Brought "new" Geo home today: tires??

[ncsteve]

I'm so new to this that I've owned my 93 Geo Metro only 4 hours now, and I'm already asking for help!
Actually, my first purchase will be tires, as the ones on the car are almost bald! Can anyone recommend a good source for relatively inexpensive 145SR12 or P145/80R12 tires?

[Christ]

I can recommend that you get some OEM 13" wheels, and use those.

If you are near a junkyard, you might be able to find some easily. Some junkyards take wheels and tires off the cars.
IIRC - your bolt pattern is 4x114.3, for reference. If this is incorrect, there will be a Metroid here in 10 seconds to tell you otherwise. It's just how it works.

(Edited to show correct bolt pattern.)

[blueflame]

Yeah, the 12" format sucks especially when theres an option to go to 13"

And get better FE on raised drive ratios

How big can a metro go without tyres rubbing on fenders?

[theunchosen]

I'm going to gamble not much larger, although expanding 1 inch only brings you a .5 inch closer to rubbing.

Looking at the 12"s it looks like maybe an inch and a half between the bottom lip(at the bottom corner of the door) so you could go up at least 2 inches to 14 for sure no problems probably even 15, but then I would get a little worried about rubbing after going over large potholes(or bridge junctions). Also the bigger your tires are the more expensive by a good bit. I upped one size on my del sol for the same price tire and slightly better gear ratios(13-14, although they will easily fit 17s the tires are massively expensive(120+ each and they don't last very long at all.))

[Christ]

Originally Posted by theunchosen

I'm going to gamble not much larger, although expanding 1 inch only brings you a .5 inch closer to rubbing.

Looking at the 12"s it looks like maybe an inch and a half between the bottom lip(at the bottom corner of the door) so you could go up at least 2 inches to 14 for sure no problems probably even 15, but then I would get a little worried about rubbing after going over large potholes(or bridge junctions). Also the bigger your tires are the more expensive by a good bit. I upped one size on my del sol for the same price tire and slightly better gear ratios(13-14, although they will easily fit 17s the tires are massively expensive(120+ each and they don't last very long at all.))

The problem is that there isn't a 15" size readily available that matches his tire diameter even closely...

145mm tread patch, 80% sidewall, then 12 inches between...

Going to a 13" tire, I'm positive that Civic tires would fit... they're 175mm tread, so they're 30mm wider, and 70% sidewall, on a 13" rim.

This raises the overall diameter of the tire to 22.6 inches, opposed to 21.1 for the 12" tires. A net gain of 1.5 inches.

You could also get 155/80R13, which would give you a tire that is only 10mm wider, but 1.7 inches taller.
BTW - you can get 205/40ZR17 tires for about $35 online... google "Wanli tire"

[theunchosen]

Thanks Christ, I couldn't find the 35 but I found 40 so close enough. I don't run those anymore. They are unstable with the alignment assembly on the car. The previous owner put an aftermarket kit on thats more aggressive and then put wheels that were oversized for the kit.

Anyway the kit puts all the weight on the outside half inch of the tire(17), but its fine for my 14s. So they are out in the shed with tread thats totally gone.

[Christ]

Is your car lowered? If it is, you can stop most of that wear by realigning your toe angle. (unless that's already been done.)

Camber isn't what wears your tires out when you lower your car... it's the misaligned toe angle that "drags" your tires up the road. It essentially scrubs the tread right off the side.

[theunchosen]

yeah the problem is the unit got destroyed by his driving style and the oversized wheels. To realign any of it I have to replace all of them. Fortunately they sit almost perfectly for the smaller tires and wheels.

[Bicycle Bob]

The metro bolt pattern is 4 X 4.5" or 114.3mm. The 13" wheels were standard on the convertible, and there's room for even bigger tires if you want the gearing. Special lug nuts, or cone washers are recommended for the 10 mm studs. With the extra ground clearance, you tend to want a belly pan instead of an air dam, which is more practical, too.

[Christ]

There goes the Civic wheel idea.. sorry OP.

Editing my post to show correct information -