1970 LT1 Tires

[James H.]

I have a 1970 LT1 and have a few questions re: the tires....

1) I have some over-sized Eagle GT radials on the car now that need replaced. how bad will performance and drive quality suffer if I go with reproduction bias plys?

2) The radial Goodyear reproductions, tread pattern and side tread look terrible, are there any other decent radial options?

3) How can I determine what tire my car came with originally? The tank sheet says F70 15 Tire Scheduling Only (I think it says "tire", it is tough to read). Option number on the sheet is 03PTLAA. Does any of that tell me exactly what tire came on it?

4) Any other experiences using the reproduction Kelsey or Coker tires?

5) I currently have what I believe is one of the original tires. A4NDLJDY which seems like an F70-15 Goodyear Speedway tire, black-wall. Did all LT1s not come with some upgraded RWL tire?

Thanks

Jim

Thanks

Jim

[Terry M.]

Re: 1970 LT1 Tires

I have a 1970 LT1 and have a few questions re: the tires....

1) I have some over-sized Eagle GT radials on the car now that need replaced. how bad will performance and drive quality suffer if I go with reproduction bias plys?

2) The radial Goodyear reproductions, tread pattern and side tread look terrible, are there any other decent radial options?

3) How can I determine what tire my car came with originally? The tank sheet says F70 15 Tire Scheduling Only (I think it says "tire", it is tough to read). Option number on the sheet is 03PTLAA. Does any of that tell me exactly what tire came on it?

4) Any other experiences using the reproduction Kelsey or Coker tires?

5) I currently have what I believe is one of the original tires. A4NDLJDY which seems like an F70-15 Goodyear Speedway tire, black-wall. Did all LT1s not come with some upgraded RWL tire?

Thanks

Jim

Thanks

Jim

Jim

The question numbers I have skipped I have nothing to add to those.

1) The original tires for your car were nylon cord, and the Goodyear reproductions are the same. Those tires were the hot s#!t in the day. Compared to radials, which we are all used to in our daily drivers, the bias ply nylon cord tires will suck. How much do you drive your car? And how important is the original appearance of the tire to you? Those answers will bring the question: How much are you willing to sacrifice (comfort, handling, etc) to retain original appearance? Additionally the reproduction Nylon Cord tires are the same overall diameter as the original tires and will make your speedometer more accurate, if no one has changed gears to accommodate your existing tires. Of course if you plan to have your Corvette Judged a whole different set of questions and answers are appropriate.

3) That sounds like black walls. Raised White Letter and White Stripe are extra cost options. If you have the entire list of options on the tank sheet there would be an additional line item for one of those extra cost options.

5) A4NDLJDY = 25th week of 1970. How does that fit with the build date of your Corvette? Also check the date on the wheel in the spare compartment. If both those line up with the date of the car; you have your answer.

BTW: The date codes for Goodyear Tires (from the early 1950s to 1974) are in both the 1968-69 and 1970-72 TIM&JG. Enjoy.


LT1s got nothing different in tires from any other Corvette of the time, nor did ZR1s which were factory race cars. I believe the idea was for those who were going racing they would mount a tire appropriate for the class they were competing in.

[James G.]

Re: 1970 LT1 Tires

The Goodyear repro tires-KELSEY- are more correct in that they have the correct number of rows of tread. Thus they lose fewer points.
I have the Goodyear repros from KELSEY on my LT1, it has had front A arm bushings and is in alignment - tracks straight on a flat smooth surface... I drive my car a few thousand miles a year, some trips of a couple hours or so one way.

I find the car tracks or pulls on grooved pavement etc, and occasionally pulls odd on a road crest or pavement divide at moderate not highway speeds- it's something to be mindful of when driving the car. IIRC my 69 which had manual steering did the same. -
FWIW I find myself paying much closer attention to the car and the road when driving any vintage cars, plus with the LT1 I would rather hear the engine than the radio PLUS I can blame the 4 speed for not answering the cell phone!

[Duke W.]

Re: 1970 LT1 Tires

If you're not going through the judging process consider joining the Avon club... 215/70R-15 98V CR6ZZ... wear rating 80, 6/32" new tread depth with a center straight groove and two zig-zag grooves on either side with no sipping. They have a clean black sidewall, so you have to get up close to see what they are. Out of the box and especially with a little alignment tuning expect close to 1g lateral cornering force, and excellent straight line traction. Expect about 10K miles of service in normal road driving.

At least at full tread depth they are very good in the wet.

Attached is a pdf of the Avon spec sheet and a '64 Coupe wearing the 215/70R-15 98V size on American Torq-Thrust wheels. The raised white letter "Goodyear" is owner applied to give the look of a sixties vintage SCCA racer.

Most C2s should probably go with the 205/70 size due to the 7" tread width of the 215/70 unless you can dial in at least one degree negative camber all around. The 6" tread of the 205/70R-15 96 V are okay on C2s within nominal body tolerance and alignment settings. The 6" tread width will clear the fender lips with plenty of margin and they are only 0.1" less OD than the 215/70, so speedometer readings will remain within reasonable OE accuracy.

Alternate sizes for C3s are 225/65 and 245/60.

Unless you're going through judging it doesn't make sense to pay a small fortune for tires that will make your car ride and handle like an overloaded dump truck.

Duke

[Terry M.]

Re: 1970 LT1 Tires

If you're not going through the judging process consider joining the Avon club... 215/70R-15 98V CR6ZZ... wear rating 80, 6/32" new tread depth with a center straight groove and two zig-zag grooves on either side with no sipping. They have a clean black sidewall, so you have to get up close to see what they are. Out of the box and especially with a little alignment tuning expect close to 1g lateral cornering force, and excellent straight line traction. Expect about 10K miles of service in normal road driving.

At least at full tread depth they are very good in the wet.

Attached is a pdf of the Avon spec sheet and a '64 Coupe wearing the 215/70R-15 98V size on American Torq-Thrust wheels. The raised white letter "Goodyear" is owner applied to give the look of a sixties vintage SCCA racer.

Most C2s should probably go with the 205/70 size due to the 7" tread width of the 215/70 unless you can dial in at least one degree negative camber all around. The 6" tread of the 205/70R-15 96 V are okay on C2s within nominal body tolerance and alignment settings. The 6" tread width will clear the fender lips with plenty of margin and they are only 0.1" less OD than the 215/70, so speedometer readings will remain within reasonable OE accuracy.

Alternate sizes for C3s are 225/65 and 245/60.

Unless you're going through judging it doesn't make sense to pay a small fortune for tires that will make your car ride and handle like an overloaded dump truck.

Duke

Duke
Why don't you tell us how you really feel?

[George J.]

Re: 1970 LT1 Tires

Corvette 2020.jpgHere is my '65 with Vredesteins. 215/70s. They fit great.