Master Army Aviator

I am buying a 73 Corvette coupe that has been in climate control storage for 15 years. I'm concerned about tire dry rot and flat spots. I can get a set of P225 / 70 R15 BF Goodrich Radial TAs out the door for $674 locally at Discount Tires. If you wanted to put new tires on your 73 coupe, what would you buy?

Thanks

Alan 71

Hi MAA,
The 225-70 tire will be very close to the size of the original tires on your 73.
The actual equivalent is a 215-70 tire so the 225 tire will be little bit 'taller' and little bit 'fatte'r and so will fill the wheel opening a little more which is a look many people like.
We'd love to see some pictures of your new 73.
The 73 exterior is some peoples favorite because of the rubber front bumper and chrome plated rear bumpers. This sets it apart from any other 68-82 cars.
Good Luck!
Regards,
Alan

Your thread should probably be in the General Section… perhaps a moderator will move it. That way you'll likely get more 'views' and comments.

vettebuyer6369

Moving from Cars For Sale to General.

DonnieP73

That is the exact size tires I installed on my 73.
Like the ride and look and have been driving mine
since the first of the year again.




Donnie

loquinho

I just replaced mine - here's the link to the thread:

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ire-smell.html

This is the summary of what I discovered when I researched new tires for my 1974:

1. The traditional white letter tire options for the OEM 15" wheels is continuously dropping as demand for tires that fit them drops. Many old corvette owners are switching out wheels to larger sizes (17-18") so they can get more modern rubber.

2. Of the three top tires for OEM wheels in existence 10-20 years ago, only one remains. The two that have dropped out are Goodyear Eagles and Firestone Firehawks. The remaining one is BFGoodrich Radial T/A.

3. There are a list of secondary makers that have fairly solid reputations. Among these are Mickey Thompson Sportsmans and Cooper Cobras, which are slightly less expensive alternatives to the BFGoodrich Radials. They are commonly installed and used on old muscle cars, but don't have the same vintage look to them, since they weren't being used back when the cars were manufactured. There are a tertiary list of manufacturers that very few people recommend. I didn't bother to memorize these names because they weren't options for me.

5. When it comes to performance, you're not going to get modern handling out of tires in these size ranges, because the sidewall is too high and they can't be made to handle like modern tires. You have to accept that they're old technology and will handle as such.

6. Because of the size and construction limitations, there's not a big difference in handling between any of them. Anything you would do that would push them to the limits where you'd really feel the difference probably shouldn't be done with OEM tire sizes. Wear ratings are another area that doesn't matter much for many corvette owners, because our tires age out before wearing out.

7. 225/70/R15s are standard size, 255/60/R15s will fit as well without rubbing in most cases.

8. Just because the manual says to inflate them to somewhere around 20psi doesn't mean you should follow that. Modern radial technology holds together better than in the 70s and you can safely inflate them to where they ride the best for you, as long as you don't exceed the limits of the tire itself. Lower psi gives softer ride, higher psi gives better handling. 20-36 psi is the range I've seen C3 corvette owners use.

9. Everyone has strong opinions on certain tires from experience, but they're not consistent. People both love and hate BFGs, people both respect and dismiss Coopers as being a quality tire, etc.

After everything I learned, I went with Mickey Thompson Sportsman STs. They had a good price, good reviews from what I found, and the lettering looked classier than the Cooper Cobras to me. So far I love them, and have no issues.

Stewart's74

I purchased Firestone (why not, the car originally came with this brand) Firehawks. 255-60-15's. I like their look and driving characteristics.

Stu

PRNDL

I am going through the same thing. I am finding it very hard to part with my BFG T/A tires because I cannot replace them!!! Mine are H rated (130 mph) and they only came in blackwall and BFG does not make H rated 15" tires any more. I figured an H rated tire had to be made stronger somehow to get that rating vs T (118 mph) or S (112 mph), which is all you can get now. It's not that I drive at 130mph, it's that the tire has to be better made to get the rating.

So I bought these tires in August 2001 which makes them 14 years old. Car has always been garaged, and maybe 17 or 18k miles on the tires. I just drove 900 miles to Carlisle and back without a hiccup. I did hit a major tooth jarring pothole near the WVa/MD line. It just really pains me to replace these tires with something inferior because everyone has a horror story about new-looking old tires that fall apart. I may go with the cheapest blackwall I can find - maybe a Hankook. You can't read the blackwall writing anyway. Here are my current tires, 225/70/15 well.. 2 of them. They all look the same.

marshal135

Same tire I put on my 68.
I was concerned with rubbing issues in the front.
They'll go 100mph.
Marshal

PRNDL

The 15" tire situation really is annoying. The best looking redline reproduction tires are bias ply! I need tires I can drive on. Diamondback takes an already overpriced BFG t/a radial tire (that costs $135 or so) and puts a redline on it and charges $235. Not thrilled about that. I may purchase the Hankook Optimo H724 which comes in 225/70/15 size and I can get for around $80 per tire. I am also looking at ways to paint a redline on a blackwall tire, but I doubt I will attempt it, because if it's not done perfectly it will look like crap.

Here is my existing tire with a redline superimposed on it.

robmccon

Just went through the same thing on my 70 convertible. Chose Mickey Thompson Sportsman S/T 225/70/15 with the RWL out (personal preference). The hardest part was having to order them online, then arrange for a shop to mount/balance them.

Tom73

James, need pics of the '73.

MelWff

I gave up on the whole 15 inch issue. Went to 17 inch which permitted going to a "W" rated summer only tire. World of difference compared to the S/T rated tires even at legal speeds.

Mikado463

not a bad idea……… would you post a pic of your selection, thanks.

SHARKBIT77

If you have a driver once you go with a 17 or 18 inch tire you will never go back.

grancuda

I like the old style bias tires. Just put 28x7.50 front runners & G60's out back on my '69. A lot of people like the newer larger diameter wheels but I just like the older, cooler looking set-ups.

vettebuyer6369

I drive my '69 regularly and I will never, ever use anything but a 15" w/stock width.

Might be time to call Diamond Back again, though.

Barry's70LT1

I installed 17" as well. A "world of difference" is an understatement. The handling improvement is amazing.
I used YearOne 17" rally's with Michelin 245/50/17.

Mikado463

looks superb Barry ! ………

corbettworks

[QUOTE= I can get a set of P225 / 70 R15 BF Goodrich Radial TAs out the door for $674 locally at Discount Tires. If you wanted to put new tires on your 73 coupe, what would you buy?

Thanks[/QUOTE]

Put a set on the '77 last spring ($650 out the door from Gateway Tire). Good look and very smooth ride.

Spot Rot

Great looking car!