Commutacar tires (original size not available?)

[electrique]

finally getting things sorted... found a good source for 6 v deep cycle batteries, but before I purchase them, i need to know if I can find tires? Apparently the original Michelin 135 SR 13 are no longer available...? Any leads on tires that will work?
Thanks.
Kingsley

[bikin' Ed]

My wife did a computer search for all of Goodyear NorthAmerica. There are no 135 or 145's to be found. Wish I had better news for you.

[Ryland]

I got my vredestein tires from a Zenn Neighborhood Electric Vehicle dealer, they are a low rolling resistance tire in 145/70R13 size, calling around to there NEV dealerships in your area should turn up something.
But in short, Yes you can get tires.
If you want to get another set of rims the 4 lug on 4" centers 13" trailer wheels are the most common option, I went for those because they have that look of being new and my old set of rims have snow tires that only have 3,000 miles on them so I wanted to save those for winter driving.
Motor brushes also wear out over time, get those from a golf cart shop, leaf springs have to be custom made at around $300 for a full set, brake master cylinder is the same as the non power brake AMC cars, EVperformance.com has alot of parts and manuals as well, I replaced my turn signals and marker lights with LED's and bought an LED flasher, it makes the turns signals much more responsive and brighter.

[electrique]

Thanks for your help Ryland...

[bennelson]

I actually have a trailer that has rims that are an exact match with the Citicar.

Trailer tires are the simplest way to get new rubber for the c-cars.

Mine has Chevy Vega rims on it with matching wide tires. The only disadvantage is that you can't turn the steering all the way to one side, or the wheels rub!

[electrique]

Hi again Ryland - just wondering what your thoughts are regarding my existing tires...
they only have about 1200 miles on the tread, but they could be the original tires.
I'm wondering, what's the worst that could happen? The sidewalls show signs of perishing, but given the low speeds and careful driving necessary in these cars, is a blowout really that big of a possibilty or hazard if it does? The tires take months to lose a pound or two in pressure... I'm a professional driver, and can handle a tire blowing out - it's not like we are cornering at 30mph in these things! Is installing innertubes a temporary answer - or are they just as hard to get as tires? I'll try to source some trailer wheels, but I'm guessing you lose the low resistance tires with these?

[Ryland]

If you keep an eye on your tires for damage then you might be fine, but it's suggested that you change your tires every 6 years or so just because of the rubber aging, so using old tires is something you are doing at your own risk.
The tires you have are most likely not low rolling resistance tires, they might not even be radial tires, it's hard to say, but if you do use trailer wheels I suggest you still get car tires not trailer tires that sometimes come with trailer rims.