Coker tires for a '70 LT1

[adam schorr]

Who makes the best reproduction tires for my '70 LT1 Vert?
Coker?
My tank sheet reads:
Option: "03PU9AA";
Type: "F70x15 white leterred tires".
It's a Feb-March '70 car and the Eagle GT +4's the previous owner mounted are 5+ years at least.
They look okay but are probably a bit dangerous.
Advice would be appreciated.
I don't drive my car that often and love the look of correct tires. Judging points are important too.
As far as bias ply versus modern day radials: I have driven a good friend's mid-year big blocks with bias ply tires, so I am guessing it will be similarly bad on some pavement.

[Dave S.]

Re: Coker tires for a '70 LT1

Adam,
The Kelsey Goodyear Raised White Letter tires are virtually exact except for the embossed dates which are obviously current.

[Thomas C.]

Re: Coker tires for a '70 LT1

Adam, I have the repro Firestone Wide Ovals RWL's on my 72 and I like the way they look and drive. They wont judge the best though. I have repro Goodyear Speedway blackwalls on my 69 and they judge better but drive horribly and get bad flat spots. Not sure if the Goodyear RWL repros are any different If you want decent driving tires that look fairly correct get the Firestones. Tom

[adam schorr]

Re: Coker tires for a '70 LT1

Hi Dave and Tom,

Thank you both for the replies. It sounds like the choice is a compromise between what drives/performs better, and what judges better.

Are the "Kelsey Goodyear Raised White Letter tires..." that dave mentioned, basically the same tire (contruction) as the "Goodyear Speedway blackwalls..." that Tom mentioned? Except for the RWL part :-)

adam

[Chuck S.]

Re: Coker tires for a '70 LT1

Consider reproduction tires suitable for judging, but not the best option for performance. If you are going to have the car judged, and also want good performance when it's not on the judging field, I would go with a modern tire mounted on a set of wheels of your choice. Mount the Kelsey/rally combination for judging, then swap to the other set when you're driving.

[Joe L.]

Re: Coker tires for a '70 LT1

adam----

Kelsey distributes a wide range of Goodyear reproduction tires. The tire that they offer which is most correct for 1968-72 Corvettes is the "Goodyear Speedway Wide Tread". This tire is available in blackwall, RWL, white stripe, and red line to cover all the configurations used over the 68-72 period (not all were used any one model year, though).

As has been mentioned, these tires are the absolute closest to the original tires that you can obtain today. However, they are a bias ply, non-belted tire, as-original.

The Firestone Wide Oval tires distributed by Coker are the same, basic model as was also used on 1968-72 Corvettes. However, these tires are of fiberglass belted construction. While these tires were used on some cars of the period, they were not used on Corvettes. So, they are not 100% correct for Corvettes. Their "Sup-R-Belt" side lettering and tread rib count "gives them away". However, a fiberglass belted tire is a much better road tire than a non-belted tire. So, it's no surprise that the Wide Ovals currently available perform better on the road. That's what I've been telling folks for years.

[adam schorr]

Re: Coker tires for a '70 LT1

Soooo, after reading Joe's post a few times (thank you Joe), I conclude:

The FWO repro 'model' tire made today, looks the part, but is constructed
w/fiberglass belts...Unlike the FWO from circa '68-'72.

Perhaps the FWO's are a happy medium for those who occasionaly drive and want the period correct look (not radial tires).

The Goodyear repros are a lot closer to the original construction and performance.

[Terry M.]

Re: Coker tires for a '70 LT1

The Coker belted FWO of today are made from the same materials as the belted FWO of 1971, as are the GY Speedway reproductions made by Kelsey. Not to say that the FWO and GY Speedway are made from the same materials, just that each is a faithful reproduction of their respective ancestors in construction and performance.

When I looked for evidence of the belted FWO I could not find any advertisements earlier than 1971. Perhaps those tires existed earlier, but they didn't advertise them, but then I doubt that.

[Dick W.]

Re: Coker tires for a '70 LT1

Also note the tread is different on the repro Firestones. Original tires were 9 ribs