Tires for 1969 280 SL

[stickandrudderman]

Good point made by Vander.
There is ony one correct size and that is 185/14.
Michelin are the only manufacturer (AFAIK) that supplies tyres in that size with the addition kerb strip (which is waht the "p" stands for in "MXV-P"
Other tyres do fit and that's a matter of choice for the owner.

[Lori]

The Vredestein Sprint Classic also has the rub strip. I purchased mine towards the end of 2021 for $150 each and have been very happy with them.  They were very good in the rain and doing 70mph on the highway.  They are rated as a summer tire, not suitable at freezing temps.

[lreppond]

In my experience when tire companies sell tires at such a huge discount like 50% , it is due to the fact they are aging out for what they should sell a new tire for. I would like to see a picture of the date stamp purchased above, I'm guessing the tires are already 2-3 years old before even touching the ground.

Mine are date coded 2524 or sometime in June, 2024.  I was told by Coker that they were on sale due to high inventory.

Btw, like the Vredestein, the Phoenix have a curb rub strip.  It’s located outside the whitewall area.

[russelljones48]

So, I'm not a stickler for price or originality and will research tire performance myself.  What I'd like to know is what is the largest tire size that will "fit" comfortably on the car front and rear separately if need be.  As a side note I have a set of the wider aluminum 14" wheels.  Suggestions?  My basic criteria would be "best handing" after the size.  I'm tying to use size to alter the rear end ratio in an automatic car for slightly less RPM at highway speeds .. 

[mdsalemi]

So, I'm not a stickler for price or originality and will research tire performance myself.  What I'd like to know is what is the largest tire size that will "fit" comfortably on the car front and rear separately if need be.  As a side note I have a set of the wider aluminum 14" wheels.  Suggestions?  My basic criteria would be "best handing" after the size.  I'm tying to use size to alter the rear end ratio in an automatic car for slightly less RPM at highway speeds ..

Back in the day, Russell, a typical sports car/roadster like those from UK had 13" wheels. Some larger ones had 14". Some smaller cars had 12". The Minis of the era had 10". A large American iron car like an Oldsmobile F85 had 14" Even a 442 had a 14". The Toronado had a 15". Even a '68 Vette had 15". Throw all that out the window today.

Many if not most cars have 17", 18" or 19". Some more performance cars have "dubs" or 20".

The bottom line on that is that the older sizes ~14" are in short supply because of demand. They simply don't have the variety available. The best selection is going to be in the 17"-20" size and if best performance is what you are after...

SO: is it possible that a custom wheel with a larger diameter and lower profile might be possible? Might be worth a look. You'd have a lot of choices in 17-19". There's not going to be much in the 14" size to choose from. I have not idea who makes if anyone, custom wheels but somebody must.

OH ONE MORE THING: you might consider a trip to SEMA in Las Vegas at the end of the month...if you cannot find it there it probably doesn't exist.

[specracer]

I got Vredestein a couple years ago. Happy with them, like the way they drive and look. Would have liked a WW version, but they didnt offer it, and other WW options I did not opt for (cant remember all of the details, as to why).

[stickandrudderman]

The best selection is going to be in the 17"-20" size and if best performance is what you are after...

And completely destroy the ride quality and potentially shorten the life of all suspension components due to increased stresses.

These cars are like a good wife rather than a demanding girlfriend!

[lreppond]

And completely destroy the ride quality and potentially shorten the life of all suspension components due to increased stresses.

These cars are like a good wife rather than a demanding girlfriend!

AMEN! 

I understand some modifications: rear end ratios, electronic ignition, LED bulbs, etc. These cars were designed, however,  by some of the best automotive engineers of their day. Is it nothing short of hubris to think we can improve them by changing out components integral to their design? ….just one guy’s opinion. 

[mdsalemi]

And completely destroy the ride quality and potentially shorten the life of all suspension components due to increased stresses.

These cars are like a good wife rather than a demanding girlfriend!

You are preaching to the choir here. The only tires I run are 185HR14. (forgive me with my first interlude with a non-standard size which I quickly gave up years ago) I had Coker Phoenix for many years, now Blockley. I don’t know what I will get when these age out, but it’s not going to be something that doesn’t belong. By the way in any gathering of our cars those with 185HR14s are in the minority.

But we have some people who insist upon changing things… they think anything more than $100 is too much for a tire so they go with P195 or 205 where there is a great variety of inexpensive tires, or in other cases they’re trying to improve something, usually the handling.