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For early c3's, 235R60-15's are a good choice, IMO. They are about the same diameter as the F70-15's which came on the car. But they have more surface rubber and they have a better 'look' than the stock tires. (Stock tires were the equivalent of 215R70-15's). The 235 width will not cause 'rubbing' problems with the front wheel wells.
When I bought my ‘71 Corvette it had 255/60/15 Good Year Eagles but I noticed rub marks on the frame up front so I went to my preferred B.F.G Radial T/A 235/60/15 all around. As 7T1vette says, they are the same height as the “F70” bias ply tires that came on the early C3’s.
kansas.... I'd bet the rubbing you had was only on one side. You likely had an offset in the steering components that allowed too much travel on one side (and not enough on the other). The standard setup for the early C3's should have left adequate clearance for the 235's. Glad the 225's worked for you, though.
I was suspecting something like that or maybe the old springs just aren't up to holding the front end up enough anymore. But the front does measure like 27.75, which I think is about right. And come to think of it, I think it was rubbing only on one side, can't remember with though.
Not to change thread ,but what tire pressure do you guys run on your tires ? On my '73 I have Cooper 255 / 60 and run at 28#. Sticker on car says 20 # on original tires. Seems kind of low. 255s fit fine with occasional scrape on full lock turn while hitting bump.
The first couple of years of radial tire use in America were generally horror cases. US car makers "knew better" than their European counterparts who had used radial tires for years. So THEY decided that there was so much rubber contact on the ground with radial tires, that the air pressure could be lowered and still support the weight of the car.
Well, they were right....only, they also didn't think about how much more the radial tires would flex...AND HEAT UP with the lower air pressure. They put low pressure requirements on new cars for nearly a year (over two model years) and caused thousands of wrecks and lots of damage. Law suits were off the charts. I had a 1976 Impala station wagon in which we took a trip to Florida. I had two blow-outs on the trip down. Good thing they were on the rear...no wrecks. Soon after, there were lots of tire recalls, replacements under warranty expense, etc. etc.
So, DO NOT abide by the mid-1970's tire pressure sticker on your car. If you have 235R60-15 (or similar) tires on your C3, put 30 psi in them. If you are road racing, that might be somewhat different. But you do not want too little air pressure in them if you go on a long highway trip!!
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I had the double whammy on mine 7T1vette. A pressure sticker that says 20lbs. front, 26 rear. And Firestone 500s.
My blowout came on a 2-lane in eastern Colorado, also on the rear thank God.
I've been running 28/30 for years...
I was running 35 PSI all around. I just do street driving. To soften things up a bit I went to 30 PSI. For just street driving 30 works well. I like my 225/70R 15s
