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Hello, I'm new to the forum and I need some guidance and opinions. My 1969 Lemans blue with rally wheels currently has raised white letter cobras reversed. So plain black on the outside. I'm getting new tires so I'm debating raised white letters and a thin white side wall. Any opinions would be welcome.
IMHO
White wall is a classy look. I feel the same about PO2 hubcaps, classy rather than performance
White letter can be classy or period/performance "muscle car" (but also depends on what they say ,Goodyear, Goodrich, Radial T/A etc is fine, YAKAMURA GS2000, Speedmaster Go-Fast-Radial.. maybe not so much)
Black wall can be Classic, performance, not really classy?
Again, my opinion, like belly buttons
M
I'll also add that choices in a 15" performance tire are getting pretty thin
M
Hello, I'm new to the forum and I need some guidance and opinions. My 1969 Lemans blue with rally wheels currently has raised white letter cobras reversed. So plain black on the outside. I'm getting new tires so I'm debating raised white letters and a thin white side wall. Any opinions would be welcome.
It sounds like you are keeping the rally wheels....
As the members said decide between "Classy" and Performance. A Classy thin white line with rally wheels or go with RWL for a sporty look.
Hub caps seem to require a wider white line if you go with them.
The other thing to consider (most people won't notice) is if you are looking at staggering the tire sizes on the same rims. These two tires are different and you can see that the letters on the rear are a lot closer to the edge of the rim than the fronts.
Noticeable with white letters since they are close to the rim. A thin whitewall stripe is usually far enough away that you don't really see it
M
Rally rims with raised white letters are, to me, a nice combination on a C3. You mentioned you currently have Cooper Cobras. They make a nice RWL look.
Welcome to the forum.
Go with the raised white letter but stay away from BF Goodrich until they solve their browning issue. I switched from BFG to Mickey Thompson and I'm very happy with them.
How 'bout sharing a few pics of your '69?
Cheers, Greg
White letter can be classy or period/performance "muscle car" (but also depends on what they say ,Goodyear, Goodrich, Radial T/A etc is fine, YAKAMURA GS2000, Speedmaster Go-Fast-Radial.. maybe not so much)
I'll also add that choices in a 15" performance tire are getting pretty thin
M
1969 was a good year for Corvette tire choices, it was the only year GM offered four different sidewall options. Besides the standard black wall and optional pinstripe white wall, it was the last year for redline tires and it was the first year white lettered tires were offered.
Besides having a "classier" look, the white pinstripes will give your car a more traditional or period correct look. Since it was the first year they were offered, white lettered tires just weren't that common on Corvettes (or any cars in 69). Only 2300 69 Corvette's came with the white lettered tires. The pinstripe whites were offered up till 76 and they were still pretty popular through at least 73.
As was said, the white lettered tires can give your car a more performance or racier look. If that's the look you'r going for, or the look you'd like, then the white lettered tires are the ones you want.
While you didn't mention them, there is a third option to consider, red stripe tires. 69 was the last year they were offered, but they were still somewhat popular, with more than twice as many 69's ordered with red lines, than white lettered. Personally I think the red lines are a nice balance between the classy and performance looks.
If it were mine, and was a stock/restored 69, I'd go with pinstripe white or red stripe tires. If it was a modified car then I'd go with white lettered. When it comes to white lettered tires, I prefer the more muted look of the BFG TA Radial's sidewall, to the more in your face look of some of the other white lettered tires available like the Cooper Cobra, Mastercraft, etc.
It sounds like you are keeping the rally wheels....
As the members said decide between "Classy" and Performance. A Classy thin white line with rally wheels or go with RWL for a sporty look.
Hub caps seem to require a wider white line if you go with them.
Either way is a WIN on a Corvette.
Thanks for the information, it's much appreciated.
I have exactly the same tire as you.
So here go's my $.02.
BFG, Firestone, Goodyear, white letters are ok. Any off brand is kinda cheezy. Run black out with Cooper, PepBoys, etc.
White walls remind me of granny, or a **** star, driving a base model automatic cruizer. Don't look performance to me.
Now, a red line does look good. I once had white line tires on another car, and used a red carpenters crayon to turn them red. Worked pretty good and could be touched up easily.
They are indeed 200s’ and are the original semi-smooth machined version with the valve stem in between the spokes. 15x10 rears and 15 x 8 1/2 fronts. No suspension mods at all.
Tire Question
