Modern performance tires for 1967 Corvette C2

[Gerald H.]

Hope this is technical enough. First post here.

I blew a tire on my 67, so I decided to look into getting a whole new set since the set I have is 215/70SR15 and 8 years old. I have been advised (and I also believe) that these current tires, while being a nominally recommended size, have the wrong kind of cross-sectional profile (too square/bulbous/whatever) and pose a threat to my fenders if I should happen to turn and go over a good bump at the same time.

I have already browsed across the Internet, Ebay, etc., and learned about radial redlines and goldlines and reproduction bias plys, so I know a little, but these tires are not for me at the present time. I am more interested in driving on these tires than having them judged. I am not much of a speeder, but I do enjoy jetting away from a stop sign or taking a fast corner, so I was thinking that a higher speed rated tire might suit me better. Not sure about this, but you get the idea.

At this time, I believe my needs are characterized by the following:

Speed rated for H or higher.
205/75R15, 195/75R15, or maybe 205/65R15
Thin whitewall stripe (~1" or less)
About $100 per tire.
Not picky about manufacturer.
Low road noise
Driven during three seasons, so good wet road handling would be nice.

I have been to the Tire Rack, Coker, Kelsey, and some other good-name and no-name sites and am finding that the above combination of qualities is a little tricky to find. It seems like the white stripe and speed rating take the selection from hundreds to a handful. Does anyone have any recommendations for a modern affordable thin-stripe-whitewall performance tire for a 67 Corvette?

gdhurst

[Duke W.]

Re: Modern performance tires for 1967 Corvette C2

Welcome to the NCRS Discussion Board.

There are a zillion threads on this very same topic in the archives, and a couple of new members asked the same question in the last week or so.

Do a little archive diving if you want all the whys and wherefores - sizes, speed ratings, performance, and safety.

If you are willing to accept a blackwall (which I think looks best) search The Tire Rack under size 215/70R-15 and limit the search to V, W, Y, and Z speed ratings (check all four boxes). You will find one choice, which has a number of satisfied owners.

As you have found, if you insist on whitewalls you are limited to low quality (less than H speed rating) tires, which lack the critical safety feature of a sprial wrapped nylon cap belt.

If you are interested in a suitable size DOT legal racing tire (also a blackwall), e-mail me.

Duke

[Greg Janko]

Re: Modern performance tires for 1967 Corvette C2

If you can live without the whitewall, alot of midyear owners run Pirelli P4000's on there driver's. It is a good high speed rated tire that handles very well ,but I do not care for the looks. With hubcaps they look horrible.
I run them on my 65 with Torq-Thrust wheels.

[Gerald H.]

Re: Modern performance tires for 1967 Corvette C2

Ah, I must have a Ford Corvette. Any color tire you want as long as it is black. I've got to live with these tires for the next 5-10 years, so I really want to get the appearance, appropriate size, and handling qualities right. Cost, three-season driving capability, manufacturer, etc. are all fairly flexible.

I actually did look at quite a number of old posts, but I felt I had a particular combination of needs that had not been mentioned before. I didn't read ALL of the old posts though...

I had seen mention of the Pirelli 4000 touring tires somewhere already and, notwithstanding the happy owners mentioned here, the Tire Rack's own comparison matrix of tires in the same class seemed to place it low in the rankings, along with some anecdotal reviews that didn't exactly glow with praise.

It doesn't HAVE to be a whitewall, I guess, but gosh it would be nice to have something besides plain black. If I have to give up one of my major requirements, then I suppose I would choose performance over looks. I'm glad I didn't have to make that compromise with my wife, who is probably good for at least another sweet 200,000 miles.

gdhurst

[Gerald H.]

