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I know this discussion has been going on for ages, and I know Cooper Cobras, Mickey Thompson ST, and BFGs are the typical go-tos for vintage muscle car tires, but I'm kinda bored of them. There's nothing special about any of them, and the technology is 20+ years old. The dilemma is that there's just not much else out there. Or is there?
I've got my eye on the Firestone Destination LE3. It comes in a 225/70R15 which is perfect for my '70. I know people have ignored this tire because it's a listed as a 'truck tire'. True, the description does say it's for light/medium tucks and SUVs, but it is NOT listed as an LT tire. It has an SL Load Rating, just like the others.
if you look further I don't much difference.
With the exception that the BFG has a max pressure of 35PSI (suggesting perhaps a softer side wall) and the Firestone having a much higher treadwear rating, these tires seem pretty identical. The Firestone LE3 came out in 2020 as a replacement for the LE2 (which I had on my '96 Explorer Sport), so it's by far the newest design of the four. And it's the lightest of the bunch (less un-sprung weight)! Why isn't it a great fit for a weekend cruiser?
BTW, there's a handful of other tires out there from Hankook, Toyo, Falken, and Kumho that fall into the 'Touring' category with SL Road Ratings, that come in this size. They're all blackwall though. I still like the look of white letters on a Chrome Nose Shark. The Destination has white outlines. I think it looks pretty slick! It is also rated "Excellent" for wet/dry traction, and comfort on tirerack.com. I'm quite sure it's not that good for the others...
Good looking tire. I paid $2 more per tire for a set of BFG TA's, but they are 215/70R 15's. Had to catch them on sale at a Discount Tire quite far from me though. Had I not run into that deal, I would have jumped on these Firestones. If you get them, post a pic with them on your car - looks like a good alternative for a touring tire.
Most of these tires that are meant to more closely match the OEM original tires in form (ie - width and diameter) are not going to have a high speed rating. The Mastercraft Avenger 255/60/r15 tires on my '69 also carry a T speed rating, and the other brands will be very similar, and perhaps even some with the H rating (up to 130 MPH).
Thank goodness for trucks and SUV's, or 15" and 16" tire availability would be all but non-existent. I think the design of these tires pretty much outperform the original tires these cars came with from the factory in about every way, but they are certainly not performance tires by any stretch of the meaning. That's why a lot of guys carry an extra set or sticky tires for vintage racing.
These cars start wanting to fly at higher speeds anyway, so for me, I don't feel any big concern with running them, as I personally don't see the need for a high speed rating on a car who's primary purpose these days is cruising from car show to car show. If I ever was to get into vintage racing, I would buy a proper tire on a separate set of rims in whatever size I could get them in.
To get decent and more modern sports car-like speed ratings (z or higher), you'd have to move up to an 18" rim, and I personally don't like that look on a classic Corvette. Up until about 2010, there was still a pretty good selection of 17" performance tires, but even that has dwindled down to just a handful of worthy examples these days. I'd say 17" wheels are about as large as you can go without really messing with the original look of these cars..... After that, I start thinking 'hooptie'. Kinda' like wearing hiking boots with an Armani suit.
Last edited by Corvette-ZL1; Aug 30, 2022 at 04:00 PM.
No disagreement. If I were looking to do track days, I'd find some aftermarket wheels and find some sticky 17s. Maybe 18s. I'm 61. The urge to take a 52 year old car around a racetrack at speed is long gone. Hell, the fact that I'm even considering 225/70s is a nod to being too old. Every other C3 I've owned has had 245 or 255/60/15s. But my 70 has Steeroids rack-n-pinion steering, tubular control arms, and coil overs. It out handles any vintage car I've ever had, even with 20 year old 225/70 Eagle GTIIs! The 'skinny' 225s look factory. I like that. And all these tires are rated for 118 MPH. I'm good with that...
I know this discussion has been going on for ages, and I know Cooper Cobras, Mickey Thompson ST, and BFGs are the typical go-tos for vintage muscle car tires, but I'm kinda bored of them. There's nothing special about any of them, and the technology is 20+ years old. The dilemma is that there's just not much else out there. Or is there?
