Radial Tire size 65 Electra Conv

[wmsue]

Hi all

I'll soon be getting my 65 Electra Conv ready to take to the paint shop and want to replace the 35 year old bias ply tires. I've read many of the threads dealing with bias vs radial and have decided to go with radials but not sure what size would be best. Is a one inch white wall the closest I can get to original. I'll be driving the car and not really concerned about the judging factor. I want something that looks close to original and drives well. I've replaced the entire front end and installed disc brakes on the front to help with stopping. I guess I'm spoiled having 4 wheel disc on my little car and tend to forget that it takes a whole lot more pedal to stop this boat.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Ted "Wildcat65" Nagel]

Here are the ones I bought for my 65 Wildcat, which are the same:

P235/75R15 FIRESTONE 3/4" WHITEWALL TIRES - eBay (item 310206459023 end time Feb-05-11 10:52:08 PST)

[NTX5467]

Even back then, the whitewall "stripe" width varied from brand to brand to year to year. In general, if you didn't have a calibrated eyeball, they all looked close enough to be fine. In more modern times, in the case of whitewall tires, you either purchase repro tires or take what you can get in the currently-available radial tire sizes with respect to whitewall width.

Whether you end up with P225/75R-15s or P235/75R-15s, you'll probably need to get the odometer checked for calibration correctness (I normally use a 10 mile run on a straight Interstate, utilizing the mile markers), which also relates to the accuracy of the speed readings (60 seconds = 1 mile at 60mph). Just takes a little time to see where things might be, after which you might change the driven gear for the speedometer cable in the transmission's tail shaft housing or just make a mental note of what the "actual speed" for the "indicated speed" might be.

Enjoy!

NTX5467

[old-tank]

I would go with the P235/75R-15s on that car. The hard part is finding ANY tire with a white stripe! I finally settled on Fireston FR380 tires. That tire should be available locally for about $75. Since that is not a high demand tire check the date code...at first they tried to sell me 3 year old tires. That tire is a little taller and narrower than others of the same size and should have minimal effect on the speedometer...probably <5%. The best way to check speed and miles is with a GPS.

Willie

[Guest Dan Cook]

I put P235/75R-15 Toyos on my 72 Electra about 4 years ago because they were readily available and they have been just great tires. Speedometer seems to read right but generally I like to drive it fast on the roads around here so all I really have to go by is when I get behind somebody doing 55 and I'm reading 55. Drives great at 95 too.

[Guest dcdpgh]

You can also consider the Kelly Navigator Gold, which is a premium all season tire. I put a new set of these in the P235/75R -15 size on my '68 Riviera in 2009. P225/75 would have been the "correct" size, but I like the idea of having a little extra rubber under there. I was even able to get the "extra load" rated tires, which may have been overkill, but not a bad thing either for a big heavy car. Whitewall strip is about 3/4 inch if I recall.

Goodyear is the parent company of Kelly Springfield, but to what degree Goodyear R&D trickles down to Kelly is unknown. I have been very happy with these tires. The fact they are a domestic built tire was also a consideration.

When I researched my options before buying, I recall having three choices that met my size requitements, and a whitewall option - Kelly Navigators, Firestone FR380, and a Kuhmo tire (don't recall the model).

[NTX5467]

The P235/75R-15 size was original equipment on massive amounts of GM 1/2 ton pickups from about 1973 until the then-new C/K/R/V-trucks went out of production in the 1990s. That would generate whitewalls (which many of them were) and the "XL" (Extra Load" . . . ie., 6-ply rating) for up to about 40psi cold inflation pressure.

The unfortunate thing is that if you put the P225/75R-15 size into a tire seller's search window, it'll find tires in that size, but for SUVs and not passenger cars.

You might also check the Cooper Tires website, for the Trendsetter SE tire. When they had the equivalent of the old H78-14 size, it was a perfect match for the prior Goodyear PowerCushion 8.55x14 tire, skinny tread and all. The Korean brands probably have some coverage in the P235/75R-15 size, with whitewalls. There still ARE some options, but they seem to be dwindling, especially for the P225/75R-15 size, in normal "consumer" (not repro) tires.

Enjoy!

NTX5467