C-3 Driver Tires

[Don W.]

I have a '69 427/390 with THM400 auto and 3:08 rear. The car has old BF Goodrich radial T/As and it's time to replace them. For freeway driving, what tires are recommended for a driver? Are new T/As the way to go, is is there a newer tire design that is a better option? I was thinking about ordering from tire rack for the 1st time and any input on their services are appreciated.

Thanks,

Don

[Jim T.]

Re: C-3 Driver Tires

I plan on replacing the P255/60/15R Goodyear Eagle GT's on my 1970. I am going to buy the Goodyear GT II's. I have purchased other tires from Tire Rack and plan on using them again. Order over internet and the tires are delivered in 3-4 days. Take them to my Goodyear franchise store for mounting and balancing. They offer lifetime balancing.

[Don W.]

Re: C-3 Driver Tires

I found this comparision ranking similar tires on Tire Rack at http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...y.jsp?type=PAS

Tire Ranking
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 #1
Yokohama AVID T4 #2
BFGoodrich Radial T/A #3
Dunlop GT Qualifier T #4
Goodyear Eagle GT II #5

[Don W.]

Firestone Firehawk vs Goodrich T/A vs Goodyear Eag

Tire Rack rates the Firestone Firehawk the best of the bunch. Anybody out there with experience with these tires? The rating says best steering, best traction, best cornering, best ride comfort and lowest road noise.

[Joe L.]

Re: C-3 Driver Tires

Don-----

Keep one thing in mind: all of the tires you have listed on this ranking are "S" or "T" speed-rated tires. These are, basically, the lowest speed-rated tires there are. They're fine for everyday driving, and I've used "S" rated tires for years on my 1969 without problems of any kind.

However, except for cost, it's usually better to have a higher speed-rated tire. The only higher speed-rated tire that I know of in a 225-70-15 is the Goodyear RS-A police tire. I'm not sure if it's still available, or not, though. This is a "V" speed-rated tire which is near the top of the scale. If you're interested, you might call your Goodyear dealer and inquire.

[Michael M.]

Re: C-3 Driver Tires

I just put a set of Kumho ECSTA V-rated tires. 225/60/15. I paid $54 a piece and so far they are great tires. Tire Rack reviews were excellent and a lot of heavy sports cars (like the Corvette) are using them.

[Joe L.]

Re: C-3 Driver Tires

Michael-----

The problem with using the 225-60-15 tire size is that it's almost 2" smaller in OD than the 225-70-15 (which is close to the original F-70-15 in OD). That much difference will require re-calibrating the speedometer. Also, I would think that this size might not adequately "fill out the wheel well". However, I've never seen these mounted on a C3 that I know of; they might be fine in this regard.

[Patrick H.]

Re: Firestone Firehawk vs Goodrich T/A vs Goodyear

Don,

I used the Firestone "Indy 500" Firehawks on our minivan for 50,000 miles. In fact, we just recently replaced them. I also installed them on Dad's 72. We would have gotten more than 50,000 miles but two were sliced by road debris and it wasn't worth replacing only two just before the snow hit.

Good points - handle VERY well, far better than BFG Radial T/As that live on my own 72, ride quite well, and not too noisy. Also very good in the snow and rain. Overall I did like them very much.

Bad points - rotate them regularly (more an issue on a fwd minivan; then again this minivan eats up tires), and be sure you have them ROAD FORCE BALANCED on the Hunter 9700 unit. (Find one thru here: http://www.gsp9700.com ) Both times I went to have a set of these tires installed there was one that would not balance out using this unit. Using a conventional dynamic balancer, however, they were fine. Firestone "quality" control?

Patrick

[Duke W.]

Re: C-3 Driver Tires

AFAIK the three V-rated "police pursuit tires" in size 225/70R-15 102V are still available - Firestone PV41, Goodyear Eagle RS-A, and General XP2000V.

I wrote a lengthly article on them for The Corvette Restorer a few years ago and have discussed them many times on this forum.

