Bias look Radials

Anyone tried these?

http://www.blocket.se/vi/58368316.htm

Is it the 7.60R15 that is the right size for my 1965 Riviera?

/Johnny

The original size tires on the 65 were 8.45-15. There was an option for an even bigger tire than that.

The 7.60-15 would be too small for your Riviera, although they would fit the car I suspect they would look

funny. The closest tire you can buy to the the original size is a 225-75-15 Radial. That's what I run on my car.

I assume you are looking for a correct tire to avoid a deduction at the BCA point judged show?

Nobody makes a thin whitewall 8.45-15 tire at the present time. It sure would be nice if Coker would

come out with one, with the correct triple stripe whitewall of course. I already

know I'm going to get hammered at the BCA show this summer for my redline radials! My personal feeling is that since you can't buy a tire for a 65 Riviera that is correct, they shouldn't deduct points for a whitewall 225-75-15 radial on these cars.

Seafoam is right. Take a look at the American Classic 225-75-15 narrow whitewall. It also comes in a wider whitewall, but visually I think wider white wall makes the tire look like a 40/50s car and therefore narrower. Just an opinion. PRL

BTW-Seafoam, your car will clean up at BCA and would even if you had Mickey Thompson drag slicks on it.

The 8.45 from '65 and the 7.60 from earlier years are actually the approximate same size. In 1965, the tire companies change profiles and used different designations for basically the same sized tire. In actuality, the 8.45 was closer to the 7.10 than the optional 7.60 from '63 and '64. An even larger tire was available on the Electra.

If you're looking for an authentic looking tire, take a look at Gord Wolfgang's triple white wall tire he had made for his '65.

Scroll down in this link and you can see where the 65's 8.45" compares to the 64's 7.10" http://www.mopar1.us/tireconversion.html

Both sizes convert to the 225R75/15 that's mentioned by Pete.

Thanks for your answers. No I'm not looking for a correct tire to avoid a deduction at the BCA point judged show.

I'm curios to see how a "as near original as possible" tire would look like at my car. It's hard to find pictures of that.

Like RivnNut says I also think the 760R15 would be the closest to original I could come. And I don't mind whitewalls, just can't decide on regular radials or these bias look radials.

Is there anyone who tried these?

/J

Ed, you are the man! According to that chart the 7.60-15 should look good! I love Wolfgang's triple whitewall

tires, but I assume they are radials from Diamondback tires and would be a point deduction of 1 point per tire

for radials at the BCA meet. Right?

Since you aren't worried about points at a judged show I wouldn't recommend bias tires. I ran them for several years to keep that original look and for point judged shows but in hindsight once I went to radials, the decision to run bias tires was not one of my better ones. If you don't drive your car much bias tires are fine but if you like to drive, bias tires can't come close to radials in handling and control especially on uneven pavement. If your front end/suspension is a little loose or worn bias tires will magnify this more than a radial IMO.

No oversize tire option in `65 for the Riviera model.

Tom Mooney

Since you aren't worried about points at a judged show I wouldn't recommend bias tires. I ran them for several years to keep that original look and for point judged shows but in hindsight once I went to radials, the decision to run bias tires was not one of my better ones. If you don't drive your car much bias tires are fine but if you like to drive, bias tires can't come close to radials in handling and control especially on uneven pavement. If your front end/suspension is a little loose or worn bias tires will magnify this more than a radial IMO.

I agree on the handling and ride improvement with the radials.....I used to drive my dad's 65

Riviera when it was two years old with factory bias plies and it was a handful to keep in one lane at 70 m.p.h.

My 65 riviera handles and drives like a 2014 model car at highway speeds with the diamondback radials. It holds the road like it is glued down.

No oversize tire option in `65 for the Riviera model.

Tom Mooney

Tom is right......oversize tires were an option in 65 on the Lesabre and Wildcat but not the Riviera.

Like RivnNut says I also think the 760R15 would be the closest to original I could come. And I don't mind whitewalls, just can't decide on regular radials or these bias look radials.

Is there anyone who tried these?

