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Question about narrow whitewall (1960s - 1970s style) tires


Big Beat

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So it's time to replace tires on my '79 Chevy Monte Carlo, which currently still wears Toyo narrow whitewalls that have probably been on the car since the 1980s. Narrow whitewalls are not exactly common anymore and it appears that my only choice is a special order from Coker. And Coker only shows a couple in my size (195/75R14), Tornel and Travelstar - brands that I have never heard of.

 

My question is this: do any major brands still make narrow whitewalls? Or should I just get the Tornels or Travelstars from Coker?

 

If you have recently bought a set of period-look tires for your 1960s or 1970s car, what did you get, where did you find them and what has been your experience with them? Thanks. 

Edited by Big Beat (see edit history)
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I have MAXXIS narrow whitewall tires on my 1965 Corvair. I'm pleased with them.

They can be ordered on line , I believe through Amazon or ebay,

and Coker also has them

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FYI Michelin, BFG, and Uniroyal are all the same company. Uniroyal is the "value" line. I used to buy Michelins but BFG has better rain tires these days. I remember when the narrow whites were new but personally never cared for them.

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I have Hankook Optimo white wall tires (in a different size) on my Olds Delta 88. The only downside with these tires is that wet traction is poor. Any little bit of moisture on the pavement and the rear tire spins. Keep in mind that this car has the Olds 307 with a pavement-rippping 140 HP on a good day, and a 2-something rear axle, so this isn't a musclecar.

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I have Cooper white wall tires on my '86 Park Ave. They are a good brand.

 

I have also found some good deals from simpletire.com for a couple of newer cars and white walls are a search parameter there.

 

They are still making them, but you have to hunt a bit.

 

Here are the Coopers before I washed the blue off them". NOS wheels that day as well.

003001.thumb.jpg.86aacd0934ab18aba98e7598bfb46a43.jpg

 

Yep, tires or lawn mowing. I know what my wife would spot in that picture.

 

Bernie

Edited by 60FlatTop (see edit history)
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15 hours ago, 3macboys said:

Looks like Sears still has them, the link is to the wrong size but you might find the correct size and you can't beat the price for this size at $66

 

https://www.sears.com/uniroyal-p185-70r14-uniroyal-tiger-paw-awp-ii-87t/p-A038776102?plpSellerId=Custom Wheel Outlet&prdNo=43&blockNo=43&blockType=T43

 

Wow. I'm amazed to find that Sears is still in business. I thought their recent bankruptcy made them close all of their stores. As of November, there was an announcement that they (in conjunction with K mart) would close close to 100 stores this month. That will leave just under 200 stores nationwide between the two of them.

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The Sears complex in the Orlando Florida Mall is open for the moment.

"" A bankruptcy judge approved the sale of the company's assets for $5.2 billion to Lampert in a bankruptcy auction. About 425 stores remained open as of April 2019"

So are some stores left. Local K-Marts have closed and Crafstman tools can be found in Ace and Lowes hardware stores. I did not look where they are made.

 

Seems amazing that someone would have $5.2 billion in credit.

 

For those of use who could not afford tools (old auto related) from Snap-On or MAC, Craftsmen tools were the staple of the hobby and I still have many. Penney's (PennCraft) tried to compete and think the JCPenney Battery was the first with a "lifetime" guarantee & was later serviced by Firestone. For years "Sears Heavy-Duty Shocks" were my preferred replacement for autocrossing. Bought an AGM DieHard from Sears in May '18 - warranty was for 3 years.

 

Thought the merger was a bad idea and seems to have broken both Sears and K-Mart (Kresge). Interestingly Edward Lampert (chairman of Sears) was also its largest creditor

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12 hours ago, JetSmooth61 said:

Universal Vintage Tires in Hershey lists the Maxxis narrow white walls in your size.

 

I have gotten more than one set of 3/4" whitewall tires

from Universal Vintage Tire.  They are owned by Coker

but are somewhat of a separate entity, it seems.  They

have had them when the main Coker office had none.

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On 2/13/2020 at 3:06 PM, GARY F said:

Last year I bought 4 Hankook  14 inch for my 63 GP  and 6 mos. ago I bought 2 15 inch for my Mercury. Both narrow W/W form the tire dealer I go to.

 

I bought a set for my 1963 Pontiac too about 18 months ago and was very pleased.  Regular production 14" tires like this have been hard to find for years and these look good and only cost $65 each, I have seen them often on 1960s and 1970s cars at shows, Todd C

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I put on Hankook Optima Radial narrow whitewalls on three cars in the last 4 years.  14 inch on a 1966 Chevy Impala and a 1967 Chevy Camaro and 15 inch on a 1996 Buick Roadmaster which will be AACA eligible next year. I have several thousand miles on all three with no issues. The price was a little over $100 per tire in 2016.

 

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