Tires?
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Jul 2022
Posts: 583
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From: Southeastern Indiana
Tires?
I have searched,alot, but want to ask opinions on not only size but make of tires for a 63. 205 75 15 are stock but is there room to go bigger, is there any gain going bigger. And damm those red stripe look good but at a hefty price. Dimondback or BF Goodrich or jist stick with a blackwall Goodyear.
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 1,443
Likes: 720
From: Fairfax, Virginia
When you say "bigger", do you mean taller or wider or both? If you want to stick closer to original (for 63) then you may wish to consider whitewalls instead of red lines since red lines were not available in 1963 for a C2.
The obvious advantage to wider tires is more rubber on the road, which is nice if you stoplight your car, which most of us don't do anymore. Some like a bit taller profile tire because of how it fills out the wheel wells.
A lot of personal likes and dislikes determine what tires you have on your car but paramount is whether the size you choose will fit the wheel well of your C2 without causing damage in a turn or a dip or bump.
The obvious advantage to wider tires is more rubber on the road, which is nice if you stoplight your car, which most of us don't do anymore. Some like a bit taller profile tire because of how it fills out the wheel wells.
A lot of personal likes and dislikes determine what tires you have on your car but paramount is whether the size you choose will fit the wheel well of your C2 without causing damage in a turn or a dip or bump.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 15,359
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From: Close to DC
C2 of the Year Finalist - Modified 2020
Keep it simple, and save the headaches for another day. If you have wheel covers, since they are stock, stick with a nice whitewall quality brand, 205/70/15. If you have after market wheels, blackball tires seem to provide a good contrast. 
Dennis
Dennis
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 17,722
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From: Central Arkansas
I have searched,alot, but want to ask opinions on not only size but make of tires for a 63. 205 75 15 are stock but is there room to go bigger, is there any gain going bigger. And damm those red stripe look good but at a hefty price. Dimondback or BF Goodrich or jist stick with a blackwall Goodyear.
There are so many manufacturing tolerances on these cars with their separate frame, shim mounts, multi paneled - adhesive assembled bodies that each individual car has to be considered as to the max size tires that will fit. Have you ever seen a C2 body sitting on a frame with the mount bolts loose? You can move that body from side to side, back and forth, turn it etc. And then also, alignment specs for radials are different than the bias ply tires they were originally fitted with, and the tires sit a little different in the wheel wells. Some people have tried 215/75s on the front and they hit the front lower part of the fender on turning. When I tried them on mine they cleared up front fine, but on one side when turned the tire just missed the lower inside wall of the wheel well by about a paper thickness. That was too close for comfort so I stuck with 205/75 up front. But 215/75 fit fine in the rear. It’s a hard question to answer.
