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Old Apr 4, 2011 | 02:01 PM
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From: Sharon MA
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I have a 1970 Corvette Stingray that I bought last August. It came with Goodyear Eagle ST 225/70/15. I now need new tires but I heard that Eagle STs were discontinued.

On line I saw Firestone Indy 500s with raised white lettering.

Are these a good replacement? Any other suggestions or thoughts?

Thanks

Scott
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Old Apr 4, 2011 | 03:35 PM
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There are several other threads on this very topic. The Firehawks are good tires in my opinion. I have had them on 2 cars and I liked them. Some guys run BFG's and there are a few other brands out there like the Futura Super Sports carried by Pep Boys. The selection of 15" tires will continue to decrease as more and more cars have 17"+ wheels.
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Old Apr 4, 2011 | 07:34 PM
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I've had the BFG Radial T/A's before and liked them very much. Dunlops are highly thought of as is Firestone from what I've read. Cooper Cobra's are also fine tires...and the Pep Boys Futura Super Sport GLS is a Cooper Cobra with their name and a slightly changed tread pattern. I have Cooper Touring tires on my '69 as I wanted a white stripe tire as that's what the car came with new. They're excellent.

It is true that the selection of tires in the sizes we use is decreasing. Some aren't even made on a continuous basis...just occasional production runs and spot shortages occur in some sizes.
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Old Apr 5, 2011 | 06:55 AM
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Originally Posted by Hardway
There are several other threads on this very topic. The Firehawks are good tires in my opinion. I have had them on 2 cars and I liked them. Some guys run BFG's and there are a few other brands out there like the Futura Super Sports carried by Pep Boys. The selection of 15" tires will continue to decrease as more and more cars have 17"+ wheels.


Thanks for the advice

Scott
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Old Apr 5, 2011 | 06:56 AM
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Originally Posted by Roughrider
I've had the BFG Radial T/A's before and liked them very much. Dunlops are highly thought of as is Firestone from what I've read. Cooper Cobra's are also fine tires...and the Pep Boys Futura Super Sport GLS is a Cooper Cobra with their name and a slightly changed tread pattern. I have Cooper Touring tires on my '69 as I wanted a white stripe tire as that's what the car came with new. They're excellent.

It is true that the selection of tires in the sizes we use is decreasing. Some aren't even made on a continuous basis...just occasional production runs and spot shortages occur in some sizes.

I appreciate the help

Scott
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Old Apr 5, 2011 | 10:57 AM
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I think Sam's Club still can get (or has stockpiled) BFG T/A Radials. Their minimum width tire [in 15" dia.] is 235, which will fit any C3 without rubbing. You can order them online and pick them up at local store when they get them. I took in the rims/old tires {without the trim rings!!!} so they could mount them and balance them. If you have Ralley wheels, mark the locations of the trim ring clips so they know where they can NOT put wheel balance weights. Sam's includes lifetime wheel balance coverage with their sale.
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Old Apr 5, 2011 | 06:28 PM
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Originally Posted by 1970StingrayScott
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I have a 1970 Corvette Stingray that I bought last August. It came with Goodyear Eagle ST 225/70/15. I now need new tires but I heard that Eagle STs were discontinued.

On line I saw Firestone Indy 500s with raised white lettering.

Are these a good replacement? Any other suggestions or thoughts?

Thanks

Scott
Scott,

I have the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500s and love them.
I had BF Goodrich Radial T/As on my last corvette (72') and they
were very good tires as well. Years ago, I had the Goodyear Eagle ST on my 68' Camaro convertible.
Those tires looked good but alias, are no longer available. I looked for them as well.

I went with the Firestone Indy 500s for four reasons:

1.) Original tires were Firestone.
2.) The stance of the tire on the car - Especially our 70' - A very beefy look.
3.) The Raised white letters.
4.) The Indy 500 seal imbossed on the side.

Also, I special ordered mine from Discount Tire.
I was fortunate, one of the tire specialists there was experienced with corvettes.
He took his time and used a floor jack instead of the traditional lift, covering the lift with wood and
a clean rag as not to harm the frame rails. He was also careful with my Rally wheels mounting the tires.
Be sure you ask for "New" tires. The date code is stamped on the tire and can be decoded.

Simply do a google search of "Tire date stamp decoding". I was able to get tires made within 3 weeks of my order.





Last edited by Rudy's Stingray; Apr 5, 2011 at 06:40 PM.
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Old Apr 5, 2011 | 07:20 PM
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If you don't care if a vintage American manufacturer's name is on the raised white letters, then I'd strongly recommend the Firehawks. I had them on my 69 Mustang for several years and they were great. When I decided to replace them, they had removed the Firestone logo from the tires. I really liked the vintage look of the mfgr's name, so I switched up to the BFG T/As. They are really not nearly as good a tire as the Firestones. The car just doesn't handle as well with the BFGs. BTW, I've got the Goodyear Eagle GTIIs on my 69 Vette. P235/60R15s. The 70s might do a better job of filling the wheel wells.
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