C-3 Original Tires

[Richard G.]

I have what I believe to be the original set of tires for my 69 Convertible, they are Black Walled F70-15's. What charateristics should I look for in original tires; should there be 8 or 9 tred lines, what type of DOT stamp should I look for? The JM, I believe, states 9 Treds lines for starters

[Joe L.]

Re: C-3 Original Tires

Rich----

You didn't mention what brand and model they are. That's important. Most original 69 tires were either "Goodyear Speedway Widetread" or "Firestone Super Sports Wide Oval". Some cars may have received Uniroyal Tiger Paws. In any event, ALL of the tires used were NYLON CORD, "2-ply 4-ply rated" tires and WERE NOT fiberglass belted. The only Goodyear Speedway Widetread tires ever available, whether original or reproduction, are configuration-correct. Most of the Firestone reproduction tires are fiberglass belted, which is not correct for Corvettes, but is correct for other period cars. So, if you have Firestone Super Sports Wide Oval tires that are NOT BELTED, the chances are they are correct and original. If they are BELTED, then theey are not original and not correct.

[Dave S.]

Re: C-3 Original Tires

In addition to Joe Lucia's accurate response you will see the "short" embossed code on the sidewall if they are original 1969 tires. It will consist of 6 0r 7 letters or numbers. The translation of the short codes are a bit of a mystery to most of us. All tires including Nylon cord tires had a "long" code consisting of approximately 12 or 13 numbers and letters after approximately January of 1971. The long code ends in a date such as 171 which would be the 17th week of 1971. That should help in determining the approximate vintage of your tires.

[Steve L.]

Re: C-3 Original Tires

Two of my original Firestones on my '73 developed splits on the inside walls just sitting in a parking lot. Both splits occured within 2 years of the cars life.

Firestone dealer insisted that someone slashed the tires. I needed to inform him that if someone slashed the tires on the walls facing inboard, it would amount to suicide since the car would fall on their heads.

Shortly after, Firestone had a massive recall on these tires.

Anytime I see Firestones on any vehicle, it reminds me of this. Needless to say, I've never bought Firestones since.

Steve L
73 coupe since new

[Richard G.]

Re: C-3 Original Tires

Thanks for the information so far, I believe the tires are "Goodyear Speedway Widetread". Any more information you can give me would be appreciated.

[Joe L.]

Re: C-3 Original Tires

Dave and Rich-----

Yes, and after the mid-70s, the original type tires used on 68-72 Corvettes were discontinued from manufacture by the companies that originally produced them. So, except for the Goodyear Speedway Wide Tread reproductions made available by Kelsey Tire in the last several years, I don't think that you'll find any original configuration tires made after about 1975, or so.

Even when they were still available, I don't think that many folks replaced their original 68-72 Corvette tires with the same tires. The original tires had a VERY short tread life and were not really all that popular. Many folks even took them off their Corvettes before they were even worn out.

The radial tire revolution that swept away bias ply and belted tires in the mid 70's quickly had the manufacturers drop most of the early tires from production. I still like fiberglass belted, bias ply tires, though. Kelsey has some available in reproduction, too. These tires ride a lot rougher than radials, but I think they make Corvettes handle a lot better.