original '76 spare?
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,839
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From: nassau co. new york
original '76 spare?
while waiting for my new master cylinder to come in i decided to check my spare out and make sure it mounted properly with the yj8 wheel lug nuts.it did as they seem to be multi-purpose with flats and an internal acorn to mount the steel wheel so no need for to carry additional nuts.tire is in amazing shape and i am wondering if it might be the original spare.how can you tell? the pic's are before any attempt to clean them. 
7th Gear
Joined: Aug 2014
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The spare that came with my '75 looks identical to that one - except for a split in the tread with some of the steel belt material hanging out of it.
Tires today have a manufacture date code, but I don't know if they did back in 1976.
It should go without saying that you don't want to use that spare. Get another one, and keep that one for NCRS stuff.
Michael
Tires today have a manufacture date code, but I don't know if they did back in 1976.
It should go without saying that you don't want to use that spare. Get another one, and keep that one for NCRS stuff.
Michael
Last edited by RoyGBev; Feb 4, 2015 at 05:30 PM. Reason: typo
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 12,682
Likes: 3,135
From: Shamong, NJ
There's a good chance that it's the original spare. The Firestone Steel Radial 500 was one of the OEM tires used.
The Firestone 500 was a terrible tire, prone to tread separation, even when brand new. There were a number of lawsuits and recalls involving the tire. This all culminated in a massive Federal recall in 1978, of 10 MILLION Firestone 500's (though the actual number seems to vary, with some stories claiming it was anywhere from 7 to 14 million tires)! There were over 250 deaths attributed to the problems with the 500's.
Be very careful with that tire. When new they were dangerous to drive on, and all of these years later, they're even worse. Other Corvette owners have had brand new, original, unused 500's explode while stored in the tire tub! There was a story and pictures on the Forum a few years ago, of a Firestone 500 that a member had had in the tub of an NCRS car. It just exploded, while in the tub.
The Firestone 500 was a terrible tire, prone to tread separation, even when brand new. There were a number of lawsuits and recalls involving the tire. This all culminated in a massive Federal recall in 1978, of 10 MILLION Firestone 500's (though the actual number seems to vary, with some stories claiming it was anywhere from 7 to 14 million tires)! There were over 250 deaths attributed to the problems with the 500's.
Be very careful with that tire. When new they were dangerous to drive on, and all of these years later, they're even worse. Other Corvette owners have had brand new, original, unused 500's explode while stored in the tire tub! There was a story and pictures on the Forum a few years ago, of a Firestone 500 that a member had had in the tub of an NCRS car. It just exploded, while in the tub.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,839
Likes: 45
From: nassau co. new york
holy moly thanks guy's for the info! gb you have me wondering where i should go next with this as i have no show queen or as michael said save for ncrs stuff.with that being said if anyone wants it and can give me a reasonable spare tire it is yours.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 973
Likes: 85
From: Hoopeston, Illinois
This is an original tire for the era when the car was produced. This tire is NOT available as a reproduction. To answer your question look on the blackwall side of the tire for some letters and numbers like this:
VOU5 FM7045
VO = The Firestone plant of production
U5 = Size GR70-15
FM7 = Type and construction
045 = 04th week of 1975
The last three digits will vary but that is what it looked like in your picture. As it has been repeated here do not drive on this tire (ask my why). I have close to a dozen of these and three have blown out while in storage. Two of them were NOS!!
Thanks,
George
VOU5 FM7045
VO = The Firestone plant of production
U5 = Size GR70-15
FM7 = Type and construction
045 = 04th week of 1975
The last three digits will vary but that is what it looked like in your picture. As it has been repeated here do not drive on this tire (ask my why). I have close to a dozen of these and three have blown out while in storage. Two of them were NOS!!
Thanks,
George
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,839
Likes: 45
From: nassau co. new york
thanks glaneris for the info i will check the markings on the tire this weekend.i will not use it as a spare either and many thanks to you guy's for the heads up. offer still good if anyone has some use for it in ncrs.