/J

Nobody has tried these on their Riviera because they only became available about a month ago, but common sense would dictate being a radial they should handle very nicely while looking correct. If I wasn't wanting to run redline tires, I'd have a set of these bias ply appearing radials on my car. You are officially declared the Guinea pig! Put a set of these on your car and report back with the results! If you decide you don't like them don't worry..... I'll buy them from you for half price! LOL!

So Ed and Winston, what close-to-stock but radial tire would you recommend for a '63? Is there someone else besides American Tire? I like the thinner whitewall band as well. My current set is unworn but I'm sure they're older than six years, which according to many vintage car sites could pose a potential hazard. I know from its overall condition that my car has been garaged most of it's life, but I know there's the "why take a chance?" part to this discussion. And I do know that as Paul Revere and the Raiders sang, "Whitewalls Just Keep Getting Harder to Find."

Jan,

If you go back up to post #4 from Ed he has a link for the size conversion to P metric. Essentially a 7.60x15 converts to 225/75x15 or a 235/70. Diamond Back has been the choice of many for Riv tires. http://www.dbtires.com/

They can make a whitewall any size or configuration you want including dual or triple stripes.

You don't need to spend the money for Diamondbacks unless you need a redline 225-75-15

or a triple whitewall 225-75-15. You can still buy a narrow whitewall 225-75-15 tire from your local

Discount Tire store for half what the Diamondbacks cost. You will have to check with them for what brands you can get. A set of Diamondbacks will set you back about $1000.00. You can buy a set of

whitewall 225-75-15 single stripe tires from Discount Tire for about $600 mounted and balanced. If your tires are six years old, replace them. They are too dry rotted to be safe at highway speeds. The redline

Diamondbacks on my car are actually Toyo 225-75-15 tires. In my opinion Toyo and Yokohama are the two best tires made today. I run them on all my cars, but I'm pretty sure you can't get either of those brands from Discount tire in a whitewall, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

Here's how a '64 looks with 7.10X15 biased tires, all new springs, new shocks, new lower inner control arm bushings, and new rear lower control arm bushings. I like the height of the lower edge of the rocket panel, the centering in the wheel wells, and not having shiny spots on the rear of the front inner fender wells. Same thing next time, Coker's from Summit Racing.

Oh, the oil slick is from a Jaguar sitting there.

Bernie

I am confused how the old numbering system works. 7.10 sounds like a much smaller number

than 7.60 or 8.40 but those tires look like they completely fill the wheelwells. It almost looks like all the tires are the same size regardless of the number!

7.10's were only slightly wider than a 6.70. They had a taller sidewall that always gave a nice appearance in the wheel opening. We used to see them most commonly on the 1956 Chevies. When I bought my Riviera, in 1978, I was surprised the 7.10 was the specified tire. At the time all that was available was the wide mid '50's style whitewall. Coker didn't come out with that narrow white until around 1995. I was real happy to get them.

I have put shamefully low miles on that car since the later years of the last century. Since '11 it has been out of service for one last refurbish, well, maybe two. The times are too old for more than a ride to town for coffee. So they are condemned and will be replaced in kind after the top removal, new windshield, fresh paint, and interior.

They still look good and I think the car has just under 80,000 miles. It had something like 55,000 when I bought it.

I'll stick with the 7.10 biased tires. I drives very well with them. 7.60's are a bit chunky. They Riviera may be the last application of the 7.10's.

And you can always drive like this........ if you are a man:

Bernie

Jan,

If you go back up to post #4 from Ed he has a link for the size conversion to P metric. Essentially a 7.60x15 converts to 225/75x15 or a 235/70. Diamond Back has been the choice of many for Riv tires. http://www.dbtires.com/

They can make a whitewall any size or configuration you want including dual or triple stripes.

Thanks Jason,

Seeing that whitewall tires at normal prices are getting rare as they become the domain of "vintage" tire companies, I took delivery of some 235/75 Mastercraft tires from Summit and had them mounted/balanced today. They're made by Cooper, and cost just under $80 per tire -- including shipping. They have very good reviews, and to me seemed a prudent choice after seeing that my current tires (installed by the previous owner) were made in 2004. I had to look in the inner sidewall to find the DOT code. Passing along this info for those who may not want to drop a grand or more for tires for their Rivs that they may not put too many miles on per annum. Summit was fast and hassle-free and the tires were fresh.