Author Topic: What tyres are you using in 205/70x14 size ? (Read 11787 times)

Ben · « **on:** February 01, 2005, 11:01:09 »

Hi folks,
I know we've talked about the original Michelin/Firestone/Phoenix tyres in 185/80x14 size but I'm running mine with the alloy wheels and am currently looking for the 205/70x14 tyres !

What is anyone using and how do you find them ?

Also any good on-line shops ?

I would like to try whitewall, do they come in this size ?

Finally what is the widest tyre I could put on my original wheels in 14 x5.5J rim width !

Regards,
Ben in Ireland.
'64 230SL 4sp.

SL113fan · « **Reply #1 on:** February 01, 2005, 11:46:26 »

Many MB owners have experienced difficulty in finding this tire size in an H rating. I used to purchase the Continental, Michelin, Pirelli, and Bridgestone brands in the H rating but all seem to have dropped regular production / distribution. I finally found the H-rated in the Firestone brand, available through Tirerack.com at a reasonable price.

Though the Michelin MXV4's were my favorite, these Firestones are proving to be OK, even in the snow. Do yourself a favor and holdout for the H-rated tire--the handling is a huge improvement over lower-rated tires.

lylesmet · « **Reply #2 on:** February 01, 2005, 13:30:45 »

running Michelin 205/70VR14 XDX on alloy wheels (6.5" width, 126 part # wheels), an excellent combination in my opinion @ $225/tire. Tires available from Coker. You could go for the XWXs at $400/tire if you feel the need. The origional Michelin 185s are no longer available.

Bob G ✝︎ · « **Reply #3 on:** February 01, 2005, 14:23:42 »

Too big a tire on this car seems wrong and can overwhelm the suspension making it work harder to accomplish the same performance of the orginal 185 HR rated tires.. Some members who belong to this group of SL pagoda owners have recommended highly the Colker Firestone Phoneix 185HR/14 whitewall and state "because of its stiff side wall construction that it is the closest to the orginal habagurtel tires designed for this suspension".
these tires were not availible when I purchased my 280SL that had michelin 205 MXV4 radials. I replaced these tires with Michelin 185 TR/14 Rainforce MX4 radials and I am happy with the ride and performance. Although not up to the Colker tire performance and price $170.00 per tire compared to $75.00 per tire for the rain force black wall I can say my car looks better and performs with a lighter touch.
The MXV4 s are now on my Toyota truck were they belong.
Bob Geco

hauser · « **Reply #4 on:** February 01, 2005, 15:00:40 »

The shop owner that I take my car to also runs this size tire on his '71 280sl. He has made comments about how well my car drives. I think that part of that is due to the tires he's using. I'm not saying it can't be done but what works on one car may not work on another. Also remember that tires vary in size from each manufacturer.

1969 280sl 5 spd
Gainesville, Fl.

A Dalton · « **Reply #5 on:** February 01, 2005, 15:44:24 »

quote:
Originally posted by krwaxbz

Too big a tire on this car seems wrong and can overwhelm the suspension making it work harder to accomplish the same performance of the orginal 185 HR rated tires.. Some members who belong to this group of SL pagoda owners have recommended highly the Colker Firestone Phoneix 185HR/14 whitewall and state "because of its stiff side wall construction that it is the closest to the orginal habagurtel tires designed for this suspension".
these tires were not availible when I purchased my 280SL that had michelin 205 MXV4 radials. I replaced these tires with Michelin 185 TR/14 Rainforce MX4 radials and I am happy with the ride and performance. Although not up to the Colker tire performance and price $170.00 per tire compared to $75.00 per tire for the rain force black wall I can say my car looks better and performs with a lighter touch.
The MXV4 s are now on my Toyota truck were they belong.
Bob Geco

No doubt about it .. the RainForce was the answer , but they did away with it .. they came in exact Euro sizing , too [ 80 profile]
Great tire for 113 for the price.
but... Mich has now come back out with the earlier "X" version . Remember those from a few years back??
Well, they are now X-DT and you can go to the 195-75R -14 and come within 1/10 of an in inch on diameter and they are perfect on 5.5 or 6" rims.
The problem with putting a wide tire on a narrow rim is you balloon the sidewall and loose stability.. no good
Good ride , but the trade off is crap.

hauser · « **Reply #6 on:** February 01, 2005, 16:05:49 »

Just looked up the Michelin X-DT that Dalton suggested on the Michelin website. Nice tread design and very good overall rattings. Too bad it isn't available in a WW

. Doug has Michelin tires on his 280.

Doug, care to comment on your tires? Tell us how your experience has been with them before hibernation.

1969 280sl 5 spd
Gainesville, Fl.

Klaus · « **Reply #7 on:** February 01, 2005, 16:23:10 »

Michelin MXV4 205/70x14 95 H Energy, M+S (all season).
Don't know if they are still in production.

Klaus
1969 280 SL

hauser · « **Reply #8 on:** February 01, 2005, 19:27:24 »

I have the NLA Michelin Rainforce on my car. It's a shame they've stopped making it.

1969 280sl 5 spd
Gainesville, Fl.

rwmastel · « **Reply #9 on:** February 01, 2005, 19:51:36 »

gugel · « **Reply #10 on:** February 01, 2005, 21:01:11 »

Mine are Bridgestone Turanza 205/70-14 LS-T blackwalls, T speed rated, from America's Tire. I don't drive the car faster than 190 km/h anyway, and they got very high ratings from the Tire Rack. I like the look with my alloy wheels, and also the ride and handling. They were about $84 each in June 2003, including balancing, new stems, and all taxes.

