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Need some advice on tires for 1962 Corvette, not the originals, but something for everyday driving. Looking for soft ride and good handling. Local dealer is telling me Bridgestone, would like opinions from those who have actually tried different tires as opposed to what's on sale this month.
Terry, I have Goodyear Integrity tires on my '56 (205/75 front & 225/70 rear) and on my '64 (205/70 F & R) and on my Buick Le Sabre (215/70 F & R). Very nice riding tire and very quite. Wal Mart Super Centers don't stock them but can get them in a couple of days at a very good price and less then $10 for M&B, valve stem and road hazard. The other day I was parked next to a Lexus SUV that had the Integrity's which appeared to be original equipment. They are not a high performance tire but if hundreds of thousands of people are willing to load their families in a car, every day, and don't feel that they need a super duper, high performance tire to transport their loved ones, that's good enough for me. My C5 has the super duper tires but that's part of the image.
Go to www.tirerack.com and search under the 205/75R-15 size. This is the closest in revs per mile to the OEM 6.70-15s, but tires in this size have, at best, have a "S" or maybe a "T" speed rating and have rather hard compounds. They are by no stretch or the imagination "performance tires", but they are fine for normal driving.
You'll probably find at least a couple of dozen, and you can select by styling preference. From a performance standpoint they are all going to be fairly close. If you want to widen your search, you can search manufacturers' web sites as The Tire Rack doesn't carry every single model. My own personal preference would be to have an "American brand" tire on a vintage Corvette that was common when the cars were new, which would include Firestone, Goodyear, and General. All tires in this size are relatively inexpensive, so price will probably not be an issue.
Higher performance tires are available in 70 series, but they need at least 5.5 inch wheels, so the OEM base 5.0 wheels are too narrow for 215/70 or 225/70R-15s. If you are looking for better handling, my recommendation would be to buy a set of '67 Rally wheels and install the 215/70ZR-15 Pirelli P4000 Super Touring, and your OEM wheel covers should fit on the Rally wheels.
The ultimate set-up would be '68 7" rally wheels (with the OEM wheel covers) with one of the three avialable V-rated 225/70R-15 police pursuit tires, but I'm not sure if this set-up will have sufficient clearance on a solid axle model.
Thanks for all the info guys, I was planning on using the rally wheels, but wasn't sure on tire brand and size. Will 225x70 fit up front also or should I stay at 205's?
Terry.... 4 of my 62's are fitted with Firestone blackwall radials, called FR480. Size P215/75R15. Speedo reads good. They look like they should'a could'a come on the car. I have used them with both 5 and 5 1/2" wheels and there is no tire interference. I have tested them to 120 mph with no problems and in fact, no roll overs. If I have the car judged, it does alot better with an OEM tire, but that may be of no concern to you. Best, Dennis
Terry,
On my '62, I am running Goodyear Eagle STs (P225-70-15) front and rear on '69 Z28 Rally wheels (15 X 7). These wheels are a lot less expensive than the '67 Vette wheels. In fact, you can still buys the 15 X 7 wheels brand new made off old Kelsey-Hayes tooling. The 225's on the front touch the fiberglass housing around the steering gear when making a sharp left turn. When I buy new tires, I will still get 225's all around so they can be rotated easily. I think that the Eagle STs are no longer available. Does anyone know?
Denny
P.S. The speedo reads exact.
Just as an aside - I think you can reach a point where modern day tires mixed with a 30'/40's suspension does not really make as much sense as we would like it to.
I use a cheap 205/75 with a "highway" tread vs a performance tread. They look a bit more like the originals in design and have a little less contact surface than the high performance "all weather" tires. Still a lot more tread than the originals. Keep in mind that wider tires are going to increase steering effort which is already considerable. Most dealers don't stock a 195/75, but most manufacturers were still cataloging them the last time I checked. Not sure about the rev per mile on these, but they probably come as close you're going to come to the 6.70/15 in width and appearance.
If you are going to operate your car in an agressive manner, either on or off the public streets, then a more agressive speed rated, wider tire may be more desireable.
205/75R-15s are very close in revs per mile to the original 6.70-15, which are speced at 760. Tire and Rim Association standards allow some leeway, but most sizes are pretty close to nominal, and each manufacturer will usually publish a revs/mile spec for each size tire within each model range. The manufacturers' specs can usually be viewed on The Tire Rack by clicking on "Specs" for each tire, and manufacturers' web sites also list specifications including revs/mile. For reference, here are some nominal revs/mile specs for OEM and replacement tires sizes.
Duke always offers superior knowledge, however, my only input would add that, in my experience, different brands of the "same size" often offer sizes that are not of the "same size"...
I would go with the 215/70-15 Goodyear Aquatred 3 $64/ea or the Goodyear Regatta 2 $62/ea from www.tirerack.com. I am running the Aquatred 3 on my knock off wheels on my '64. They are "T" speed rated (118 mph) and handle excellent in the wet and dry.
If you want to compare the revs per mile, circumference, radius, etc. of the these tires, go to www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html. This site has a tire size calculator that will help you compare the different sizes of tires.
Best Regards,
James West
Omaha, NE.
NCRS member #18379
1964 Corvette #9258
I would not recommend the use of this calculator. The revs per mile are calculated from the OD as if the tire was a rigid body, like a steel railroad wheel.
Real pneumatic tires flex as they roll down the road, and their effective rolling circumference is less than their calculated "rigid body" rolling circumference. As a result, the actual revs per mile are about two to three percent GREATER than the revs per mile calculated from rigid body physics.
The Tire Rack usually lists complete specifications, including revs per mile, for each make/model of tire. Simply click "specs" when viewing an individual model. Tire manufacturer's web sites also contain complete specifications for all their tires. Although most tires are very close to the nominal Tire and Rim Association specifications, there is a fair amount of tolerance allowed, so whenever possible, manufacturer's specs for the exact tire you are considering should be used for speedomenter and clearance calculations.
There are plenty of well intentioned site on the Web, but many are ill-informed, and the actual revs per mile for a tire cannot be directly calculated, but can only be derived from actual testing done by the manufacturer.
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