hangs off the side. Roll onto it and mark the pavement. Roll another contact or so, and measure the gap. Then, do the same with the new tires. Divide one into the other, and there's the fiddle factor for your instruments.

Looks like tirerack.com is out also, at least when I checked this evening. Just another case of the man holding us down. :-(

Thats what I have been doing on my comutacar and the previous owners as well.

I will say that if you are willing to bounce and possibly get better FE go to wallyland or to fleet farm and get some 4.80x12's or 5.20x12's from the trailer section as they are pretty cheap and very bouncy.

Now a real stumper, where the heck do I get 4.8x10's for my Subaru 360? I also need a rim and tube for a spare.

12 inch tires? lol wtf

Yah, so? I mainly need 10" tires, so stick that in your pipe and smoke it.

I don't smoke, thanks for the offer. Plus burning tires is against the law, and not so eco-friendly.

That's cute though, if I had a kid I'd give him your citicar as a toy.

It's just funny to think that childrens bicycles come with 20" tires, and an automobile was made with 12" ID tires. :thumbup:

By the way, I recall when I worked at Sears years ago they had some 12" snow tires, that won't help right now but if anybody needs some WinterHandler Ice & Snow - P145/80SR12 Sears does carry them afaik.

I will pass that on, my Comutacar takes 13" tires (which are actually harder to find than 12"'s in the 125 designation) my Subaru takes 10". But others have 12" rims on their C-car

The thing is smaller tires save resources and could reduce wind resistance if sized appropriately for the application. Lets face it 20" rims on a sub 5000lb vehicle is rather rediculous and normally it makes the ride suck.

Heck my folks 20000lb 40' motorcoach has 20" rims!

I was just giving you a hard time, I totally agree with smaller tires / sizes I just haven't heard anybody mention 12's for a few years now.

I am rolling 14's on both cars and the small contact patch certainly is a huge part of improving mpg.


Where did you find all these old / rare cars?

I paid dearly to get them :) Not quite but I have been looking for them for years, since before I had any money to buy one. (its really too bad I didn't buy one years ago as they would have been cheaper)

I prefer odd cars over what is spewed out of detroit and I just like the unique factor. I also like the cheap factor as well.

My C-car was my only transport 5 days a week for nearly 2 years, now it is on/off as I rebuild some stuff.

My subaru was supposedly rebuilt but needed a new float and now the gas lines keep clogging with sediment even though the tank is supposedly coated.
Ah well, it will take a while to get it a reliable daily runner instead of just a daily runner.

Now if you need a Dodge crewcab or a TDI Jetta I have some I could unload :)

Ryan, I'm not sure where you get 10" rims, but my Mom's Honda N600 takes 10" tires and used to have trailer tires on it, we replaced them with these and it's a vast improvement, for my Commuti-car I have 145/70 R13 tires that I got from a Zenn NEV dealer, to get them I talked to Tim@greenautos.com, they might have 12" tires as well seeing as how no normal tire shop carries 145/70 R13.
Next set of tires I need for my Citi-car I'm going to get from Chris Schneider at Honda Motorwerks in La Crosse WI, they sell Columbia NEV's with continental ecotrac 145/70 R13 tires and he claimed that his parts manager can at least get that size, so it might be worth checking with them as well.

12" tires
 

Perhaps I didn't make my request clear. I need 145/80R12 size tires for 12" rims. Most people know that 12" tires means tires that fit 12" rims.

You know......so I can continue getting 50mpg+ from my Metro.

Clear enough everybody?

Who started this thread anyway, it's been hijacked from the hijacker who hijacked the first hijacker.

Clear as stained glass. (of course everyone knows that rims are made to fit tires, not the other way around.) 12 means 12.

Geo Metro Forum - Where (pimpin' 12's) is referring to the rim size :)

Geo Metro Forum Slogan

Without being in your area, talking to the people in your stores and finding out what they can get or might have we can only tell you that Compare Tire Search Results
those tires right there will fit your car, are avalible, in stock and are the right size (145 R12 are another labling for 145/80 R12), , your other option is to talk to the people who have worked at the tire shops for many years and see what they have hidden away in the back, I've gotten odd tire sizes this way before, you can also call up places that sell NEV's (neighbor hood electric vehicle) and ask if they can get tires in your size because there might be a NEV out there that uses them, seeing as how NEV's tend to use some weird small tires, some of us have spent days calling every tire place we could find to find other odd sizes, for even odder vehicles, 12" tires are not that odd in comparison.

The Yokohamas were the last of the 145s (I looked a long time a few months ag0) and they were not that great. I have the Kumho 155 80 R12s on my 93 XFi and can get 50mpg without any magic tricks. The speedometer difference is hardly worth calculating (just add 1 mpg to what your calculated mpg is and you're pretty close).

Forget the 145's and buy the Kumho 155 80 R12 before they run out. Unless you want to buy some 13" tires AND rims...

If you're really on a budget, check the local wrecking yard. You might get lucky like I did and find a set of four 12" tires that match, aren't all weather checked, and have decent tread left. The bonus is that you won't have to pay to mount them (assuming the rims are straight).

Just a side note - if I ask for a 35" tire, I don't mean a tire for a 35" rim. But if I ask for a 15" tire, that should denote that I mean a tire fitted to a 15" rim, since most rolling stock are 19" or larger in diameter.

I got a set of 155/80R12 from my local Big O. The brand is Husky. I posted more info in the sucess stories section.