69 tires

[Jim M.]

After reading the posts regarding tire size, I'm still unsure as to what I want for my 69. No brainer if I go with the original F70 bias ply, but if I go with a radial, Coker recommends a 215 70R as a replacement however those appear to be for a 7 inch wheel and mine are 8 inch. The 225 is a little wider but I would like to stick with a radial that looks to be similar to the original bias ply size. Has anyone put a 215 70R on their 8 inch wheels? Jim

[Duke W.]

Re: 69 tires

You are too new a member to have the circa 2003 Corvette Restorers that have an extensive two part tire article, but for all C3s I recommended one of the three V-rated 225/70R-15 "police pursuit tires" - the Goodyear Eagle RSA, Firestone Firehawk PV41, or General XP2000V.

Of these three I believe the only one still in production in this size is the Goodyear Eagle RSA, and they should be available from The Tire Rack.

You should not have any interference problems other than possible slight interference at full lock between the tire shoulder and steering gear carriage bolt heads, but that only will happen (if it happens at all) at parking lot speeds and is not a safety issue.

If you decide to go with a 215/70, the W-rated Pirelli P4000 Super Touring is the way to go.

The 225/70 is a half-inch wider and taller than the 215/70, and it will look more "natural" on an 8-inch wide wheel than a 215/70 whose recommended wheel wide range is 5.5-7.5" versus 6-8" for the 225/70.

All the above are plain blackwalls, but if you want a sidewall treatment of any kind, contact Diamondback Tire. They can order the tires and apply the sidewall treatment of your choice, but it will considerably increase the price.

Duke

[Kenneth H.]

Re: 69 tires

Jim,

I recently purchased BF Goodrich Radial T/A 215 70R15 tires for my '70 with 15x8 rims. They work fine and look good. Before I made the decision I queried this TDB. You might want to check out the thread "Another Tire Question" dated April 27, 2009.

Thanks.

[Jim M.]

Re: 69 tires

Ken, I just called Costco to order some BF Goodrich TA radials and they will sell them to me but won't install them since their specs say they call for a 7 inch rim. The 215 also calls for no larger then a 7 inch rim. Two questions, one, where did you buy your 215's and did they have a problem installing them, and second, can you send me a picture of your car with the 215's? I would like to see what they look like. Jim

[Patrick H.]

Re: 69 tires

Jim,

My yellow car has 215s. Follow the link in my sig to see pics of it.

FYI, if I were to install tires on the car I'd go with 225s. The prior owner of my yellow car used the 215 size per the JG but I put 225s on my Dad's 72 and I do like the size better. The 72 I'm working on for a friend also has 225s and once again I like the size.

Just my thoughts since I have both in my garage.

Patrick

[Kenneth H.]

Re: 69 tires

Jim,

The reason that I selected the 215's over the 225's was because they were a better match on specs to the original tires than the 225's. At the time I was thinking that I would eventually have the LT1 judged with these tires and might get less of a deduction if the specs matched up. In retrospect, I realized that when the time comes for judging I'll probably put Kelsey Goodyear nylon tires on instead. I did read in other posts that there can be a slight rub on hard turning with the 225's, but nobody made a big deal of it.

I had my tires installed at Tire City in Bristol, Pa., and they had no issues with the tire size on 15x8 wheels.

Attached are a couple of pics of my LT1 with the new tires.

Thanks.

[Jim M.]

Re: 69 tires

Thanks Ken for the pictures, nice looking LT1. Looks like I'll need to find a tire retailer that doesn't have a problem with the wheel size issue, probably an independent dealer. I think the 215's look just about right for the car.

[Jim M.]

Re: 69 tires

I was just noticing that nearly two thirds of all vettes in 69 were delivered with white wall tires. Does anyone have a picture of a 69 with white walls that I can take a look at. Jim