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What kind of tires are best? All I can find are trailer tires...

Discussion in 'Mini Lounge' started by Will Von Wizlepig, Feb 22, 2017.

  1. Will Von Wizlepig

    Will Von Wizlepig New Member

    I've got a 1991 Honda Acty. I'm no novice in searching for things, but eBay, amazon, google, none of them list any kind of tire other than trailer tires. While I suppose those would probably do, I wanted to make sure I'm not missing something. Even the www.japanminitrucks.com site does not list anything for my model under tires... and of course, most of the results here were questions about putting some alternate tire on.

    thanks in advance for any help. :D
     
  2. What size tires, on or off-road, what top speed.
     
  3. Will Von Wizlepig

    Will Von Wizlepig New Member

    Ah, sorry- I forgot to mention- I want the exact kind that came on it, or as close to that as I can get. It has 145R12 Goodyear tires on it now. It will go 65mph, so, rated for at least that.
     
  4. Acerguy likes this.
  5. Will Von Wizlepig

    Will Von Wizlepig New Member

    ah, nice! thanks for the tip... it seems like there's hardly any selection out there. Oddball, off-brands and "trailer tires".

    I find it odd, that there's a whole world out there using these on the road, and yet it's nearly impossible to find, for example, the tires that are on the truck now- Goodyear G47 Flexsteel 145r12 ... I got in touch with Goodyear earlier and they claim they don't make 12" tires. Once I figure this out, I will report back for future reference.
     
  6. Will Von Wizlepig

    Will Von Wizlepig New Member

    After a little googling, I see that essentially, because of near zero market demand for these tires in the USA, they are not imported. They are made in great volume overseas, and, in fact, are ridiculously cheap IN JAPAN- $20-$30 a tire, or so.

    I am going to see if my importer can throw a set of tires in the sea-freight container next time he sends some over.
     
  7. woodhe1

    woodhe1 Member

    GR Imports has OEM tires ... so does RSM & Associates.
     
  8. Jdmonealp

    Jdmonealp Member

    Yokohama super diggers. 145r12. Awesome tires. Pretty expensive stateside, but literally $100/set in Japan.
     
    ShawnC likes this.
  9. Will Von Wizlepig

    Will Von Wizlepig New Member

    Ah- super diggers do look good. I want street tires on mine, though- I doubt I will get it in the mud ever.

    Yes- what I concluded was that the tire market here state-side is awful for mini-trucks. There's just not enough demand for any major distributors to bother to carry the tires.

    I am going to see about working with my importer to get a set of tires brought over from Japan. It's rather surprising that tires are as low as $20 each on amazon there. And that's for an actual brand-name tire, not some oddball maker.

    Just check out www.amazon.co.jp and search for 145r12 ... there are plenty of other shopping sites in Japan, but amazon covers what I need to see. Sadly, none of the shops ship to the USA- not a surprise. It's probably $300+ to ship a set of tires from Japan.
     
  10. Jdmonealp

    Jdmonealp Member

    The issue you'll have is shipping price. If you use ems, it's a solid $200+ for shipping. Though i have not looked into other shipping companies. I've had a couple sets put on trucks I've imported. Those super diggers drive real nice. That particular size is so expensive here because they are so uncommon. Small number of sales=expensive tires regardless of size. But in Japan they are super duper common. And, people are expected to buy summer and snow tires, so they sell 2 sets per car even. All that adds up to dirt cheap
     
  11. fmartin_gila

    fmartin_gila Well-Known Member

    Same here. Every parts store and tire shop has any number of these sizes in stock at all times. We only need to get 1 set at a time though cause we don't really have a winter in the Philippines.

    Fred
     
  12. Inane2

    Inane2 Member

    Super Diggers :

    http://www.fgpstore.com/product-p/tires.-colon-super digger.htm

    I imported a set back in 2011. Bought the tires dirt cheap over in Japan. Shipped them EMS and it was costly. My guy stacked them vertically and banded them. Tried shipping them and it was a no go. He had to wrap the bundle in cardboard. EMS goes over to USPS here. My mailman got a kick out of them.

