Tires for E30

[yelevupi]

My tires aren’t worn out but they’re old enough that I need to start thinking about a new set. In a brief search it seems 195/65 x 14 tires are very hard to find.
Has anyone gotten new tires and where did you find them?
Are their any optional sizes that are more available?

[Jaxx_]

I chose to go with a more available size and take the 3% speedo difference. Falken 615K+ are available in 195/60R14. If you are looking for a more general tire there are plenty of all seasons that can be considered at that size as well. 185/65R14 is also a consideration if you don't mind going a little skinnier--the circumference difference is about 2% with those.

[moatilliatta]

Maxxis makes a set.

[roguetoaster]

Remember, the actual height of a tire sold as a 195/65 and one sold as a 195/60 might be fairly close since it's a near enough ratio, not an exact reflection of total tire height. IMO, 195/60s are fine.

[Vincenze]

Michelin MXV3-A are period-correct, but expensive.

They are available in Europe at many places.
It seems Coker Tire is the sole distributor in the USA.

https://www.cokertire.com/tires/michelin-mxv3-a-195-65vr14.html

[roguetoaster]

^
Oof, that's quite the price.

[MrBurgundy]

lol at those fat boys

I would just buy a set of 16 inch wheels and a set of good tires for less than that

[Vincenze]

^
Oof, that's quite the price.

They are about $200 in Europe.
It was the price of Vredesteins on TireRack.

The MXV3-A was first created for high-performance saloon cars of the 1980s and early 1990s, vehicles such as; E30 generation BMWs, the Ford Sierra, Mitsubishi Galant, Maserati Biturbo, Alfa Romeo 75, and the Peugeot 405 MI 16. Owners of these modern classics rejoice! The correct tire is now in stock.

It goes without saying that tire technology has come a long way in almost 40 years, and so while these tires look old, its high sidewalls hide modern secrets. They are optimized for the best performance possible in wet and dry conditions, with some engineering directed at the specific vehicles they will be fitted to.

Mr. Yoshiko Suzuki, responsible for the development of this retro tire, said: ‘The past few years, the popularity of the classic cars in Japan and overseas has tended to increase. There are many requests, and Michelin believes that providing tires that can meet the needs of such users will provide more classic car enthusiasts with fun and safety.’

These modern-classic tires are now available to owners for their prized throwbacks to the era of Rubik’s Cubes and acid-washed jeans.

[Johnny Haywire]

I went with some cheapo eBay tires in 205/60R14, Forceum Hena brand (heard of it? haha, me neither), to get me by until I got my Euroweaves. I was actually pleasantly surprised. They have decent grip all around, even in the rain. They were around $240 delivered for 4.

[lukeADE335i]

I have Hankook Optimo K415s on mine at the moment in 195/65 R14. Have been good tyres, nice and quiet and they grip well - pretty much on a par with the Michelins on my wife’s car.

With my 16s on the e30 I run 205/50 R16 Yokohama A Drive R1s, which were affordable and an excellent tyre although unfortunately they’re now NLA. If you have a series 2 e30, the 88 load rating is painful on 16s - with an early e30 the rating is lower so there are plenty of tyres available as 16s.

Only tyres I can get locally now with the correct rating are Michelin PS4s, which are pretty expensive.