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I have had my '64 for 35 years and always had good performance out of my Michelin radials. I got a set of Toyos a few years ago and they must be a harder compound of rubber. They squeal when I make a turn from a stop and were slippery when cold last winter. Michelin stopped making a 205 75R 15. I believe that they might make a 215 70R 15 in a white wall. My mechanic recommended that I shy away from a 215 as I might rub the inner frame rail. My best friend runs a 215 70R 15 on his '64. What are you guys running on your cars and what recommendations would you have for a new tire purchase to replace the Toyo. I do want to stay with a 0.75" - 1" wide white wall. Thanks, Jeff
Last edited by Jeff Labermeier; Apr 2, 2016 at 05:00 PM.
I have had my '64 for 35 years and always had good performance out of my Michelin radials. I got a set of Toyos a few years ago and they must be a harder compound of rubber. They squeal when I make a turn from a stop and were slippery when cold last winter. Michelin stopped making a 205 75R 15. I believe that they might make a 215 70R 15 in a white wall. My mechanic recommended that I shy away from a 215 as I might rub the inner frame rail. My best friend runs a 215 70R 15 on his '64. What are you guys running on your cars and what recommendations would you have for a new tire purchase to replace the Toyo. I do want to stay with a 0.75" - 1" wide white wall. Thanks, Jeff
Jeff
I have Michelin 205/75/15 on my '64, a very smooth tire.
You might want to check out Diamond Back Tires, they may be able to get the size you want in the Michelin with a 3/4 - 1" wide white wall. They specialize in Mid-Year Corvette tires.
I have Cooper Trendsetter 205/75's. They are a very decent street tire, attractive and happen to be inexpensive.
Me too, and I like them as well - especially considering the cost and the fact they were made in USA.
My friend owns a tire shop, and he ordered three brands with narrow whitewall for me to look at before I bought them: Uniroyal Tiger Paw, Hankook and the Cooper Trendsetter.
I wanted to look at each to see where they were made and what the sidewall/tread pattern looked like. My friend recommended the Uniroyal over the other two - primarily based on the fact that he sells a lot of Uniroyal's. I ended up choosing the Cooper Trendsetter because of the clean side wall and attractive tread pattern. It was also the only one made in USA. The Uniroyal was made in Mexico, while the Hankook was made in Indonesia.
Price was not my primary concern, but the Cooper and the Uniroyal were similar in price.
Thanks Benton. Looking forward to seeing yours finished and back on the street again. Been watching your rebuild thread since you began. It's looking fantastic!
Michelin is offering their Defender tire in a variety of 15" sizes.
It's considered a Standard Touring All Season tire. The 215/70-15 is very close to the original tire size for these cars at 26.9" tall. Tire Rack is selling them at $114 each and Michelin is offering a $70 rebate if you purchase 4 tires.
Jeff - For my 63 vert, I spent a lot of time looking for the highest performance 0.75 - 1 in white wall tire that I could get off the shelf. I ended up getting the Hankook Optima H724 and shifted to a P215/70R15 size. No issues with the size and I like the way it drives. However, the white wall is not holding up...it is almost like the black rubber underneath is bleeding through and I get a film on the rest of the tire. Wish I had spent the extra money and special ordered a Michelin with proper white walls from Diamondback or a Coker tire. This will definitely be the route I go in the future.
Jeff - For my 63 vert, I spent a lot of time looking for the highest performance 0.75 - 1 in white wall tire that I could get off the shelf. I ended up getting the Hankook Optima H724 and shifted to a P215/70R15 size. No issues with the size and I like the way it drives. However, the white wall is not holding up...it is almost like the black rubber underneath is bleeding through and I get a film on the rest of the tire. Wish I had spent the extra money and special ordered a Michelin with proper white walls from Diamondback or a Coker tire. This will definitely be the route I go in the future.
All the Best, Tim
That's exactly what's happening. Diamondback actually puts a coating under the lines. Be they white, red, gold etc.
I wish that I could still get the Michelins, but they are no longer made. I took the advise of others and put a set of Coopers on yesterday during a local buy 3 get 1 free offer. We will see how they work out when the weather improves. I have faith that it was a good move. Thanks again
... A very good tire for the $buck. 
Tire REcommendations
Same here. No rubbing. 215-70-15. Goldlines/Diamonback.
