Firestone Wide Oval F60-15 Radials

[NorCam]

I've tried a set of the F70-15 wide oval radials and was very impressed with the quality of them on my little Nova, and now I need a set for the Camaro to use as drivers. Has anyone tried the F60-15's and fit them to a 69 Camaro?

I'm thinking about mounting a set of 7" wheels (3.75 BS) and curious if they're going to clear the front turning radius and rear fender lips with 60's? Tires are sized as follows;

Tire Diameter:26.10 in.
Section Width:9.10 in.
Tread Width:8.80 in.

Hoping someone has tried a set of these in the 60 series?

[NorCam]

Gonna try a set and see how they fit.

https://i.ibb.co/NsLgm39/62510-L-b49d33d4-7ba7-45e3-a6a8-b296dc137ddd.png

[OldZ28Owner]

A million years ago, I swapped the E70-15 on my 68 Z28 to an F70-15. They would hit the aluminum trim around the wheel opening. I notched the trim at the very top of the opening and never had a problem. But, When I put on 15X7 Torq thrusts, I went back to E70's.
Hope this helps!

[NorCam]

E70-15 were 26.73" tall and F70-15 were 26.51" so those should not have made an impact unless you meant to say you used an F60-15 on the front? The FR60 is wider but only measure 26.10" in overall height so I'm hoping that 1/2" in height differential helps with the turning radius being that the tread width is 1.15" wider on each side. Section width is just under an inch wider.

If not then I'll have a spare set for the rear and will run something else up front.

[Lynn]

E70-15 were 26.73" tall and F70-15 were 26.51"
?????

You may have those two numbers transposed. The F 70 15 would have to be taller. I think everyone would agree the F is wider. If they have the same aspect ratio (70) it would of necessity, be taller.

It may be that one makers F 70 15 was slightly shorter than another maker's E 70 15, but if from the same manufacturer, the F 70 would have to be taller than the E 70.

I realize this is not an exact science, as it is impossible to convert letter sizes to the modern metric sizes with 100% accuracy. Heck, even two tires (from different manufacturers) might not measure the same section width even though both are marked as, say 235 or 245. There is a lot of "rounding" to the closest 5.


Assuming the E 70 15 is roughly equivilant to a modern 215 70 15 (and even that can be argued.... I would guess it is closer to a 210 section width, but others will disagree) I get an overall height of 26.55. The F 70 15, if it is assumed is the same as a modern 225 70 15 (which is very close) calculates to 27.5. Your mileage may vary.

Firestone says the FR60 15 is 26.1 inches tall (see here: https://www.lucasclassictires.com/FR60-15-Firestone-Wide-Oval-Radiall-RWL-62510L.htm) So, if there is a rubbing issue, it would be a result of extra width, not extra height.

[Lynn]

On another note, I REALLY like the look of them. Anyone run a set on original YH ralley wheels on a 69 Camaro?

I would love to get rid of the five (5) Firestone bias ply tires I have on my rally wheels. They ride so horribly, and handle so poorly (not to mention that there is NO traction even with traction bars) that I leave them bagged up in favor of BFG radials on Centerlines. Just no fun driving.

Speaking of no traction, how did any of these muscle cars get into the 13's with the stock 70 series bias ply tires? Guess that is a discussion for another thread.

[L_e_e]

This is a chart that I've used to get a pretty close cross reference from the old tire sizes to the newer metric P size tires.
http://www.angelfire.com/on/geebjen/tires.html

[Lee Stewart]

I see no talk about the additional strain F60s will put on a 1969 Camaro's front suspension which was never designed to have such a wide tire on it. . . Spindles and ball joints.

[NorCam]

Lynn,

Those tire heights I posted were directly off the Kelsey website using their Goodyear Widetread specs. Just guessing at what the above scenario in Post #3 might have been?

I'm planning on mounting the new FR's on a set of Torque Thrust as they are my favorite wheel on these cars. I'm thinking I should be OK on the front of this Z/28 I acquired since the third owner installed new front springs and the car sits about an inch higher on the front. Fingers crossed on the shorter 60's working on a 7" wheel.

I'd run a 70 series on the front, but Coker only offers an F70 and a G70 both of which are an inch plus taller than the FR60's according to their specs?

[Lynn]

Don't doubt it for a second. Lots of misinformation on many web sites. Post some pics and a report when you get them mounted. Would love to have an alternative to the bias ply tires that at least comes close to LOOKING period correct.

Lee: The spindles and ball joints are no less strong on the 69 Z than on the 70 Z which did get F 60 15 tires. I really would not worry a bit about that.

[NorCam]

I should mention the reason I want another pair of these tires. It's because they stick really really well. I had them on the little Nova and I was quite impressed. I stabbed the pedal good and banged a few gears while those little 70's just hung right in there. I thought they'd go right up in smoke. But no, they took some abuse and planted nicely. Respect!!!

[x33rs]

I went through this a while back on our 69 Z.

69Z's are supposed to sit a tad lower than other 69's, so if it's sitting correctly, that's a factor.

With that said, the F60's would not fit on the front of ours, not even close. It rubbed horribly using the original YH wheels. Fit on the rear just fine though. These wheels have 4" back space.

I later switched to the same torque thrusts that you mention, with the same 3.75" back spacing. The rear was fine, tight, but fine. The backspacing did make the front situation a bit worse. The tire height doesn't seem to be the issue, it's the tread width up front that will touch the tops of the fenders while turning.

I currently run BFG's on the car and we daily drive it. Now running 255/60-15's on the rear with the torque thrusts, with 10.2 section width, 8.5" tread width, and 27.1 inches tall. Works perfectly.

On the front I've switched around. 215/65-15's with 8.7" section width, 7.1" tread width, and 26" tall. These being smaller than the F-60's would still rub the tops of the fenders while turning.
Went to a size that resembles the original E-70's, 215/70-15's. These have the same 8.7" section width, but have less tread at 6.5" and are taller at 26.9". Almost spot on to the E-70 measurements. These work just fine, no rubbing. Seems the height wasn't the issue in my case as the taller tires clear better, but the tread width is what was causing me grief.

[x33rs]

I should mention the reason I want another pair of these tires. It's because they stick really really well. I had them on the little Nova and I was quite impressed. I stabbed the pedal good and banged a few gears while those little 70's just hung right in there. I thought they'd go right up in smoke. But no, they took some abuse and planted nicely. Respect!!!

Firestone wide ovals actually hook pretty well. There seemed to be a consensus from the PS guys that they liked the Firestones over the Goodyears at the track. I went a 1.89 60 foot on a set of F-70-14's.

[NorCam]

I went through this a while back on our 69 Z.



Thank you for chiming in on this. You've likely saved me some aggravation on this. Being that these wheels are purely for driving purposes, I may just forego the 60's and stick with FR70's all around. They worked well on the Nova and I'm sure they'll work great on this car as well.

If I want the bigger staggered look, I have other wheels and bias ply tires I can swap onto the car when needed (shows mostly).

Thanks again...Graeme :beers:

[purple panther]

A F size tire should be taller than a E size 1/2 appx

[x33rs]

Depends on whether it's a 60 or 70 series.

[NorCam]

I went with another set of FR70-15's and they'll be mounted on 7" Torque Thrust's. That will give me a good set of cruisers for the highway driving I do. It's 25 to 100 miles for me to hit the good car shows here during the summer months, and I love driving some of the twisty's along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains near me here so radials are a must, but looks are important also. These will fit the bill nicely.