I would be interested to hear from my vette friends about recommendations for new tires. The tires on my 78 4 speed are starting to dry rot and I need to replace them. Currently it has a set of Goodyear Eagle GT's. I would not be oposed to buying another set of them; but before I do I would like some input from my vette brothers. Shoud I go with stock tires or not? If stock tires, which would give the best ride. The car is used for pleasure driving. I do not have any racing in my plans except maybe I would like to try some low speed courses at some point.

______________

Jim do a search on tires here on this site and you will find days worth of reading. Tirerack also has a great comparision area. A bunch of us are running firestone indy 500's great price and best stats. No matter what you pick I'm sure they will be fine......just make sure you get those old tires off your care! Search tire dates also, more good reading. ebo

______________

Click on image for larger view!
LIFETIME MEMBER 151

Lot's also running BF Goodrich Radial T/A's. I am.

______________

I've had Goodyear Eagle's, B.F.Goodrich T/A's and now Firestone Indy's.

I like the Firestone Indy's the best. They do very good on wet roads compared to the Eagle's and T/A's.


______________

GEN III 5.7L "LS6" Engine swap
TKO500 5 spd.

The Firestones aren't available anymore.  The only raised white letter tire you will find in a 15" is the BF Goodrich Radial T/A.

______________

   

 I could not find the Eagle GT's either. Went with T/A's.

______________

Click on image for full view

Well that bites.

Btw, how's Wilhoites doing down there in 'ol Grapevine, TX?


______________

GEN III 5.7L "LS6" Engine swap
TKO500 5 spd.

The BFG Radial T/A is quite popular as you can already see...and an excellent tire to justify the popularity.  Other alternatives are the Cooper Cobra and the Futura GLS which is Pep Boy's house brand but is essentially a Cooper Cobra under the Pep Boys name.  Both are also excellent tires.

It appears that the Cooper Cobra GT is a T rated tire (118mph), and the Radial T/A is an S rated tire (112mph).

I'm surprised.  I think I would consider the Cooper over the T/A.


Sarge, Wilhoites is still going strong.





______________

   

Cool man!

Speaking of Cooper tires. I've used them in the past and had great luck with them. I think they are a very underrated tire IMO. 



______________

GEN III 5.7L "LS6" Engine swap
TKO500 5 spd.

BFG Radial T/A .....

______________

(click to see a larger image)

I apprciate all the input. I have found BFG Radia T/A's at Tire Rack and Mid America. I have one other question. What size do you recommend? 225's or 255's/

______________

Recently switched from the Cooper to BF Goodrich Radial T/A. Personally, much happier with the overall performance of the T/A ~ particularly in rain.

______________

(click to see a larger image)

Thanks for the input, I think i'm leaning toward thd BFG Radial T/A in the 255 size.

______________

Glad to hear there's some positive comments about the Coopers.  I currently have BFG's but they're pretty old and I've decided I'm going to replace them before the summer driving season.  Very intrigued with the Coopers as they have the T speed rating and they seem to be a little less expensive than the BFG's.  

______________

The only problem may be the wheelwells. 78 and up Vettes had a different design wheelwell which was  designed to be able to use the 255/60 tires. It seems that in the earlier cars, it's basically a hit or miss proposition (pun intended). So if you're thinking about going with that size, I would do a trail fit first.   

______________
"Down on the Boardwalk...

(Click image to see a larger version}

Thanks, Barry.   After I posted I did some math.  Looks like my '76 probably came original with 225/70's which are 27.4" dia, 8.9" wide.  255/60's are also about 27", but they are wider of course.  Interestingly, the 235/60's I bought the car with are only about 26" so shorter and wider than stock.  (Guess my speedo has been a little off this entire time).   So I'll probably stick with the 235's rather than take a chance and go with the 255's.  I noticed the Cooper also comes in 245/60 so maybe that would be a better choice, a little closer to stock diameter, but a little wider.  

______________

I have the Cooper 245 60s on my 76.  I have no complaints and have been watching for a replacement pair as mine are past the 5 year mark and, due to my not paying attention to alignment, one pair is almost bald.  They do rub if you crank the wheels too far and that is one reason I am afraid of going to the 255 TA's.  The cooper 245s are pricey, but I did not realize the Futura's are the same tire and may shop pep boys.  There is a cooper cobra 225 - 70 which is much cheaper, but I really like the 245's look and might just bite the bullet anyway.  Cooper only rates the 225 tire for a 6 to 7 inch wide rim, so that also gives me some pause. 

