1970 Tires

[Stan F.]

The build order copy for my car calls for white letter tires. My understanding of tire selection was that GM often changed suppliers for tires (and I would imagine other parts) during the model year. I would be interested to know what the correct tire manufacturer and configuration would be for an early build date 1970 car (#00538).

Regards,

Stan Falenski NCRS# 24272

[Joe L.]

Re: 1970 Tires

Stan-----

The most common tires were the F-70-15 "Goodyear Speedway Wide Tread" or the Firestone F-70-15 "Wide Oval". Both of these tires were bias-belted, nylon cord tires. The only completely authentic reproduction tire available today for 1970 models is the reproduction F-70-15 "Goodyear Speedway Wide Tread" available from Kelsey Tire (www.kelseytire.com) of Camdenton, MO and through your local Goodyear store. Firestone "Wide Ovals" are available from Coker Tire, but the currently available ones are of fiberglass-belted construction. This construction was used on early 70s cars, but not on Corvettes. Actually, the fiberglass belted tires are very similar in configuration to the original non-fiberglass belted Corvette Wide Ovals and they are a "better" road tire. But, strictly speaking, they are not original for Corvettes.

Any reproduction original tire WILL NOT PERFORM anything like the modern radials which you are used to. So, if you drive the car, be prepared for that fact. Also, these tires are not inexpensive. The Goodyear repros sell for about $180 each and the Firestones for about $140 each.