Vintage looking radial tires

[KenMaisano]

I would like to put a set of Radial tires on my 69 Z. But I hate to loose the original look. coker sells these. Did Firestones ever come on a 69 Z?

https://www.cokertire.com/tires/styles/bias-look-radials/firestone-wide-oval-radial-rwl.html

[bigsixman]

Firestones did come on a 69 Z/28 but it was the sport car 200 style tire which looks entirely different.

[NorCam]

Ken...

The 69's only used Bias ply and either came with Goodyear Wide Tread GT's, or the Firestone Sports Car 200's on some late year builds. Not fun driving on either of them for most people, and that is why so many owners change them out. Many who want to retain that vintage look end up mounting Polyglas belted bias ply tires, or the Firestone Wide Ovals which are also belted. Coker just started making a radial version of the Wide Ovals (https://www.cokertire.com/firestone-wide-oval-radial-rwl.html) but they don't have that typical squared off look that the bias ply tires have. They are more rounded and kinda look like many of the modern radials? Click here for a Yenko thread (http://www.yenko.net/forum/showthread.php?p=1347308) with those who have swapped them onto their cars. I still don't think they are offering the 60's series quite yet and have watched their release dates push back continually through 2017.

Maybe keep the originals off to the side and mount something more modern if you want a good handling tire for highway cruising, or stick it out with with either of the bias ply series? I am not a fan of the tread patterns or handling on either of the (2) correct tires and with so many people going Polyglass on their Camaro's, I decided to mount up the Belted Firestone Wide Ovals which are actually correct for 70 Z/28's. I just mounted the wheels back on the car an hour ago and still need to go and dig out the trim rings & derby caps. I'm hoping these drive well when I get this back on the road. :dunno:

https://preview.ibb.co/g6ENAm/IMG_7387.jpg (https://ibb.co/iQ8hAm)

https://preview.ibb.co/kuL4qm/IMG_7392.jpg (https://ibb.co/dyf4qm)

[William]

Ken...

The 69's only used Bias ply and either came with Goodyear Wide Tread GT's, or the Firestone Sports Car 200's on some late year builds.


I have noted this a few times recently; time to nip it in the bud.

Firestone Sport Car 200 tires were used on Z/28s and a few COPOs for the entire model year. The October 1968 Motor Trend has a color photo of a Garnet Red Z/28 with Firestones. The one-owner Z/28-RS featured in the front of JM's '69 Camaro book was built with Firestones, on or about February 20, 1969. There are other vintage magazine photos of Z/28s with Firestones.

In the early '80s I checked out a survivor 79 B Yenko built 03B at SC-Reading; still had an original SC200 spare. Probably very rare on a COPO as few were built with COPO 9737.

[KenMaisano]

Thanks guys. Has anyone put any freeways miles on the Firestone radials yet? I would only purchase them if they make a major difference on the ride.

[Crush]

I'm subscribing!

[travlnz28]

They made a big difference in the ride on my Chevelle but the bias ply tires that were on the car were 20 years old so maybe not a completely fair comparison.

[Bill Rose]

I have the new Wide Oval Radials on my 69 Nova and they handle great. They feel way better than the Wide Oval Bias Ply tires I had on the car. These new radials handle like any other radial tires.

http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/data/500/IMG_0746.JPG

[MosportGreen66]

I put them on our LS6 Chevelle (will post pics later). The tire is a radial. Period. The only thing bias ply about it is the vanity. They’re wonder tires and ride like modern radials because they are modern radials. Only issue is that they don’t smoke well ;)

Dan

[92646]

Has anybody tried the red line vintage look radial tires? I have bias ply tires on my 69 Nova with manual steering and I thought the radial tires might be a nice improvement with the steering effort but only if the tires have the right look.

[NorCam]

Only issue is that they don’t smoke well ;)

Dan

Then that's a deal breaker right there. :3gears:

[bobm67]

Has anybody tried the red line vintage look radial tires? I have bias ply tires on my 69 Nova with manual steering and I thought the radial tires might be a nice improvement with the steering effort but only if the tires have the right look.

I have RF70-14's red lines on my 67 chevelle. They handle just great but I have P/steering. I like the tread design just like the bias tire. The big difference is the red line is raised like Diamond back does there red line.

[jerry455]

Then that's a deal breaker right there. :3gears:

That's funny & so true...Reminds me of when I was 16 and searched out a set of Kelly Supercharger E-70-15 tires for my '69 Z/28 because a guy at our High School had them on a '68 Camaro that would do crazy smokey burn-outs. I learned later it wasn't the tire brand as much as the gearing/wheel speed. I had 4.10 gears and he had an auto with hi-way gears. He'd brag that he'd hit 80mph plus on speedo while doing a "burn-out", riding the brakes of course. The little 302 wasn't as torquey but way quicker! Good Times circa '82.

[frankk]

bobm67 what brand of tire have you got?

[bobm67]

bobm67 what brand of tire have you got?

Coker

[camarojoe]

The "Wide O Oval" font/wording on those radials is for 70-up. 60's Wide Ovals had small block letters that look nothing like those, not to mention the edge difference. As mentioned, 69 Z/28's never used Wide Ovals of any type anyhow...a new set of BFG's would be as correct as those. Just run a fresh set of repro Wide Tread GT's. Bias ply tires aren't that bad to drive on, and your Z will just look bad with anything else on it IMO.

[novadude]

For the guys running the new wide oval radial....

I have read on other forums that some have said they take a TON of weight to balance. Has anyone else found that to be true?

[bobm67]

For the guys running the new wide oval radial....

I have read on other forums that some have said they take a TON of weight to balance. Has anyone else found that to be true?


Yes, I have the RF70-14 red lines. I had two take 3 Oz's and and two over 4 Oz's. I had them balanced on a Hunter direct bolt, not the cone balancer.

[MosportGreen66]

Pics of the LS6...

[MosportGreen66]

1 more

[MosportGreen66]

Resizing the photos really takes the detail out of them... I can email pics to anyone if they crisp photos?

Dan

[Crush]

I have the new Wide Oval Radials on my 69 Nova and they handle great. They feel way better than the Wide Oval Bias Ply tires I had on the car. These new radials handle like any other radial tires.

http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/data/500/IMG_0746.JPG

What sizes did u put on your Nova?
Thx

B

[Bill Rose]

I put F-70-15 front & rear on my Nova. I wanted G's on the rear, but so far, they aren't making the G's yet.

[NorCam]

Resizing the photos really takes the detail out of them... I can email pics to anyone if they crisp photos?
Dan

Crop it first rather than resizing. Brings the image into the forefront. Sorry for the blur as I could do a better job with the original file rather than blow up and crop the lower res image I started from...but this get the idea out. If anyone ever needs help resizing images...just ask and I can help teach you some easy shortcuts and how to's. :)


https://image.ibb.co/eLfCD6/Chevelle.jpg

[big gear head]

Looks like that silver SUV needs a little air in the left rear tire.

[MosportGreen66]

Looks like that silver SUV needs a little air in the left rear tire.

Lol, I figured someone would comment. The air shocks in the rear didn't inflate. The truck was sitting over night with the trailer connected. When they inflate the truck and trailer sit flat...

Dan

[dykstra]

Sweet ride. Wasn’t this car in Peoria, IL awhile back?

[MosportGreen66]

Sweet ride. Wasn’t this car in Peoria, IL awhile back?

Good eye ;)