I tried the 255 in the front but rubbing issues when the tire is cranked and not much clearance from top of the fender...dont want to hit a pothole while turning, fiber glass repairs..$$$$$ . I went with 235 front and 255 rear

______________

(click to see a larger image)

Just found a new set of 245 coopers on e-bay for $472, free shipping.  Looks like sets of 4 of the BFG's are about $100 more.  I think I'm going to go that way, but still not sure between the 235's or 245's.  How bad is the rubbing?  Does it only occur at full lock?  

______________

Dave, I have the 245/60/15 BF Goodrich on mine and have not had any problems with rubbing. They look so much better on the 8 inch wide ralley rims than a 225/70/15 in my opinion.

______________

It only occurs at full lock on inner frame...those 255 sure look nice in the front.

______________

(click to see a larger image)

Thanks guys. Think I will go with 245 coopers, front and rear. Just noticed a disturbing scratch in the sidewall of one of my current 11 year old BFG's. won't be driving it till the new rubber is on it.

______________

Just as a point of reference, I have 255/60s on my 79, which look great and only rubbing is at full lock. that was solved with a bit of grinding on the back wheel well edge, where the fiberglass came in square. Slight rounding off and no problems at all.  I like the look, I like how it drives and grips with them.

______________
C3: 1979 Corvette Coupe, Auto, L-48, Red/Doeskin (my wife's fave);

In '79 P255/60R15 was an authorized optional tire size for the Corvette...it was authorized by Chevrolet beginning with the '78 model year after modifications were made inside the fender well.  If your car is having rubbing issues there's some kind of problem...it shouldn't be happening.

I just bought a 74 with 18 year old 245/60/15 Dunlops.  I am thinking about going  back to 225/70 to keep the speedo correct.  I have 255/60s on my 1980 but I am afraid that 255/60s would spray the outside the body flaring on the 74.  Does anybody know if the 80 flares are a bit wider than the 74.  They look it to me.  Anyone have experience with the 225/70 Continental tire?

Thanks,
Ruralvetter

Pretty sure the flares are the same from 1970 - 1982. But then, I was wrong once before. A 255/60/15 is all but the same diameter as a 225/70/15. Certainly not enough to throw the speedometer out that much. For the BFG, it's 27.4 inches for the 225/70 vs 27.1 inches for the 255/60. That's a difference of 1% in diameter. A 245/60 is 26.6 inches. A 3% difference.

______________

Just dropped down the spare tub and found a 39 year old Firestone.  I guess I'll have to buy 5 tires.  My 4 wheels with the 245/60 tires are aftermarket.  I am not yet sure of the width.  Does anyone have 245/60's on stock rims.  I think they should be close enough.   If I had to change one I think it would be better for the differential to have all the same size.  Also  does anyone run the 255/60's on stock rims?

Thanks,

Ray

I have the 245's on stock 8" rally rims.

|UPDATED|3/8/2013 3:02:38 PM (AZT)|/UPDATED|


______________

I don't think that you can get ANY 60 series tire in the spare tub. And C3 Corvette wheels are all 8 inch, so whatever tires you get will fit.

______________
"Down on the Boardwalk...

(Click image to see a larger version}

Looks like I will have to go with 245/60,s and a standard spare.  In case of a back flat, I'll have to rotate front to rear.  I think the 39 year old Firestone has to go.  Maybe in 10 years it will be a collector item.

Thanks,

Ray

Ya never know, someone on ebay or an NCRS guy may want that old spare .........

______________

 

 

I bought in England Hercules H/P 4000. Front 235/60/15 and 255/60/15. Hercules Tires its american company. Non of you on these tires do not ride? Maybe they are good for nothing?:-)

______________
Vette 1982 Collector Edition

This doesn't have much to do with which tire as much as my age.  I remember the last set of performance tires I bought for our 1967 Camaro.  They were a set of 15" Dunlop GT Qualifiers.  I paid $275 for the set of 4 installed and balanced...we won't mention what decade that was.  It wasn't that long ago though.  I'm stunned at the prices of tires now.  Unfortunately, I need a new set of sneakers for the vette.  Not so much for wear but age.  I have just a couple thousand miles on them but they're 14 yrs old.

______________
Dave C..........My mantra: I can not be bought!!      Long and short term leases available.

I run P255/60R15's on the '82, which by the way is the size that appears in the OM and on the window sticker. Currently I'm running Goodyear Eagle GT II's RWL that are practically brand new, yet I have one which is a bit out-of-round, but balanced (less than a 1000 miles on the set).  

______________