215/70-15 tires ok for C2?

[Andy.E]

Hi folks,

I guess the correct replacement tire size for the C2 is 205/75-15, but as you probably know there isn't a lot of selection in that size. Also, most of them are designed for high-mileage applications with hard compounds, and since my '65 only goes a couple thousand miles a year I'm more interested in performance than long life. The closest alternative in terms of size is 215/70-15. Will these work ok without rubbing?

Thanks in advance!

 

[BarryK]

Hi Andy

the 215/70-15 should be just fine on your car. on my '65 I currently have 215/75-15 and they just barely rub in the front on full lock but the 70's would give you that little bit of extra margin so shouldn't rub.
i'm actually going to be upgrading my tires soon and i'm probably going with 225/60-15 or 235/60-15. My neighbor with a '67 has the 235/60-15's on his stock wheels with no rubbing problems at all.
Remember, you can go somewhat wider if you drop down to a lower profile tire (within reason) and if you are looking for more performance the overall dimentions of a 235/60-15 is almost the same as a 215/70-15. I don't have my notes I did previously right with me now but I think the 60's i'm considering actually gave me a greater margin of clearance than the 70's even though they are approx an inch wider.

 

[Andy.E]

Thanks Barry. Btw, here is a great resource for comparing tire sizes:

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

 

[BarryK]

Andy

I know that link and have used it to compare sizes, it's pretty good
thanks

 

[Ol Blue]

Andy

One thing to remember when you are putting bigger tires on your car is that going in or out of a driveway can compress your front suspension, esp. if you have any speed or there is a slight bump. If are parking in grassy fields at a Corvette event, it's difficult to see what bumps you may hit while turning in to park.

If your wheel is at full turn it can result in your tire hitting the fender while at the same time the tread is grinding away at your fiberglass.
Ol Blue

 

[Andy.E]

Andy

One thing to remember when you are putting bigger tires on your car is that going in or out of a driveway can compress your front suspension, esp. if you have any speed or there is a slight bump. If are parking in grassy fields at a Corvette event, it's difficult to see what bumps you may hit while turning in to park.

If your wheel is at full turn it can result in your tire hitting the fender while at the same time the tread is grinding away at your fiberglass.
Ol Blue

Can you provide any guidance on whether this is a problem with 215/70s?

 

[paul67]

The 215-70/15s work fine on my 1967.

 

[Grizzly]

I run 225/70/15s with no problems on my coupe with stock wheels. Sure they hit if you crank the wheel over but but the extra width makes it look a lot nastier compared to standard sizes.

 

[Mikey1]

I'm using 215/50s as well.....absolutely fine. 215/75 can crack your fender...so be careful. Most of my friends owning stock type C2s use 215/70s as well for street driving. I liked the look of whitewalls limiting me at about 120mph....if you want to go faster you need to go with a blackwall.