tires

[Guest]

I have a '67 Wildcat Custom. By looking at the build sheet the original tire size was 8.45 X 15. I also know that the optional size for this vehicle was 8.85 X 15. I called Coker and they are of no help. They told me they have neither tire and no one makes them so what ever I put on there will be wrong. The closest thing they suggested was an L78-15. This tire having a 1" wide whitewall. The tires I currently have on the car are very old however they are still in excellent condition with no dry rot. They are HR70-15. With a dual stripe whitewall. I believe these tires to be correct all except they are radials. If in fact Coker is correct in saying no one makes these than what do the judges of the Buick Club of America do when they grade your vehicle at the national meet??? What do other full size buick owners of this vintage do???? This car was built on an electra chassis that year. The people at Coker told me that no one collects Buicks of that year and model and I had to hang up on the guy his comment p---ed me off so bad. Any feedback on this tire dilemma would be greatly appreciated. <P>Thanks Chris Schick #20296

[rocketraider]

Corky Coker himself is on this board every so often. I'm sure he'd be interested to know that his peons are trying to convince potential customers that no one is collecting the cars they want tires for.<P>I ran into the same thing trying to find an 8.85-15 tire for my Toronado. Finally said the hell with it and put on a set of Goodrich T/A radials. The factory documents indicate the BFG Police Pursuit Radial in size 225/75R15 was optional on Toronado 1967-70, and the T/A is a direct descendant of that tire. I lost the whitewall, but no big deal. They were optional way back when anyway.<P>Actually, a 3/4"- 1" whitewall would be correct for a 1967 GM car. The dual white pinstripe came out around 1970 as best I remember, then by 72 there were triple white stripe tires.<P>L78 will correspond to a 235/75 radial tire profile or 9.00. J78 is 8.85 with no direct metric radial crossreference. H78 would be 8.45 or 8.50, or 225/75.<P>I think Coker needs to start making some large 14" tires. Too many 1957-70 GM cars use them. The market is there.

[Guest 70 Electra]

Didn't the Coker people tell you they're coming out with a BF Goodrich J78x15??<P>This is still not the "correct" size, but is a better match than the larger L78. Also, I believe their L78 has the "Cadillac" white wall with a wide stripe and a skinny one, which isn't right for a Buick.<P>The NEW J78 they're making will be available in both dual (equal width) thin stripes--correct for 1970-71, and also in 7/8 SINGLE stripe--correct for 72-up.<P>I'd suggest considering the J78 with single stripe. While not exactly correct, it would be the closest tire to correct. You should expect to receive judging deductions for the size, but NOT for the tire construction. (If you elect to use radials, you'll lose points for both size and construction.)<P>Corky has told me the J78 tires will be available very shortly.

[NTX5467]

As I recall, the Coker site has a tire conversion chart that lists the modern equivalents and such. If you dont' find it there, then go to <A HREF="http://www.tirerack.com" TARGET=_blank>www.tirerack.com</A> where there is an accurate one also.<P>If you go into the "tire specs" sections of the various tire manuracturer's sites and also into the particular pages on the Tire Rack site, you can see that the current P225/75R-15 size is closer to the older 8.85-15 size than it is to the 8.45-15 size. It is correct that the 8.45-15 size was replaced by the later H78-15 and the 8.85-15 became the J78-15 size. I also concur on the noted .75-1.0" white sidewall.<P>I suspect you got a hold of a "newbie" at Coker, from the way it sounds. Not typical from what I gather from that organization. Otherwise, there's Wallace Wade Tires in Dallas who also deals in vintage tires.<P>The first BFG Radial 990s were the basis for the Police Pursuit Radials back then. I believe they were also 6 ply rated in many cases. I have a set of BFG Advantage T/As (with "T/A" in the white sidewall) that I bought from Coker in the later 1970s. They are complete fabric belt in construction and 6 ply rated. The P245/70-14 size is an exact dimensional match for the H70-14 tires of the later 1960s.<P>I highly recommend the Tire Rack site for its specs on tire width and such. Click on the brand of tire, then the specific tire, then "Specs" to get to the chart with the width, height, and such. The price charts is elsewhere. You can get similar things from the tire manufacturer sites too.<P>This is one area that you must thoroughly shop to find what you want--especially when you're going toward complete originality (as in BCA judging).<P>Enjoy!<BR>NTX5467

[rivlarry]

I have a N.O.S. set(4) of General Dual 90's that I will be putting on ebay in a few days. They are 900X15's and have the triple ring white wall. They are original and not reproductions. In fact they still have some of the original paper wrappings on them. Back in the 50's and 60's these were a premium tire to put on your car. If you are interested in these email me at rivlarry@concentric.net or call me at 586-979-7208 (Mich). Thanks Larry

[old-tank]

Tires for that size car and load range evolved over the years: 7.60-15 became 8.45-15 became 8.55-15 became H78-15 became P225-7%B-15 (or P225-75R-15 for the radial).<BR>These all have the same load carrying capacity but became progressively wider and lower.<BR>Coker tire has 8.55-15 with 2 white wall sections...probably the closest match.<BR>Willie

[jerryacheson]

I was looking for a set of 1" radials the correct size for my 62 Electra. Coker couldn't help me. I had Diamondback Tires make me a set and they look great. Try them at <A HREF="http://www.widewhitewalltires.com" TARGET=_blank>www.widewhitewalltires.com</A><p>[ 04-27-2002: Message edited by: Jerry Acheson ]

[jerryacheson]

The Diamondback tires look great. I can't even tell they're modified. They clean up as any whitewall. These have a stiffer sidewall and they almost look like bias tires. I think it only took a few weeks for delivery. They were pretty quick. I haven't had them long. They probably don't have 200 miles on them. Give those guys a call and they'll tell you all about their process.<P>I had a set of 'cut the groove and paint it whites' on 64 Malibu SS (Chevy Times cover car, Dec 01). They looked like hell and were impossible to keep nice. The rubber paint just didn't hold up.<P>I've been hearing for a couple of years that Coker was going to make 1" radials but I finally gave up. Sounds like they don't have anything in the works.<P>The tires on the car in my signature are 1 1/2" WW. They were old and now gone. I haven't taken any shots of the new tires yet. Want to see some?<p>[ 04-28-2002: Message edited by: Jerry Acheson ]

[rocketraider]

I had heard of Diamondback but was always a bit skeptical until I looked over your link. I thought they did that old cut a groove and paint in the color trick. I see now that they actually vulcanise the colored rubber onto new tire casings.<P>Jerry, how are those tires holding up, and what was the lead time on making them?<P>In my earlier comment about large 14" radials, that's where I was going. You can get wide white 225-14 radials, but they're correct for 1957-61 cars only. We 62-70 owners were always SOL on narrow whitewall radials for our cars. Esp since for several years there was no such thing as a 225-14 whitewall in any configuration.

[Guest]

Thanks guys for all your input on the tires. It has been very informative. It would seem that someone could corner the market on these tires. Anyway I guess I will just keep looking until I find exactly what I want. Best regards. '67 Buick "The tuned Car"<BR>Chris Schick #20296