You should be able to find them on each manufacturer's web site. The Firestones are a little tricky to find. Start with "specialty tires".

Duke

[Duke W.]

Re: C-3 Driver Tires

AFAIK the three V-rated "police pursuit tires" in size 225/70R-15 102V are still available - Firestone PV41, Goodyear Eagle RS-A, and General XP2000V.

I wrote a lengthly article on them for The Corvette Restorer a few years ago and have discussed them many times on this forum.

You should be able to find them on each manufacturer's web site. The Firestones are a little tricky to find. Start with "specialty tires".

Duke

[Richard D.]

Re: Firestone Firehawk vs Goodrich T/A vs Goodyear

Have a set of Firestone Firehawks on my 68 - 235/60 - 15's on 8" Rallyes.

They ride good and hold their air.

Got them new for $60.00 apiece in '03, they were quite inexpensive.

I considered the V - rated police tires, but went for these and have not regretted it, as I really don't need the very high speed ratings of the police tire.

If you want some technical comparos done on the police tires, I was able to find some on the net done by local government or some other gov. agency that compared them.

I believe I still have those comparos stored on my computer, if anyone wants a copy of them, drop me a return post or email, and I will find them and send it on.

Regards,

Rich

[Richard D.]

Re: Firestone Firehawk vs Goodrich T/A vs Goodyear

Have a set of Firestone Firehawks on my 68 - 235/60 - 15's on 8" Rallyes.

They ride good and hold their air.

Got them new for $60.00 apiece in '03, they were quite inexpensive.

I considered the V - rated police tires, but went for these and have not regretted it, as I really don't need the very high speed ratings of the police tire.

If you want some technical comparos done on the police tires, I was able to find some on the net done by local government or some other gov. agency that compared them.

I believe I still have those comparos stored on my computer, if anyone wants a copy of them, drop me a return post or email, and I will find them and send it on.

Regards,

Rich

[Robert R.]

Re: Firestone Firehawk vs Goodrich T/A vs Goodyear

Last year there was a similar thread on tires for "sharks". Per Joe Lucia's comments / suggestion, I was able to find a set of Firestone 225-70-15 PV "V" rated tires. These are the same size as what were used with the Impala squad cars.

These are really nice on my '73. They grip very well.
The only comment that the dealer suggested was to make sure to rotate them for even wear.
Retail price was $240 per tire, but I got lucky by asking a Firestone dealer in my neighborhood. He had a set that was ordered by our village, but then got rid of the car it was for.I got them at a deep discount, and he was glad to get them out of his inventory.

[Robert R.]

Re: Firestone Firehawk vs Goodrich T/A vs Goodyear

Last year there was a similar thread on tires for "sharks". Per Joe Lucia's comments / suggestion, I was able to find a set of Firestone 225-70-15 PV "V" rated tires. These are the same size as what were used with the Impala squad cars.

These are really nice on my '73. They grip very well.
The only comment that the dealer suggested was to make sure to rotate them for even wear.
Retail price was $240 per tire, but I got lucky by asking a Firestone dealer in my neighborhood. He had a set that was ordered by our village, but then got rid of the car it was for.I got them at a deep discount, and he was glad to get them out of his inventory.

[Michael M.]

Re: C-3 Driver Tires

Joe, yes the diameter is smaller but it's no big deal to change out the plastic driven gear in the tranny tailshaft housing. It does change the look though as you state but not a big deal to me and a little less sidewall gives a little better performance. The speedometer service shop I went to calculated the proper color plastic gear I would need. After I installed the gear, they put the car on the rollers and it was within 1 mph. Not too bad.

My car is definitely a driver and the price was right for the tires. I don't like to skimp on tires (I ususally purchase Michelin) but I couldn't justify the cost of Michelin tires for a car that gets driven once a week at most and the Kumho's got good reviews. My tires usually get changed because the rubber has gotten hard not because they wear out.