Practically Classics Forum

Hi,

I want to fit 13 x 5.5 inch rims to my trailer that match the ones on my Moke. I'd like to keep the rolling diamater of the tyres the same as on the Moke, so the spare wheel(s) can be used on either the trailer or car in an emergency. (I used to live in the bush and I had 26 punctures in five years!)

The Moke is running 185/60R13 Yokohamas which are great. But I don't want to buy expensive 185/60R13 performance tyres for a trailer. Good second-hand tyres in that size just don't exist in Oz.

I've come across some good used 155/70R13 tyres which have the right rolling diameter. I think they should be okay on a 5.5 inch rim. Some webistes say yes, some say no.

Thoughts?

Cheers,

Shouldn't be too stretched though the sidewalls will be pretty stiff over that rim size. Just one thing though: 165/70s would give a compatible rolling radius with 185/60s, 155s would need to have an aspect ratio of 75% to match and as far as I know, 75% isn't available other than in some very specialised applications.

185/60 - 111mm sidewall
155/70 - 108.5mm sidewall
165/70 - 115.5mm sidewall.

The diameter of the tyres needs to be 111mm or less to fit the trailer and allow full travel. So 155/70 is the best compromise.

The trailer was built to use 145/70r12 originally, so there is not a lot of clearance.

Cheers,
Brett.

This is what a 155/70 looks like on a 5.5 x 13" rim.





Sorry, not the best photos but hope they give you some idea. These are the Herald's winter shoes.

Yeah, those look fine on Seth's Herald. As long as there's some return to the sidewall heading into the bead then they're not too far stretched. My daily modern car has 175/55x15 on 5.5" rims at the front and the same rim width is used for versions with 155/65 front tyres so if 155s aren't too stretched at that low an aspect ratio, you'll be grand with 70%.

Thanks JPB and Seth, this is the sort of information I was hoping for. I am now confident these tyres will be fine for my purposes.

Cheers,