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I'm about to spring for new tires for my 66 which is driven to cruise nights, etc. I want gold lines and past comments here have been positive about DB tires. I want 205/75-15 and it looks like my choice is Diamondback I or Auburn Premium. Does anyone have thoughts on my options?
I bought blackwall Uniroyals 205/70.15 H rated tires for my Mid-years (local tire shop) and 51 Merc whitewalls because I liked the idea of the speed rated extra nylon belt to help prevent the danger of steel belts sawing through fiberglass in case of a blow out. I think Diamond Back sells those with different color stripes. they call them "Diamond Back Touring"
Gary.
PS saved shipping dollars on the whitewalls buying through SUMMIT racing
I have DB Auburn gold lines on my 66. When I first got them balanced the tire shop thought one tire had a "heavy" section in it and took a lot of weight to balance it. I thought about sending it back but went with it and have not had a problem with it. When the gold lines get a little blemish on the gold part, I am hesitant to scrub to hard or use a serious chemical/cleaner for fear of taking off the gold color. They probably are about 3 years old and about 1500 miles on them and they look OK.
As an expensive alternative I believe Kelsey tire, under license from Goodyear, makes the original 775/15 gold line power cushion. They are about $400/each and depending on how much you drive you may not like the handling or ride. It is a beautiful gold line tire however.
I have a set of Diamond Back Goldlines in the SS series using a Michelin X radial (this was back in around 2013) and when I needed a replacement the Michelin X was no longer available, but the Uniroyal that they now offer had a very similar tread design. I opted for the shaved sidewalls. They look great and they handle great, they all balanced with limited weights, all on the inside. I dig 'em. I'm not sure if it's still current but they were offering a set of 4 in the Auburn line for $950 with free shipping. If you get on their mailing list, they usually have a sale at the end of the year, free shipping to your door, possible sale pricing too.
I like the idea of striping a set of speed rated tires. Even if those are not in the Diamondback catalog, you may be able to send them a set. A while back, someone even got a set of Avons done by Diamondback.
Bill - I've bought two sets of Diamond Back Goldlines, based on TA Radials for my Midyears. Love the look and the size worked for me since I kinda prefer a slightly shorter tire.
These are 215-65x15s.
Mike T - Prescott AZ
I have DB Auburn gold lines on my 66. When I first got them balanced the tire shop thought one tire had a "heavy" section in it and took a lot of weight to balance it. I thought about sending it back but went with it and have not had a problem with it. When the gold lines get a little blemish on the gold part, I am hesitant to scrub to hard or use a serious chemical/cleaner for fear of taking off the gold color. They probably are about 3 years old and about 1500 miles on them and they look OK.
As an expensive alternative I believe Kelsey tire, under license from Goodyear, makes the original 775/15 gold line power cushion. They are about $400/each and depending on how much you drive you may not like the handling or ride. It is a beautiful gold line tire however.
Good luck with whatever you decide. Cheers. Mark
I have the power cushion gold stripes from Kelsey on my 66. They look great. They are bias ply but for 500 miles per year not a big deal. As mentioned they are expensive. On my 72 I have Goodyear Speedway tires, also from Kelsey and also bias ply. 500 miles per year on that car as well. They cost the same as the power cushions.
These comments have been helpful in my choices. I have decided to wait until DB has a sale of some sort and then order the DB Auburn Premium with gold stripe. My Corvette is currently wrapped up in a heated garage here in Maine so waiting for a sale is no issue. I also plan to buy a set of white wall tires to mount on steel wheels with hubcaps. This will give me the option to change out the look occasionally. Our local tire shop, VIP, has a 205/75-15 radial with narrow WW for $101.99. These are MS775Touring SLE-SL WW 97S. I have never heard of this tire brand but the shop guys give them a great review and they will get a few hundred miles a year at the most. Like the DB's they will age out rather than wear out.
Get on DB email mailing list. They send out sales every now and then. I know they just had one. Or just call them and talk to one of the salesman. They are great to deal with over the phone.
I honestly don’t have enough miles on them yet to address any peeling or cracking. The rubber is about 1/16” thick and applied with a rubber vulcanizing adhesive so as long as you do a complete coverage with the adhesive I would be surprised if they peel.
im getting ready to do a set of blue stripes for my 66 Hemi which were originally delivered with blue stripe tires. This picture was just to lay out the stripes loose to decide where I wanted to place them.
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Which Diamondback tire?
