C-2 Tire Size

[Bwmurph]

Hi All,

I have a friend with a '65 Convertible who is looking to get new tires. He's wondering how big of a tire he can safely put on his standard Rallye Wheels and not worry about cracking fenders and the like.

I know this subject has probably been brought up before, but any help would be appreciated.


Barry,

Sorry about the '78; I assume you at least got the $$$ you were looking for out of it.


Thanks,

Bernie O.

 

[JohnZ]

The completely worry-free replacement radial size for the original 7.75-15 tire is 205/75-15; Cokers look "skinny", the Diamondback Firestone Supremes don't (tread is about 1-1/4" wider than the Cokers). Lots of guys also use 215/70-15, but they can be awful close to rubbing the wheel opening flange at full steering lock and bump like when entering a driveway.

 

[BarryK]

hey Bernie, you are back in town!

i haven't got anything for the car yet, it's still in the auction and I'll see if it makes the reserve.

regarding your tires, John is right as usual.
I want to get better tires when I can on my '65 and will probably go with the 215/70-15.
I'd like to go wider and wanted to maybe try the 225/65-15 or 225/60-15 but I'm concerned that with the lower profile of the 65 or 60 series that it will create too much of a gap between the top of the tire and the wheelwell opening and look funny. The 70 series fills it up nice like it should.

for what it's worh, my neighbor up the street had 235/60-15's on his ;67 coupe and claimed he had zero rubbing or hitting issues and the wider tire looked great on his car but that size just seems too risky to me to even consider trying - I don't need the hassle and expense of repairing cracked fiberglass around the wheel opeings!

 

[Bwmurph]

Thanks for the help guys; I'll pass it along.

Barry,

Good luck with the '78; hope you get what you're asking. Yeah, I'm back in town for at lest a couple of days. I'll have to show you the pictures I took of a '57 Chev Bel Air that's been sitting in a box in Argentina since the late '80's. It's a little rough, but it appears to be all there; could be a nice project car for you ! One of the guys down there is attempting to buy it from the owner (who is now in Europe), but he thinks the price of 2000 Pesos, which is approx. US$ 670.00, is WAY too much.

Bernie O.

 

[paul67]

Here's mine.

 

[BarryK]

Thanks for the help guys; I'll pass it along.

Barry,

Good luck with the '78; hope you get what you're asking. Yeah, I'm back in town for at lest a couple of days. I'll have to show you the pictures I took of a '57 Chev Bel Air that's been sitting in a box in Argentina since the late '80's. It's a little rough, but it appears to be all there; could be a nice project car for you ! One of the guys down there is attempting to buy it from the owner (who is now in Europe), but he thinks the price of 2000 Pesos, which is approx. US$ 670.00, is WAY too much.

Bernie O.

Holy crap Bernie! I'll be generous and give him $1,000 for it!

hmmmmm, wonder how much shipping would be to get it here though

My mother would freak if she saw me with a '57 Bel Air. When she was 19 that was her very first car - a brand new '57 Bel Air convertible. Black with a red interior and white top . She kept it about two years and traded it in for another car. I bet shw would kill for a ride or to get to drive another one sometime.
You should have seen her smile when I let her drive the '78 after I got it running since she drove a '79 that was my dad's for about 3 years after my dad passed away - she kept the car and it was her daily driver.

 

[67HEAVEN]

Here's mine.

Here's mine.

HINT: It stands up all by itself. otfl

 

[paul67]

This will give you an idea of clearance with a 6" wheel and a 215 tire.

 

[Marlar]

Holy crap Bernie! I'll be generous and give him $1,000 for it!

hmmmmm, wonder how much shipping would be to get it here though

My mother would freak if she saw me with a '57 Bel Air. When she was 19 that was her very first car - a brand new '57 Bel Air convertible. Black with a red interior and white top . She kept it about two years and traded it in for another car. I bet shw would kill for a ride or to get to drive another one sometime.
You should have seen her smile when I let her drive the '78 after I got it running since she drove a '79 that was my dad's for about 3 years after my dad passed away - she kept the car and it was her daily driver.

I went with 215/70 X 15s. I did have to shave a tad off the bottom of the front part of the front fenders with a Drimmel tool because it was hitting the tire when I turned. 15 minutes and the problem was gone. It was just too too embarassing to go back to the tire store and tell them that they didn't work. Plus, I like the way they look and the theoretical small drop in rpms at the same speed.

 

[Vette66AirCoupe]

This will give you an idea of clearance with a 6" wheel and a 215 tire.

Paul,

What I learned form my '60 was that it's the front tire clearance that's the problem.