Tire size no longer made .. need suggestions

[Guest]

We have a 71 SX convertible that is in need of some new tires.

We keep the car stock, so I dont want to switch rims ....

Currently we have BF Goodrich radial T/As in 235 / 70 / 14 (absoluetly postive thats the size) BFG and no one else I know of makes that tire size anymore

Wouldnt mind going a little wider, but if I do that - the tire is shorter. . .

And if I go to a little bit taller tire, I dont have the width we want ...

What size are you running ?

Open to suggestions

thanks and "Good luck on your project."

[BryanDRussell]

you need to step up to the 15 inch, then the sky is the limit.

you could run a 245-60-14 but it will run about 3/4" shorter.

[Art161]

You are not giving me good news. I currently have BFGoodrich 235 70R 14 tires on my '70 Cutlass Supreme. I don't know if you want to go back to bias belted tires. I think Coker sells reproduction G70 14 tires.

[BryanDRussell]

I would think you could get a set of 15's and keep the stock look and have more tire options if you wanted to run radials. My wife didn't like the look, so now I am running 17x8 boyd's that she picked out.

[Guest Dave Wyatt]

Check with a Cooper Tire dealer. last time I checked they had a decent selection of 14 inch tires.

[Guest]

Nobody make a 235/70R14 tire anymore. Here's an idea if you want to retain the 14" rims: look at a Michelin 215/75R14. These have a wide tread compared to some other brands in this size. Maybe some other brands would look OK also. They almost look like 70 series tires. They are whitewalls so you would have to turn them around.

225/70R14 are too short for these cars in my opinion. 245/60R14 are even shorter!

[65Jayone]

Here is one thought...check Ebay for NOS tires. An buddy of mine with a "jacked up" 65 442 owned since new had worn and cracked J78x14s on the front of his car (and wide 15 inch Mickey Thompsons on the rear), and lamented that he could not find anything that "filled the front wheel wells nicely". I ended up finding a pair of J78s for him recently on EBay for $100. They were still wrapped in plastic, and looked and felt new. They had to be pretty old, and if anyone thinks that they represent a saftey hazard, all I can say is they are surely better than what this guy was riding on before (maybe now he'll drive his car more than twice a year).

I'd be curious though, to hear what people thought about NOS tires that have been laying around for the last 20-30 years.

[Grimm]

I don't know much about tires, and how yours look compared to mine, but I have 225/70/14's on my '68 and I think they look good.

[NTX5467]

Going to www.tirerack.com, I find that they still catalog a P225/70R-14 Radial T/A. As far as equivalents, that should be: P225/70R-14 >>> P215/75R-14 >>> 205/75R-14 >>> G78-14, respectively, meaning that it should be acceptable for that vehicle, size wise (rolling diameter or "revs/mile"). Looking at their specs, going to a wider 60 series tire would make them too small, diameter wise. For comparison purposes, there's a really neat tire size comparison tool at the miata club website (I don't recall the address) that works in theoretical dimensions to compare two tire sizes with drop down menus, a grahical display of sizing between the two sizes, and a speedometer speed error determination. It can be interesting to use for comparison, but it's revs/mile figures don't always match what the manufacturers quote.

Using a comprehensive tire sales site, such as TireRack, will give you a chance to look at many different tires in one place AND also check their specs for tread width, section width, revs/mile, etc. without having to make several searches in the various manufacturer's sites. As for repros, you can start with www.coker.com and such. Of course, you can also go directly to the BFG, Michelin, etc. websites directly.

I don't recommend buying any NOS tires for a vehicle that's going to be used for regular road driving. A purely show only, not street driven vehicle can be a different issue if perfect cosmetics are necessary. We normally judge a tire's condition by how it looks on the outside (weather cracks, etc.) but it can also dry rot internally and still look new on the outside. NOS does not mean "repro".

I know that larger 14" tire sizes are a vanishing breed. I have two mid-'60s cars that use the old 8.55x14/H78-14 size tire. That tire size was lost in the mix of upsizing tires to make way for disc brakes. Last model to use it was a '74 or so Ford Torino station wagon. In the late '70s, I bought some BFG Advantage T/As from Coker (they were NOS at that time AND fabric belted) that were P245/70R-14s. An exact match for some old H70-14 bias belted tires I found still mouted on wheels. More rubber width and footprint than many stock muscle cars, but no one noticed.

I could go to 15" tires on there or I could go up to 16" too, with some Ford SUV or Jeep alloy wheels. Only thing is that later wheels are set up for vehicles that use front hub assemblies instead of mounting to brake drums, so the offset/backspacing will be different. But, there are some possibilities and still use OEM parts. I ran across some Michelin Symmetry listings for a P225/70R-16 that look like they could be a player, but I might want something a little more performance oriented, but they also are whitewall (thin stripes). Still haven't made that decision yet. Similarly, I could use some of the repro tires for those vehicles too, but while their tread width looked ok back then, it is totally narrow now.

Just some thoughts . . .

NTX5467

[Art161]

NTX5467, thanks for the info on the Miata web site. It is http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html.

[Art161]

My previous post with the Miata web site does not work (at least with my computer) if I try to link on it from the post. I get an error message. If, however, I type in the web site, then it connects. Maybe I need to go to a computer help board!

[Guest]

Try 235/60x14. I run them on my 71 cutlass conv. Performance, handling, looks,and wear are great. Pep boys handles this size tire and are reasonable.

[Art161]

Tomcat, thanks for the suggestion, but I went with BFG TA 225/70R14. The 60 profile has a smaller diameter than I wanted.

[decembro]

I just ran into this exact problem. I bought a 66 Dynamic 88 convertible over the weekend. It has 235/75R 15's on it. No wonder the speedo is off. I know it takes 8.55/14, but I can't figure out what that is in the metric size. I guess we are all talking about the same size tire here? I looked at 225/70R 14's yesterday. Maybe that's the best fit?

[Guest roosgunboss]

This is some good stuff, but what is the widest tire you can safely put on stock 14" 1968 SSIIs?

[Biggguy]

I'm using P215/75R14 on my '64 Starfire- and it seems fine. It had P205s on it wher I bought it, and they seemed too small- going up one size seemed to be the trick

What were they thinking though- 345 HP V8, 4000+ pounds of car with only 14" wheels? Must be that's how they did things in those days.

[rocketraider]

I think the 215/75R14 is too small for a Starfire. I've got 225/75R14 on mine, and they're not easy to find. Cooper/Mastercraft and Hercules still make them with a 1" whitewall and both are very good tires.

Another more expensive option would be to get Diamondback Classics to make you a set of custom whitewalls on a 225/70R14 tire which is easier to find, but still may not be tall enough. Almost all the major tire brands still make them.

The idea behind 14" wheels was making the car look lower and longer. Chevy, Olds and Pontiac were into that foolishness on thru about 1970. Buick and Caddy used 15", and I believe most big Fords and Chryslers did too.

[vanzcorp]

ha i just stumbled upon this post. . . . I have 2 bfg radial t/a's for sale, 235/70sr14. email me if you want them. vanzcorp@hotmail.com