Mixing Tire Sizes

I have a 1987 Corolla 4 door hatchback which came with 155SR13 tires.
These are becoming very difficult to find. The car has two good rear
tires but needs front tires. Can I put a different size tire on the
front, such as 155-80-B13, or is this a bad idea?

> Can I put a different size tire on the
front...

Since the Euro-metric naming convention assumes an aspect ratio of 82
if none is specified, I'd guess that a P155-80SR13 would be pretty
similar.

> such as 155-80-B13, or is this a bad idea?

If that B-as-in-Baker isn't a typo, then *that* would be a bad idea:
it stands for Belted bias. Mixing bias ply and radial tires on a
vehicle is so deeply frowned upon that I never put it to empirical test
during the time period when both were readily available (I wouldn't
even know where to get a bias ply tire meant for everyday street use on
a passenger car anymore).


See for instance
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=46
and
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=45

Cheers,
--Joe

wrote:
> I have a 1987 Corolla 4 door hatchback which came with 155SR13 tires.
> These are becoming very difficult to find. The car has two good rear
> tires but needs front tires. Can I put a different size tire on the
> front, such as 155-80-B13, or is this a bad idea?
>

155/80 is about the same, but use radials (where do you find bias tires
these days?) 175/70R13 will also work if you are replacing all four and
your rims are wide enough to carry them.

good luck

nate

--
replace "fly" with "com" to reply.
http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel

You cannot mix bias ply with radials. The vehicle will not be safe to
drive. You have to go all 4 either radial or bias ply.

Changing sizes on two also will make it handle strange, but maybe ok....

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

wrote:
>
> I have a 1987 Corolla 4 door hatchback which came with 155SR13 tires.
> These are becoming very difficult to find. The car has two good rear
> tires but needs front tires. Can I put a different size tire on the
> front, such as 155-80-B13, or is this a bad idea?