for my dd tire size i typically run a 185/70/13. after checking three local shops and getting the same answer i had to wonder...has anyone else noticed the pickings getting a little slim?

 

i even checked tirerack, which for my area is usually a bad idea because of the boarder crossing being such a pain in the rump. but even still, i need a winter tire which they no longer list in my desired size.

 

at this point i'm even considering the adapter plates which are posted in another thread but from where i stand that would put me in a price point (after adapters, wheels, and tires) that i could just buy another car

 

for the most part i'm just venting at my waisted day but what are your thoughts?

There were two Canadian tire companies

Remco in the west and President tire in the east that joined and ended up calling themselves Tirecraft.

 

http://www.tirecraft.com/locations/british_columbia.asp

 

I would give them a try.

they are actually a customer of mine and as such i tried them first. problem isn't the retail locations but that the supply is running dry. but thanks for your responce

Out this way there is a push on for "re-moulded" tires.

 

http://www.google.ca/searchhl=en&q=remould+tires&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

 

The claim is environmentally "friendly" and "green", in effect they re-tread a quality casing with a tread of your choosing, some of the available treads are pretty aggressive. I have a couple of buddies that swear by them, and big trucks have been using them for years. Maybe?

Local tire guy I deal with told me that 13" tires will be a thing of the past by the end of this decade, if that long. Rick has something like 20 suppliers that he gets tires from, 13"s are hard to come by, and can take up to 2 -3 weeks to get in.

 

Makes it real difficult to keep an old vehicle at basically "Factory Stock" if you can't get original size tires anymore. And it is just what I was wanting to do now with the '82 BRAT instead of making a "Monster BRAT" like Scot did with his.

 

What's a person to do???????????????????????

looks like 15's are the new 13's as far as your standard factory issue steelies on the newer junk these days

with gas hitting 100 a barrel, 13" will slowly find there way back........give it 10 years.

how does a 13" wheel save over a 15" wheel?the bigger wheel allows bigger brakes to be fitted stock...

Because 13" and 12" tires are found on economy cars. Lighter , easier to turn, less unsprung weight, etc. Gas goes up, or supply gets short, those little econo-boxes will make a come back. I expect to see low profile 15" tires instead though. Alloy or plastic composite wheels, maybe with a molded rubber skin instead of a tire to save weight and materials. But not on economy gas cars, but Hybrids or plug-ins.

 

I got real lucky with a set of snow tires. My work has a small service center and store open to the public that sells the basics, tires, oil, batteries, etc. They just happened to have 4 13" snow tires on the shelf, been there for years! They're 185/80-13, a bit tall but that's fine. It robs some of the power from the car, but I can't wait for snow! I got them for $32 a piece, but the ****ers charged me $60 to mount and balance, then tried to get 5% for my using my debit/charge card! I work there, bought the tires there, had them installed there! Never again.

 

I bet you'll find them in the smaller tire stores, the private owned, mom and pop places. The kind that doesn't just stock what corporate tells them to.

If it gets too bad, and your vehicle inspecter doesn't look to closely, you could use 13" trailer tires!

There's still a good selection from online tire companies. I have bought tires from both http://www.tirerack.com and http://www.onlinetires.com and highly recommend either. Prices are very fair, shipping was fast and cheap. Tires show up at my door, and I then carry in to WalMart and get their lifetime hazard, install, balance, etc for $10/tire.

I posted this very subject on another board awhile back and got backlash for it. In my neck of the woods, 12" that goes on my Justy is practically an exotic now and was told back in September from the tire dealership that 13" will be faded out over the next couple of years.

My rig takes 13" tires, and to narrow my choices, I only use snow (winter) tires. To add to the fun of finding the right tire for me, I also specify that the sidewalls be at least 2-ply, which is "Load index 86" or above. Oh yeah, I need them to be 185/70.

 

I usually have to hunt around for them, but the last few times, I've had success at the independent tire dealers. The last set I got were from "Allied Tire" in Carson City, Nevada, USA.

 

Charlie (owner) gave me a good price on them, too .

 

Good luck.

How far are you from the Seattle area? I know at Les Schwab we actually have some 13" tires in stock (cheaper brands) and are very reasonably priced.