What's the best red line reproduction tire for judging my 1967?

[Jerome L.]

Re: What's the best red line reproduction tire for judging my 1967?

I could not agree more with what Mike had to say about John Kelsey. John and Janice are wonderful people and the Kelsey Tires are top notch.

Jerome

[Joe R.]

Re: What's the best red line reproduction tire for judging my 1967?

I just got an email from Rusty @ Diamond Back. Their radials that look like bias ply will be out in about 6 months. The size he mentioned was 6.70x15.(For a 63). I'm sure they will have applications for all C2's and beyond.

Kurt: I have a funny feeling you don't want to wait that long. If that's the case, those Kelsey Good Year Redlines are looking pretty good.

F.Y.I

I used the Kelsey redline reproductions for judging on my '67, and always got full credit except for the standard 3-point deduction for the DOT marking.

For driving I use the Diamondback redline radial that is simply a redline sidewall bonded to a modern radial. Over time, Diamondback changes the available core tire, but when I got my Diamondbacks a few years ago, the options were Toyo or Michelin.

I want to emphasize that unless something has recently changed, the Diamondback tires will *NOT* judge well. This is because the sidewall says nothing about brand or model (such as "Firestone Power Cushion" or some other brand/model that was used on original production).

If you want good tires that will judge well, the Kelsey reproductions are the way to go. If you simply want modern radials that look period-correct, the Diamondback tires are great.

[R N.]

Re: What's the best red line reproduction tire for judging my 1967?

THANKS for the additional info Joe - Always appreciate your help.

[Joe R.]

Re: What's the best red line reproduction tire for judging my 1967?

THANKS for the additional info Joe - Always appreciate your help.

Hi Kurt:

One other tidbit to mention is in reference to Mike McCagh's comment that the Kelsey tire won't fit in the spare tire tub. This has been reported by others, but for some reason my Kelsey redline did fit (just barely), even when fully inflated. I think I purchased my Kelsey redlines about ten years ago.

I recall reading a posting or article by John Hinckley that described this problem. John noted that the reproduction tire tub is slightly larger than the original, and this increased size allows the reproduction tire to fit. However, I'm quite certain that my '67 tire tub is original, so I can't explain this discrepancy.

Maybe the '67 tire tub is larger than other years, or maybe the Kelsey reproduction has gotten smaller. Another possibility is that not all versions of Kelsey midyear reproduction tires have the same circumference. I seem to recall that the 1967 redline had a lower profile than earlier midyear tires.

I suggest that you discuss this with Kelsey before you decide how to proceed regarding the spare. Also note that with a cloth-type tape measure, you can carefully measure the internal circumference of your specific tire tub. You could ask Kelsey to compare what you measured to the outer circumference of the tire you want to use.

If you learn anything useful from your investigation, please post the results. I'm sure that others here might be interested to know more about what fits and what doesn't fit.

[Mike M.]

Re: What's the best red line reproduction tire for judging my 1967?

i couldn't get kelsey 6.70 x 15 into an original 63 tire tub. bought the tires about a year or two ago. had same problem fitting kelsey 6.70 x 15 into an original 64 tire tub. haven't tried kelsy tires in 66 or 67 tire tubs but they are 7.75 x 15 and may fit the 66 and 67's. mike

[Joe R.]

Re: What's the best red line reproduction tire for judging my 1967?

i couldn't get kelsey 6.70 x 15 into an original 63 tire tub. bought the tires about a year or two ago. had same problem fitting kelsey 6.70 x 15 into an original 64 tire tub. haven't tried kelsy tires in 66 or 67 tire tubs but they are 7.75 x 15 and may fit the 66 and 67's. mike

Hi Mike:

I sold my Kelsey redlines after I finished having the car judged, so I can't easily measure the circumference of one. Maybe someone who has these tires could wrap a tape measure around one and report what they measure. Similarly, if you get a chance to measure the circumference of the tire that doesn't fit, maybe we can figure out what the cause is.

With some effort, I can probably drop my spare and measure the circumference of the '67 tub. I'll try to do that next weekend.

[Larry M.]

Re: What's the best red line reproduction tire for judging my 1967?

Hi Mike:

I sold my Kelsey redlines after I finished having the car judged, so I can't easily measure the circumference of one. Maybe someone who has these tires could wrap a tape measure around one and report what they measure. Similarly, if you get a chance to measure the circumference of the tire that doesn't fit, maybe we can figure out what the cause is.

With some effort, I can probably drop my spare and measure the circumference of the '67 tub. I'll try to do that next weekend.

I believe the Kelsey website lists the OD and/or circumference of this tire. A good practical maximum tire diameter for the 1964-67 GM Corvette tire tub is 27-3/4 inch outside diameter. This is based on my original 1967 tub. This dimension leaves very little extra room

Larry

EDIT: A quick check on the Kelsey website shows a OD of 26.27 inches for the 7.75 x 15 Redline PowerCushion tire .....................so it should easily fit the original tub.

[Joe R.]

Re: What's the best red line reproduction tire for judging my 1967?

I believe the Kelsey website lists the OD and/or circumference of this tire. A good practical maximum tire diameter for the 1964-67 GM Corvette tire tub is 27-3/4 inch outside diameter. This is based on my original 1967 tub. This dimension leaves very little extra room

Larry

EDIT: A quick check on the Kelsey website shows a OD of 26.27 inches for the 7.75 x 15 Redline PowerCushion tire .....................so it should easily fit the original tub.

Hi Larry:

I think you may have solved the mystery. All of the 670/15 tires listed on the Kelsey site are over 28" in diameter. This is the size that Mike reported having trouble with.

The 775/15 redline tire is listed at 26.27" diameter. This is apparently just enough smaller to allow it to fit in the tub.

[Michael M.]