FWIW, the last I heard Gernold was equipping his 113's with Michelin X 195/75-14 tires from Sam's Club, which I believe are S speed rated (180 km/h). He doesn't like the looks of the wider 205/70's on the SL, and believes they put too much stress on the lower control arms at higher speeds. The S speed rating doesn't concern him because he believes that today's tires (especially Michelins) have a safety cushion built in to be able to exceed the speed rating for short periods, and that an S rated tire today probably exceeds the quality of any H rated (210 km/h) tire of the past anyway.

The calculated diameters and the revolutions per mile for these two sizes are very close to those for the original tires:

185/14........25.65 inches.....811 revs per mile
195/75-14...25.52 inches.....814 revs per mile
205/70-14...25.30 inches.....814 revs per mile

The revs per mile are those given by the Tire Rack for Bridgestones, and are measured with load on the tires, so they don't quite jibe with the diameters which are calculated without load. Tires of the same nominal size from different manufacturers can vary a bit in actual size. For example, Michelins tend to have slightly smaller diameters than other brands.

Chris Earnest

TR · « **Reply #11 on:** February 01, 2005, 21:09:04 »

Here's that Bridgestone 205/70T14 with a white wall of approx. 3/4 inch.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Turanza+LS-T&sidewall=White+Stripe+.6-1.0

Tom in Boise

A Dalton · « **Reply #12 on:** February 01, 2005, 21:29:26 »

I remember years ago talking with Gernold and he said how lucky we were to have the Mich X and then they discontinued them.. but then, fortunately ,out came the RainForce and in my 35 years of 113s and literally dozens and dozens of different tires/makes/ sizes / rims , etc.. these proved to be best all around fit ..even better than the X.
But now, it looks like the "X" platform is back, just not in the 80 profile.. so, 195/75 will get you there..can get them at the Discount joints like Sams an Coscos too, just like the old 'X" series..
I have a new set of MXV4 in 205/70/14 0n 6.5 bunts and really thought they would be better than the stock size Rainforce, but they are off and back in the barn , along with the Perelli's [ what a waste of $$ those were]

Ben · « **Reply #13 on:** February 02, 2005, 03:18:51 »

quote:
The problem with putting a wide tire on a narrow rim is you balloon the sidewall and loose stability.. no good
Good ride , but the trade off is crap.

So I currently have H rated tyres and wont go back to a T, but maybe I'll look for a 195/75x14 tyre with a wide band ! I never thought to search for this size before but I would prefer the aesthetics of a taller profile with less ballooning !

Thaks folks !

Regards,
Ben in Ireland.
'64 230SL 4sp.

Vince Canepa · « **Reply #14 on:** February 02, 2005, 07:06:57 »

I run the Michelin MXV4 Energy in the 205/70HR -14 blackwall. I run this car to well over 100 mph when I get a chance. I'm not going to do that on S or T rated tires. I also agree that the H rating gives better performance. The Rainforce was never as good a tire for performance - I ran them on some of my other cars. As far as the 205 being too much tire I do not agree. I find the 205/70, in the proper speed rating, to be a big improvement over the 185s. They are getting very hard to find, though.

Vince Canepa
1967 250SL
113.043-10-001543
568H Signal Red
116 Caviar MB-Tex

gugel · « **Reply #15 on:** February 02, 2005, 12:36:27 »

quote:
Originally posted by Vince Canepa

I run the Michelin MXV4 Energy in the 205/70HR -14 blackwall. I run this car to well over 100 mph when I get a chance. I'm not going to do that on S or T rated tires.

Does your car really go faster than 118 mph (T speed rating)?!?

Chris

hands_aus · « **Reply #16 on:** February 03, 2005, 05:05:27 »

Michelin have a new tyre "Energy XM1' which has an 80 series that includes the 185/80R14, " T " speed index.

I priced (2nd December) them in Australia at $144.00 plus 10% GST each. I think they will be cheaper in the USA.

see this link http://www.michelin.com.au/tyres/passengerCar_energyXM1.asp

Bob Smith (Brisbane,Australia)
RHD,1967 early 250 SL, auto

Vince Canepa · « **Reply #17 on:** February 04, 2005, 07:09:59 »

I see 6500 to 6800 rpm with 3.92 gearing, hardtop on, windows closed, interior intake vent closed. Thats in the 122-125 range. I've seen 7000 once, but there was a strong tailwind. I don't think these cars are much fun unless you push them. I have checked the Tach against my Tach/Dwell meter so I believe it is accurate.

Vince Canepa
1967 250SL
113.043-10-001543
568H Signal Red
116 Caviar MB-Tex

Ben · « **Reply #18 on:** February 04, 2005, 09:33:51 »

Yeah I've seen 6500RPM on several occassions.......and the speedo laughed back at me when it reached 130MPH LOL [

]

Regards,
Ben in Ireland.
'64 230SL 4sp.

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Author Topic: What tyres are you using in 205/70x14 size ? (Read 11787 times)

Ben

SL113fan

Bob G ✝︎

hauser

A Dalton

hauser

Klaus

hauser

TR

A Dalton

Ben

Vince Canepa

Vince Canepa

Ben