Tires for Classic Japanese Sports Cars
Classic Japanese cars will have a tough time competing with the muscle car market in the United States, but the fact of the matter is that Japanese cars from the 1960's through the 1980's are rare and valuable machines. Some, like the Toyota 2000GT are worth more than a million dollars, while others can be bought at a reasonable price and enjoyed on the open road. No matter where your classic car lands in the value spectrum, we have tires to fit many classic and modern Japanese cars.
Popular Tire Fitments
Tire fitment for Japanese cars is all over the map. You'll find tiny 12-inch wheels on early Honda CVCC, lots of 13-inch tire options throughout the various makes, and an equally large number of 14-inch tires for 1970's and 1980's sports cars, like the famous Datsun/Nissan Z series.
Rim diameters stepped up to 15 through 17 inches in the later-model Japanese sports cars, like the Mazda RX-7 and Toyota Supra, but you'll find that the majority of classic Japanese tire fitments are in that 13 and 14 inch range.
Aspect ratios varied among the different makes and models, but you can expect a high aspect ratio (like 80 series) on the early cars. As time went on, the 1970's saw the expansion of 70 series tires, and sidewalls continued to get shorter for years to come. We offer 80, 75, 70, 65, 60, 55, 50 series sidewalls and more!
We offer a huge variety of 14-inch tires, and most of them feature speed ratings of H and higher. Brands such as Michelin, Vredestein, Dunlop, Avon and BFGoodrich cover the vast range of sizes and styles, even if you plan to go up a few sizes on your tire and wheel combination.
Custom Tire Fitments for Japanese Sports Cars
The classic Nissan pictured above has a custom tire and wheel combination with staggered tire sizing, aggressive camber settings and a lowered stance. You'll find that Japanese sports cars are very popular platforms for customization and performance upgrades. The Nissan Skyline and GT-R craze started with cars like this compact coupe, and they are highly collectible. We offer OE tire fitments for cars of this nature, as well as a great selection of upgraded sizes.
The Mazda RX-7 platform has been a popular performance platform for decades. The early FB cars featured 185/70R13 tires, while FC cars stepped up to 205/60R15 tires in the late '80s. All RX-7 models had plenty of room for larger tires and wheels.
The ultimate RX-7 performance platform, pictured above, is the FD, which rolled off the showroom floor with 225/50R16 tires. This example has been upgraded to a high-polish mesh racing wheel with staggered Michelin tires.
Some say the Toyota Supra was made famous by "The Fast and the Furious" movie, released in 2001, but the cars already had a big following, due to the immense performance capabilities, especially in the Twin Turbo versions.
Although the Supra had been part of Toyota's product line since 1978, the fourth generation design (shown above) proves to be the most collectible.
These cars came from the factory with staggered tire sizing, but this owner has upgraded to larger tires and wheels. We have fitment options for stock or modified Toyota Supras.
The Mazda Miata is still one of the most affordable entry points into the Japanese sports car market. There are lots of these cars out there, and there are tons of options for engine, suspension and of course tire and wheel upgrades.
This particular example has been engine swapped and features a host of suspension upgrades to support the newfound horsepower. Originally, it would've rolled on 185/60R14 tires, but currently has wider meats to help with traction.