Tire Question
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2004
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From: Jersey Shore Exit 98
It all depends. what look are you going for, stock or modified. 17" TT look great on a 66 with black walls & if your going stock a 215/70/15 will fill in the wheel well & will not rub. But you need to decide black wall, raised white letter, white, red or gold line tires come in radials and each look good depending on the style your after.
Welcome aboard the ride.................it never ends.........
Welcome aboard the ride.................it never ends.........
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2003
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From: Grosse Ile MI
Originally Posted by chub
I Am Ready To Put New Tires On My Rally Red 66 Vert And Need Some Advice. What Brand And Size Looks The Best?
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2006
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From: ooltewah tennessee
Thanks Jim For Responding. I Haven't Owned A Stingray Since 1966 And Just Got This One Last Week. I Am A Long Time Vette Owner But Now That I Am In My Third Child Hood, I Want It To Have Good Curb Appeal. I Bought It To Drive A N D Look Good. So Having Said That, It Is Basically Stock With Beauty Rims So Far. How Wide Can I Go Without Creating A Problem?
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Joined: Dec 2004
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From: Jersey Shore Exit 98
Originally Posted by stingrayl76
Is your Vette stock? What kind of usage will your Vette be getting? You're going to get many opinions on what looks best. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Different strokes for different folks. IMHO, I would go with at least an "H" rated 205/75R15 or 215/70R15 tire in the style that you like.
These are H rated radials and I drive my car hard but not all the time.
Again depending on what look you want these cars look in in red line, gold line, black wall w/polished wheels or raised white letters. Check out pic's of same year vette's w/diff tires and wheels on them before you spend a lot of $$ and not like what you got. Been there, I didn't put the white wall radials on this vette but I put three diff size tire's on my 79 in one year.
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2004
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From: Jersey Shore Exit 98
Funny you ask I just placed an order this morning. I called Diamondback tire and ordered the firestone 500 H-radial in a 215/70/15 w/Gold line shipped to my front door for $750. add another $100 to mount & balance. Now you can drive to firestone & install a set of 500 indy raised white letters for less. Or go w/the red line to match the paint. Or polished TT's 17" or 18" w/black wall b.f.goodridge for some where in the $1800 to $2000. see it never ends.
G/L
Jim
G/L
Jim
Thread Starter
Instructor
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From: ooltewah tennessee
Jim
I Just Spoke With The Dealer Here In Chattanooga And He Has Them In Stock, The Same Tire For $82.00 Per Tire. I Am Going Down There In About 30 Mins. Thanks For The Help.
Chub
Chub
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Joined: Jan 2006
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From: Havelock NC
I just installed Firestone Indy 500s in 215/70-15s on Western knock-offs on my 63. Got them from Tire Rack for $297 delivered and $40 to mount and balance. Big diference in handling. I had BF Goodrich 1 1/5 inch white walls on the car and wanted a different look. Very satisfied with the Firestone which Tire Rack rated very high in their eval.
Doug
Doug
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 2,302
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From: Cave Creek AZ
I just installed a new set of Goodyear Eagle GA's 215/70 HR15's. These are black sidewall "H" rated tires. Only drove them 75 miles so far, but the ride and traction seems good. Got them at my local Goodyear store $720.00 installed with lifetime balance, rotation, road hazard & treadwear warranty.
Roy
Roy
Last edited by 67-427ci; May 23, 2006 at 11:07 PM.
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2003
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From: Grosse Ile MI
Originally Posted by jsdailey
Pirelli P4000's rule! Don't know if they're still available, but money well spent on my Roadster.
Pirelli 4000's
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2004
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From: Ventura Calif
Originally Posted by jsdailey
Pirelli P4000's rule! Don't know if they're still available, but money well spent on my Roadster.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 1,003
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From: Scottsdale Arizona
I just put 215/70/15 BF Goodrich Premier Touring radials (whitewall) on my red 66 roadster - whitewall is real close to correct and the tires are very smooth - T rated. I was looking at others when I discovered at COSTCO and with the $60 discount they had going was $250 mounted and balance (all 4 
) on my knockoff's - they were real careful and I am happy with the look. Of course, I took off my LAST SET of Coker's ( 
) so anything I put on the car will be smooth!
) on my knockoff's - they were real careful and I am happy with the look. Of course, I took off my LAST SET of Coker's ( ) so anything I put on the car will be smooth!
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2005
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From: Fairfield County CT
As several others have already recommended, Pirelli P4000's are fantastic. I've had them on my '64 for a year now, and I'm very pleased with handling, braking, steering effort, etc. I'm running 215/70/15's on American Racaing Torq Thrusts (7" width).
Look great in the wheel wells--really fills them up with absolutely no rubbing on body or frame.
They're a bit pricey, but unless you drive your Vette tens of thousands of miles per year, your investment will be spread over a long time, so it will pay out in the end as far as enjoyment of your ride!
Look great in the wheel wells--really fills them up with absolutely no rubbing on body or frame.
They're a bit pricey, but unless you drive your Vette tens of thousands of miles per year, your investment will be spread over a long time, so it will pay out in the end as far as enjoyment of your ride!
Last edited by Cobra66; May 18, 2006 at 01:14 PM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 1999
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From: New Smyrna Beach FL
Originally Posted by chub
I Just Spoke With The Dealer Here In Chattanooga And He Has Them In Stock, The Same Tire For $82.00 Per Tire. I Am Going Down There In About 30 Mins. Thanks For The Help.
Chub
Chub
Racer
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 268
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From: Farmington Hills Michigan
The problem with low volume tires that look the same as originals is their force variation. Michelin leads the OE and aftermarket in control of force variation. High force - higher than about 40 lbs per assembly - will result in tire/wheel vibration at highway speed. The wheel run outs can be additive, depending on the indexing of the tire to the wheel. If you use a high RO tire you can sometimes make it acceptable by match mounting to a high RO steel wheel. Generally, aluminum wheel ROs are much lower than steel.
I see that someone was using 215/70 R15s. Are the wheel well clearances OK for the tire or a 6 1/2 wide rim?
I see that someone was using 215/70 R15s. Are the wheel well clearances OK for the tire or a 6 1/2 wide rim?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 2,302
Likes: 26
From: Cave Creek AZ
215/70R15's fit perfectly without any rubbing. I ran my car on a road course a few weeks ago (high speeds with heavy cornering) and no rubbing at all. As I mentioned earlier in this post I installed Goodyear Eagle GA H-rated tires.
Roy
Roy