    Great tire, 6 ply and has the appropriate load rating for this truck, unlike many ATV tires. I bought a second set of OEM rims last year and I plan on trying some UTV 23x8x12 tires. I love the diggers but in the winter, I want a bigger foot print. The diggers are like pizza cutters.

    I'll have to go back and look to see what I paid. Exchange rate was terrible then, something around $1 = 70 JPY. Much better rate today!
     
  13. KCCats

    KCCats Active Member

    Do yourself a favor and just go to a junk yard and get a set of 13" rims and tires off of a Geo Metro!
    Mine are an inch taller and make no difference, except it rides better!
     
    subawu likes this.
  14. Will Von Wizlepig

    Will Von Wizlepig New Member

    BOOM! Awesome tip, thank you KCCATS!
     
  15. KCCats

    KCCats Active Member

    That is the bolt patern of mine, 4 X 100mm the other the 4 X 110? is the same as the VW and others!
     
  16. Will Von Wizlepig

    Will Von Wizlepig New Member

    So, I went to the pick-n-pull, and looked at all their Geo cars... all of them had 12" wheels on them- every last one. VW wheels will work, too? I have the 4x100...
     
  17. Will Von Wizlepig

    Will Von Wizlepig New Member

  18. subawu

    subawu New Member

    I'm looking at a set of 4x100mm 14" wheels with good tires for $200 that are from a Honda. That will simplify for sure! So much easier. There are many 12" atv tires out there but, not good for pavement.
     
  19. KCCats

    KCCats Active Member

    I have a set of 14 and even 15" rims from my Swift GT.
    Be care ful on ytour tire size and get the over all height about 23" and you will be perfect!
     
  20. Jaredk253

    Jaredk253 New Member

    Tuskano likes this.
  21. KCCats

    KCCats Active Member

    Those will still ride rough!
    The 13" rims I have and the 70 series tires ride much better!
     
  22. Jaredk253

    Jaredk253 New Member


    They worked out quite well. They are just slightly taller than what was on there, though they are the same size. Price was right at $52 each with free shipping from Amazon.
     

    Attached Files:

  23. Tom Metcalf

    Tom Metcalf New Member

    I just bought a set of four new NanKang 165R70/12 tires for my Acty. They are the same rolling diameter as the old Goodyear 145R12 tires that came on it. These handle much better, and even though they are wider, they fit the standard rims well. $200 for a set of four.

    These are low noise all season tires - perfect for how I use my Acty.
     
  24. Jaredk253

    Jaredk253 New Member

    One year in if daily driving. Not a lick of problems. All tires seam to be wearing evenly, still practicall look new.
     
  25. emerald18

    emerald18 New Member

    It seems like you found a good set of tires to use for daily driving. I've been planning to install new tires this month, and I want to avail a wheel and tire package to save money and time when having it mount and balance. I'm currently expanding my choices, and I might consider the ones mentioned in this thread.
     
  26. KCCats

    KCCats Active Member

    I went to salvage yard and bought a set from a Nissan
     
  27. Dcwarpath

    Dcwarpath New Member

    The link you posted comes up dead for me. I am awaiting delivery of a 2002 Suzuki Carry which is stuck on a ship somewhere :)
    At this point I just assume that tires will be needed and likely a battery.

    I am not planning on lifting the truck as I will store it in a shed that has a 6' x 6' opening. Lifting it will force me to reconstruct the shed opening which I'm not planning on doing.
    Seems like the Tires you ordered fir the stock truck and have been successfully used for some time. However I can't find them anywhere.
    Yokohama Y372 - 145SR12 -Your link is dead and no other online store seems to have stock...
     
  28. KCCats

    KCCats Active Member

    I had ATV tires on mime in pic
    I have also used lawn mower tires too
     
  29. Jigs-n-fixtures

    Jigs-n-fixtures Well-Known Member

    Search online for Japanese mini truck parts. Several of the dealers have stock tires available. Kind of spendy, but that is part of these things. A lot of the parts come from Japan, and the shipping kills on small quantities.
     
  30. t_g_farrell

    t_g_farrell Active Member

    I just went to that simple tire site and found 2 makes of tires in 155/7R12, I'm sure they have others as well.

    https://simpletire.com/tire-sizes/155-70r12

    You can just edit the url for different combinations. I also found some 165/70R12 as well.
     

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