Technical 135R12 vs. 125R12

[jjacob]

So just as a double check. There are no issues in running 135R12 tires instead of 125R12? I really do not want to spend big money for alloy wheels, so will stick with 3.5 X 12 or 4.0 X 12 steel wheels. Also the 135R tires are a lot lower in cost compared to the 125R's. Running 135R12 tires will give me a little less rpm at 60mph. I believe there are no rubbing issues with the above?
Any reason not to do this (like the car looks odd)? Will raise ride height by about 0.30 inches (8mm).

Thanks,
John

 

[tjmra]

John,

a quick reply, I am just about to walk out the door. Will fill in details and photos tonight.

Whilst not 135's, I run 145's and have no issue with rubbing. Having said that you need to be aware of the following:

In Oz we have an extra leaf in the front spring. This gives more clearance. (I have made note elsewhere in this forum that 145's were OK only for the member in then UK to buy them and say they do rub, and boy did I feel awful!) I think it is the spring that makes the difference.

I have a tough time getting the tyre into the front bay. 135's may just sneak in. If your battery is larger than the normal dimensions, it makes it a little worse.

Will update tonight.

Regards

Joe R

 

[MattGibson]

John,

The 500 I hired at the start of the year had 135 tyres fitted, which were fine, but did rub slightly at full lock.

Matt

 

[oopsadaisy]

125's are getting very difficult to source in the UK.

I fitted ours with a full set of 135's last year, and erm..... yes if you go over a bump on full lock they do rub a bit...

It has however passed the MOT (annual test) without any problems.

 

[Bambino]

I have 145R12s fitted to standard 126 steel rims and with the lowered suspension (reverse eye spring at the front and shorter coils at the rear) I did have an issue with the front tyres rubbing, particularly when the car was loaded and on full lock. I had the front guards adjusted (= gently reshaped) and it is no longer a problem. I'll post a couple of photos over the weekend as I'm not at home this week.
As for the spare, I ordered a 125R12 and fitted it to a standard steel rim because there was no way I could fit a 145 in the spare compartment. A space saver, if you like - normally an idea associated with high powered European sportscars, not 30HP runabouts
Chris

 

[tjmra]

Not sure what Chris (Bambino) is talking about when he says he uses a 125 x 13 as a space saver tyre. When I got my five 145 x 13's, the sales guy looked at them and noted they were all space savers....................

Anyway, to set the scene and to confirm an earier rambling of mine, my tyres are new, the front suspension has all new rubber bushes, the leaf spring has not been reset or checked.

I have included some photos. One showing approx 4" clearance between the top of the tyre and the high point of the wheel arch (sorry about the flare from the steel ruler). A couple of others showing how tight a 145 is when used as a spare. In hindsight I think I should have looked for a 125 for a spare.

Finally I can confirm that my leaf spring has 6 leaves. This was pointed out by Chris in another post. I never noticed, all the manuals show 5. I do not have the eye reversed (yet). My car has had 145's for all the the time I have owned it (26 years) and I have never had an issue with rubbing.

Anyone else out there with a 'normal' 5 leaf spring and fairly new bushes care to chip in with what the tyre to arch height is?


Joe R

 

[Bambino]

Hey Joe - I think I can see a speck of dust in that wheel well

The 145s look good on these little cars though I think mine are rated to quite a ridiculous speed.

On the other hand, the 125s looked like pizza cutters

Chris

 

[tjmra]

Not dust, breadcrumbs.......

If only I could drive the thing. (Not feeling the love.)

Joe R

 

[Bambino]

A couple of photos showing the before and after. In each photo, the car is unladen and the tyre is a 145/70R12 on a standard 126 steel wheel.

Before - Standard front spring. The rear edge of the front curve of the guard is very close to the tyre and when the car was laden rubbed slightly in the straight line and a lot on cornering.

After - Inverted front spring. The edge has been trimmed back and refolded to match the rest of the wheel arch contour. It is now well clear even when the car is laden with two hefty Australians in the front seats.

Chris

PS: The tyres are 69T - that is, rated for 325kg per tyre at a maximum speed of 190kph. The car only weighs about 500kg wringing wet and even with the mods, would be flat out at 130kph with a strong tailwind.

 

[Kiwi Denzil]

Hi Guys, I have a New Zealand made Bambina ('69) and for some reason the previous owner had 145 70 R12 on the front (no worries) but 145 80 R12 on the back.

Does anyone know what effect this would have on the handling? I have no problems with rubbing with the 145s so perhaps the Kiwi 500s are similar to the Aussie ones with the extra leaf. In fact I have quite a bit of clearance.

It seems the 145 80 R12 are easier to find.

 

[disgusted]

I put a new set of 125/12s on mine this year.

They have white bands and are made by "Goldeneye".

 

[disgusted]

Sorry. I've been watching too many James Bond films. GoldenTyre, not Goldeneye.

http://www.goldentyre.it/index_eng.htm

 

[Kiwi Denzil]

While we are talking wheels and tyres....

my original steel rims are a bit munted and should really be replaced.

What else fits? decent original rims are a bit scarce it seems down here so if there is an alternative that would be great. I dont mind fitting spacers / adaptors if required.

Also, my local tyre supplier can't dynamic balance them as the front two are solid centre and the rears have the steel hubcap straps across them. The modern machine they have doesnt have any suitable adaptors.

Q. As speeds are going to be sub 100km/hr and journeys reasonably short - is dynamic balancing really required? (the Engineer in me says that it should be).

 

[the hobbler]

Hi folks;
When I was trying to sort out wheels/tyres for my 500 (group 2 wheel arches, 126 engine) I found a site which gave me diameter/rolling distance/etc details of different size tyres, including the ability to compare.
the site is:- KOUKI TECH-Visual Tyre Size Calculator--hope this helps