Capri - New Tyres

Those of you who are dedicated followers of my blog would remember that several posts previously I wrote of my tyre dilemmas. It was all finally brought to a head when one valve stem exploded and the spare tyre was also flat. You may also recall that the tyres were 175/75/13 which are no longer available. 4 of the 5 tyres were 15+ years old & well worn, especially on one side.
Here are the old ones ready for disposal. The brands were Simex (3), Olympic & Lee Conquest. What a variety!

After a fair bit of internet searching & a few phone calls, I settled on a set (4) of 185/70/13 GTRadial Champiros from Tyreright. At $75 (with discounts), they were not the cheapest ($67) but were in stock & a good compromise. Many firms advertise this size but then say they do not have them in stock.
To add to my dilemmas, one rim with the best tyre (Olympic) which I wanted to keep for a spare has a 6 & 1/2 offset which. if put on the front, rubs the strut. I found this out the hard way by ruining a tyre many years ago. If I kept this for a spare then it cannot go on the front - which is OK, I suppose. Also when fitting the tyre, the guys found that the previous spare has a 5 & 1/2 inch rim, where as the other 3 have 6 inch. The tyre was OK to fit so it should not be a real problem but I will put it on the back.
Out of interest, I placed the old & new tyres side by side & using a level, they are exactly the same diameter (height). I also checked carefully that the new size did not rub the strut & everything is OK. I am looking forward to driving the car to see if these tyres make any difference.
Here are some pics of the new tyres and the comparison of the two.