deduction for repro tires

[Dave M.]

I am in the process of updating a 66 coupe and had a couple questions.

I need tires and can see in the manual that repro tires are discussed as to what they should be.

How many points does one lose if they have new repro tires, as compared to original OEM tires (which are hard to find)?

Second, I assume this type of question is answered in the reference judging manual, which I will order today.

Thanks, Dave.

[John S.]

Re: deduction for repro tires

Dave,

I bought a set of GoodYear Power Cushions 7.75 - 15 White Walls from Kelsey Tire for my 1965 and received 3 points deduction for the tires and 1 point for the spare. That's the best that you can do, unless you have original tires.

[William C.]

Re: deduction for repro tires

Also note that all reproductions are not equal from a judging perspective. The Kelsey are generally the best available.

[Dave M.]

Re: deduction for repro tires

Also note that all reproductions are not equal from a judging perspective. The Kelsey are generally the best available.

What makes the Kelsey better than others repro's?

The Firestone deluxe champion black-walls are about 149 each, whereas the Kelsey power cushion is 215 dollars each.

[William C.]

Re: deduction for repro tires

Accuracy of the reproduction, use of original tooling at least original drewings in the series I have paid the most attention to, the redline/goldline series. look at a few NOS examples on cars at NCRS events, and the difference between the originals and reproductions is generally obvious, not so withthe Kelsey version, the only perceptable changes are the federally mandated warnings.

[Jack H.]

Re: deduction for repro tires

Yes, Dave, the Judging Reference Manual has standard deduction table(s) covering tires (one for early cars another for later model year cars). The tables are reasonably clear in terms of description, but there IS some subjectivity when it comes to understanding all of the configuration issues (tread pattern, number/placement of the 'ribs' in the tread, EXACT sidewall configuration, Etc.) associated with each mfgr/model of factory original tire vs. what the reproduction suppliers provide.

A key issue here is your objective for the car. Even with the 'best' of today's reproduction tires, you're still stuck with essentially 40-50 year old technology. So, how much of the time do you intend to 'show' versus 'drive/use' the car?

If you're NOT building a 'trailer queen' targeted at top restoration award capture (eg. Mark of Excellence), you MIGHT want to consider intentionally losing originality points in this area in the interest of better street performance...

[Dave M.]

Re: deduction for repro tires

Yes, Dave, the Judging Reference Manual has standard deduction table(s) covering tires (one for early cars another for later model year cars). The tables are reasonably clear in terms of description, but there IS some subjectivity when it comes to understanding all of the configuration issues (tread pattern, number/placement of the 'ribs' in the tread, EXACT sidewall configuration, Etc.) associated with each mfgr/model of factory original tire vs. what the reproduction suppliers provide.

A key issue here is your objective for the car. Even with the 'best' of today's reproduction tires, you're still stuck with essentially 40-50 year old technology. So, how much of the time do you intend to 'show' versus 'drive/use' the car?

If you're NOT building a 'trailer queen' targeted at top restoration award capture (eg. Mark of Excellence), you MIGHT want to consider intentionally losing originality points in this area in the interest of better street performance...

Jack, I am not intending to build a trailer queen. And I have radial tires today (with repro knockoffs) that I can use for everyday use. I am looking for a repro tire that gets me a significant amount of points (which I will put on the car for judging events).

It is fine line I suppose.