Re: Firestone 500's more dangerous than ever.
Although my '84 is about a decade newer I face similar issues. i'm original owner of a 27,000 mile car. I have the original recessed letter Goodyear Gatorbacks along with another set I bought in the late '80's for use when I had custom wheels on it for a few years. Fast forward to 2022 and there are very few sources for tires in the correct size and Goodyear is not one of them. I currently run BF Goodrich TA's and they are approaching the dreaded 10 year mark when they are considered unusable and most tire dealers will not even service them. I've mounted the originals to the car at meets for judging but will not drive on them. After reading this post I'm wondering if I should even hang on to the originals? The size P255/50VR16 was standard equipment through '88 (17" optional in later years) which meant there were a LOT of cars built using this size. Unfortunately the early C4's are not very desirable/valuable and it's unlikely other manufacturers will decide to make the size available. The alternative is to go to 17" which takes a big hit under NCRS judging. The old donut spare is another story; I was able to purchase an unused one but don't keep any in the tire compartment for fear of it exploding as those are inflated to high numbers.
Although my '84 is about a decade newer I face similar issues. i'm original owner of a 27,000 mile car. I have the original recessed letter Goodyear Gatorbacks along with another set I bought in the late '80's for use when I had custom wheels on it for a few years. Fast forward to 2022 and there are very few sources for tires in the correct size and Goodyear is not one of them. I currently run BF Goodrich TA's and they are approaching the dreaded 10 year mark when they are considered unusable and most tire dealers will not even service them. I've mounted the originals to the car at meets for judging but will not drive on them. After reading this post I'm wondering if I should even hang on to the originals? The size P255/50VR16 was standard equipment through '88 (17" optional in later years) which meant there were a LOT of cars built using this size. Unfortunately the early C4's are not very desirable/valuable and it's unlikely other manufacturers will decide to make the size available. The alternative is to go to 17" which takes a big hit under NCRS judging. The old donut spare is another story; I was able to purchase an unused one but don't keep any in the tire compartment for fear of it exploding as those are inflated to high numbers.
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