Re: Modern performance tires for 1967 Corvette C2

My car is Marlboro maroon. Put black tires on it and put up the black soft top and I've got a great stealth bomber, but it seems to lack a certain spark in the display department (fortuantely all the rust and grease is hidden where no one can see it...) I just thought a few whitewalls would look good. They would remind me of my college-days baby blue '63 Olds 98, may it rest in peace.

gdhurst

[Duke W.]

Re: Modern performance tires for 1967 Corvette C2

I take those Tire Rack evaluations with a grain of salt. For one thing there is not a common "control sample" for all comparisons, and in many cases you have no idea what the previous mounted tire was, or the mechanical condition of the car,... and in my experience the average consumer's knowledge of tires is that they look like big rubber donuts.

One thing I will tell you is that virtually any new tire will provide a smoother ride because the new, fresh tread rubber provides signifcant damping of the high frequency road surface texture noise than worn and hardened tires readily transmit.

Another way to drastically improve ride quality to to replace the rear spring link cushions, many of which on these cars are the original 40-year old parts that are compressed and hard as rocks. New cushions will also restore sagging rear ride height.

When dealing with C2 replacement tires and your priorities are performance and safety the choice is simple due to limited offerings. You start with the W-rated Pirelli P4000 Super Touring at the top of the heap. Below that you have a handful of H-rated tires. Below that... junk! The 215/70R-15 Pirelli P4000 Super Touring was developed for a Jaguar sedan, so it has a combination "all season" capability, high grip, and high speed potential (which is a key to safety at normal speeds) without excessive harshness. Too bad we can't get that casing with a summer tread pattern and a softer summer compound with a wear rating of around 200. That would be ideal.

I ordered my SWC with whitewall tires, and knew it was a mistake the first time I laid eyes on it 43 years ago. But then I chunked the OE General Jetaires the first time I took it to Kent for a day of hot lapping. Within a year of delivery I installed a set of Michelin X radials - blackwalls. Boy did it look like a race car, and the Michelins survived for five years and 47,000 miles including several more days at Kent and a couple of 150+ MPH top speed runs over that time period.

All subsequent installed tires have been high speed rated radial blackwalls, and I never looked back.

Duke

[Phil P.]

Re: Modern performance tires for 1967 Corvette C2

2 cars--car 1--235/65/15 goodyear gt on vintage 7x15 torque thrusters---car 2-- 2/245/60/15 bfg on 15x7 ralley with zw rim if i remember right---very little sway bar rub only issue---i feel, the best combo would be a 235/65/15 on a correct 15x6 rim, i've yet to try this but it will be my next choice as i think it will fill the tire well without a tire rub issue---good luck , phil

[Duke W.]

Re: Modern performance tires for 1967 Corvette C2

New tires have mold release on them, which turns brown with time, and no amount of scrubbing with soap and water will remove it.

The best thing to remove the mold release is paint thinner, old paint brushes, and lots of rags that you just throw away when done because nothing will get that stuff out of them, but you can clean the paint brushes in thinner.

After the tires are mounted and cleaned of any bead lube, spritz them with a 50/50 solution of Armor All and distilled water and work it around with an old paint brush. This will give them a nice black satin patina without looking shiny - just black and clean. It will give your car a very no-nonsense, strickly business appearance. How many vintage Porshes, Jags, Ferraris... do you see running around with whitewall tires?

At age 12 I was agast at my father for ordering our new '59 Bonneville station wagon with blackwall tires. His motivation was purely practical as he knew my mother would be scapping the tires on curbs while parallel parking. In the end it actually ended up looking pretty racy and was certainly different! I still to this day don't know why I ordered my SWC with whitewalls. I apparently hadn't quite learned the lesson. I should have ordered the P91 nylon blackwalls. Maybe they wouldn't have started disintegrating at Kent, but then it may have been more years before I discovered the superb characteristics of radials, and I wouldn't have cared for the look of the body colored wheels.

The dressing will stay on the tire until they get wet from rain or the next time you wash it with soap and water. Just wash the tires thoroughly with soap and water and reapply the dressing.

Duke