Correct Tires 73RS

[David Mixon]

A friend in Germany is looking for the most
authentic tires available for his 1973 RS. He wants to come as close to
the Dunlops that originally came on the car.

I am hoping you guys might have a recommendation for him.
I checked some data books I have a what I found is that the RS models came
with 6x15 front fuchs and 7x15 rear fuchs wheels and the tires were either
Pirelli Cinturato CN36 or, Dunlop SPD4; 195/60VR15 front and 215/60VR15
rear. So, the question is which tires that are available today will most
closely replicate these tires? I checked some of the old threads on tires but did not get the information needed unless I overlooked one.

Thanks for any help or referrals.
David

[denson]

As he wants to stay with the original look, why not go with the Michelin XWX.. I am pretty sure they have both sizes. Go to Cokertire.com for fitment and pricing.

Good luck.

[execmalibu]

They are used and in good condition..

[Chuck Miller]

David,

The front tire size for a '73 RS was 185/70 .... and as said Coker will get you close.

Hope this helps,
Cheers

[RSTarga]

They usually were equipped with the CN36 which is the best tire of the 3 mentioned. The XWX was more for the S cars and HORRIBLE in the rain, good in the dry. The Dunlop was trash, and the CN36 was fantastic (for it's time) in the rain and gave over 1G cornering in the dry. The 74 3.0 used the same tire sizes but on 7's and 8's and most of these were on CN36. The P7 had still not come out.
I believe that both the CN36 and the XWX are being manufactured again although the XWX is very expensive. I would not put anything that has been manufactured more than 3yrs ago on any car except maybe for display.
Regards
David

[RSTarga]

chuck's observation on front sizing is correct 185/70 NOT the 195's

[mobius911]

Just to play devil's advocate- why the desire to stay with bone stock? I expect many people back in 73 did what people do today- replace their stock tires with wider, lower-profile rubber for better performance. I bought my RS in 1984 and it already had 205/50 front and 225/50 rear on the stock 6's and 7's. The tires were pretty old so I know the swap happened in the seventies. And my car is a Touring with air conditioning, so it wasn't that the PO set it up for racing.

To each his own, but I think "originality" extending to the original tire size is unnecessary overkill. And I doubt you could duplicate the as-new driving experience anyway since the tires today just ain't the same.

Jeff

[DavidMixon]

Thanks Guys, I appreciate the info and the correction on the front tire size. Looks like the information I checked out in the "Porsche Red Book" 1965-2005 is incorrect (page 40 under 471 options) or perhaps that size only applied to the lightweight version.

Looking forward to more reponses.
David

[boxster03]

No connection. Better tire IMO than the Michellin XWX and cheaper than the Coker XWX repop



800.952.4333
www.lucasclassictires.com

185/70VR15 CN 36 RACE/SHOW $ 219

The Cinturato has once again become the tyre of choice.

Cross-ply (bias-ply) tyres are still the choice where originality is important. Fitting cross-plys
will keep your steering good and light and they also give a very comfortable smooth ride. Directional
stability is the issue for cross-ply tyres and at cruising speeds they tend to wander. This is unavoidable
by the nature of cross-ply construction, no matter what wild claims some manufacturers may make.

The exciting news for cars such as these is the reemergence of the Pirelli Cinturato 185VR15. This is
the only genuinely period tyre available in this size with a suitable speed rating (V 150mph). This was
a hugely famous tyre in Europe and it was “THE” upgrade tyre as it had the advantage of being a
radial tyre but it was also progressive.

Cinturato's are now available again exclusively through Lucas Automotive in the US

[RSTarga]

I agree, I would never go back to a period tire. The technology is so much better every year. I'm preferential to Bridgestone just because they are good both in the dry and in the wet. But I had to move to 16" wheels to get better tires. There is almost nothing decent available in the 15" size.
Most of those older tires tended to seriously aquaplane in our cars, especially at the front. The first P7 was horrible. But some people want originality above all else. To each his own.