I've got my eye on the Firestone Destination LE3. It comes in a 225/70R15 which is perfect for my '70. I know people have ignored this tire because it's a listed as a 'truck tire'. True, the description does say it's for light/medium tucks and SUVs, but it is NOT listed as an LT tire. It has an SL Load Rating, just like the others.
if you look further I don't much difference.
With the exception that the BFG has a max pressure of 35PSI (suggesting perhaps a softer side wall) and the Firestone having a much higher treadwear rating, these tires seem pretty identical. The Firestone LE3 came out in 2020 as a replacement for the LE2 (which I had on my '96 Explorer Sport), so it's by far the newest design of the four. And it's the lightest of the bunch (less un-sprung weight)! Why isn't it a great fit for a weekend cruiser?
BTW, there's a handful of other tires out there from Hankook, Toyo, Falken, and Kumho that fall into the 'Touring' category with SL Road Ratings, that come in this size. They're all blackwall though. I still like the look of white letters on a Chrome Nose Shark. The Destination has white outlines. I think it looks pretty slick! It is also rated "Excellent" for wet/dry traction, and comfort on tirerack.com. I'm quite sure it's not that good for the others...
What am I missing?
been running Jetson tires for years .. I love them
First, the original diameter of the F70-15 tires used as original equipment on your car was 26.92” if I’m not mistaken. The tires you have spec’ed are all a good bit taller. This is going to affect your speedometer/odometer somewhat. You might want to look at sizes in the 215/70R15 range as well… Might bring you a little closer to the original diameter. Tires are different though… Some 225s might be closer while 215s from some other manufacturers might be closer. You’ll have to check and see where they fall.
Second, speed ratings for tires (on our cars) is for the most part, irrelevant. Those ratings are for sustained speeds, not the occasional blast to 100+ mph and back to cruise. If you’re one of the few doing track days or plan on running full throttle across Nevada or Montana for as long as you can, then those ratings might come into play, otherwise it’s just not that important.
Finally, I think that the tires you picked look great!
I purchased a set of Vitour Galaxy V-rated tires in 255 60 15.
They have very good reviews from my research.
Unfortunately, I’m still in the middle of my resto, so I can’t give any firsthand experience with how they handle.
I also have a set of of Vitour Galaxy’s on my 71 (215/70r15). They drive very well and needed minimal balance weights.
I normally run 18’s but wanted a classic set as well and I am more than happy with these. Much more grippy and higher speed rating than the traditional white letter tires that have been around for years with no improvements.
Not speaking about the Galaxies in particular, but other cars I have with whitewalls or RWLs do this these days. The white areas become kind of brown. Doesn't seem to matter who the manufacturer is.
Not sure what you can do about it. Tires back in the day were easily cleaned and didn't leach like this. Of course, gasoline back in the day didn't corrode carburetors and oil back in the day didn't flatten camshafts. Oh well.
Well, I did it. Went with the Destination LE3s. No complaints. They are smooth, quiet, look good, and handling is crisp. Not bad for a 'truck tire'. Nobody is gonna confuse em for Pirelli P Zeros but no 15" tire is gonna do that. It's a solid alternative for those of us that want to stick with OEM size white letter tires.
The LE3's in the 225 Corvette size are 100T's ....not really a 'truck tire' ...more of a touring tire for SUV's ...which most are basically ugly humped-back cars lifted 1.5". So they're car tires. Some sidewall tread (wish they left that off). If a guy is doing truck-type things, these aren't the tires you'd want. Not even on a mini-truck.
I've felt them and the sidewalls are rather pliable. They've been on my radar screen too. I basically would like a OWL tire that looks great, drives nice, and doesn't have a bogus name on the side that reeks of "Cheap no-name tire" lol. Let us know how you like them and maybe I'll buy a set. I had a set on a Land Rover for many years (after a pr of michelins before that) and they ran out great ...were real quiet and balanced nicely. And they didn't bob all over the road like a lot of Cooper tires I've had do.
Firestone Destination LE3s?
