Having a hell of a time finding the 215/75, everyone says that it is only a "trailer tire" and will not put them on a car. The other one is strictly a car tire, but is a 70 series. My car rides terribly because the tires that I have (195/75) are too small for the weight and are overloaded. Would the 70 series be OK. Both are listed as compatible with the original G78-14. Coker sells the correct tire, but what a price! This car is not a "restored original", just a daily driver that is in original condition.
The main ideas are to get the rolling diameter as close to original as poss ible and also to ensure that the tire you choose is rated for the rim width that you have. Another consideration would be to ensure that you have cle arance around all the bodywork and suspension members, but that is generall y not an issue with stock rims as that will limit tire width. (I have mana ged to stuff 245s under an old Studebaker that originally came with 6.70-15 s, but you can't do that with the original 5" wide rims!)
Anyway, I don't have specs handy on the old school tires but let's assume t hat a 195/75R14 tire is the correct rolling diameter. Since you're stickin g with the original wheels, we can ignore the "14" for now as that will rem ain constant. So you want the sidewall height to be the same no matter how wide the tires are. What you're shooting for, then, is a sidewall height of about (195*0.75) or 136.5mm. 205/70 is 143.5; a little meatier but in t he ballpark. 215/65 is 139.75mm, also an option if it'll fit your rims, as is 225/60 (135mm).
A 225/60R14 BFG Radial T/A will fit on a 6" to 8" wide rim
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they don't make a 215/65 but they do make a 205/70 which will fit a 5" to 7 " rim, so that would be my choice if your stock wheels are 5" or 5.5" wide.
ssible and also to ensure that the tire you choose is rated for the rim wid th that you have. Another consideration would be to ensure that you have c learance around all the bodywork and suspension members, but that is genera lly not an issue with stock rims as that will limit tire width. (I have ma naged to stuff 245s under an old Studebaker that originally came with 6.70-
15s, but you can't do that with the original 5" wide rims!)
that a 195/75R14 tire is the correct rolling diameter. Since you're stick ing with the original wheels, we can ignore the "14" for now as that will r emain constant. So you want the sidewall height to be the same no matter h ow wide the tires are. What you're shooting for, then, is a sidewall heigh t of about (195*0.75) or 136.5mm. 205/70 is 143.5; a little meatier but in the ballpark. 215/65 is 139.75mm, also an option if it'll fit your rims, as is 225/60 (135mm).
7" rim, so that would be my choice if your stock wheels are 5" or 5.5" wid e.
Here's a handy chart to convert alphanumeric to P-metric
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Assuming you're starting with an E78-14, the chart tells you pretty much wh at I calculated; you could use P195/75R14, P205/70R14, P225/60R14, or P245/
50R14 - but whether you can actually fit the wider options to your stock ri ms depends on the manufacturer's recommended rim widths for the specific ti re models you're looking at, and I'm guessing that the 245 definitely won't work and the 225 is iffy.
Thanks, nate, I have a chart from vintagecarconnection.com vintage tire chart. They say that the 225/70R14 will work. That seems to be the only one that regular tire stores stock. The other one they stock, but will not install on cars! What crap! I looked at Coker and they wanted $158 for the BFG, and $184 for the Coker original style! Also, Tires Plus screwed me by not really giving me the equvilant of the G78, rather they gave me the E78! The Matador with the 360, Auto, PS/PB, A/C is just too heavy for those skinny tires!
What I did on my '71 Ambassador wagon, which originally took an H78-14 tire (only available at Coker for ridiculous prices), was to install 15" rims from a rear-drive Dodge Diplomat and 215/75R-15 tires (which are common and cheap as dirt).
This has worked out fine, I can get tires anywhere, the only downside is that I cannot use the original 14" wheel covers. Not a big deal though as this is not a show car, it's an occasional-use driver with bad paint and some rust around the edges.
It's also okay for the rolling diameter to be such that your speedo reads 1-2mph FASTER that what you are actually doing.
Mine reads a constant 3mph over actual speed(whether going 20 or 60), so I know in my case it's a calibration issue, not my rims/tires, which are OEM size.
I always get it backwards though, if smaller outside diameter = higher speedo reading, or vice-versa(DAMN DYSLEXIA!). lol!
I called several tire places around where I live in Texas, and they told me that the 215/75 was a "trailer" tire only and that they would not install it on a car! Sounded like crap to me!
sctvguy1 wrote: "I called several tire places around where I live in Texas, and they told me that the 215/75 was a "trailer" tire only and that they would not install it on a car! Sounded like crap to me! "
This is what happens when rim diameters and widths got so out of control since the late 1990s. P-215/75R-15 or 14 is no longer recognized as a typical automotive application. smh!
Or is that "trailer" business just a Texastan thing?
snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com:
Take a look at the sidewall of the tire, where the size designation is.
Does it start with "P"? Then it's a passenger-car tire. Does it start with "LT"? Then it's a light-truck tire. Does it start with "ST"? Then it's a trailer tire.
sctvguy1 wrote in news:lc4cvu$8qi$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me:
No you're not.
You're having trouble only because you're a cheapskate.
Back in 1971, you would have been replacing your tires every 20,000 miles. And spending a lot more overall than you will spend on those new Cokers, which will last a lot longer than 20,000 miles.
You have a 1971 car, but this isn't 1971 anymore. Suck it up and do the job properly.
And it looks like I was right about G78s being the correct tire for this car and not E78. Sometimes it pays off being an old fart with personal experience.
You have no idea of my income level. I cannot afford almost $190 per tire. That is not including the mounting, balancing and stems from the local tire dealer.
I knew that G78 was correct by looking at the conversion table. E78 would have been correct for the Six without A/C, but that is not what I have.
That's strange, I have not had any problem getting 215/75-15 tires, in fact I checked with my local tire shop before doing the conversion to find the best-fit 15" tire in terms of diameter and load rating. A quick check of tirerack.com comes up with 17 different tires that size starting at $70 each.
Tire Rack my friend... but don't you want a 215/70 not a 215/75? Even TR d oesn't list 215/75R14 as a valid tire size. 225/70 is available however al though your only choice is again the BFG T/A although that isn't a bad tire and is very popular for 60's and 70's cars.
In either case they aren't going to run you $190, more like $115-120 plus w hatever your local shop charges for mount and balance. If your local shop balks at mounting tires from TR tell them that you'll be happy to buy from them when they're not extortionately more expensive than TR's price plus sh ipping.
Get yourself a set of junkyard 15" Dodge rims and you'll be all set with more tire choices at reasonable prices. Since your Matador OEM tires were G78-14 rather than my Ambo wagon's H78-14, probably you would be looking at 205/75-15 as the 15" replacement, such as:
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($248 for 4 tires!!)
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Yeah, you have to add shipping plus about $15 per tire for mounting and balancing (using Tire Rack's network of contract installers that's what I paid), but it's still a decent deal. Sometimes there are specials where you'll get like a $50 rebate on a set of four.
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