vettepilot68

Right now I have Goodyear Eagle ST's on the car...I dont want the originals...just want a decent tire that looks good. One guy recommended the BF Goodrich equivalent to the Eagle ST.

What do you all think?

OHSIXX

I just bought Kumho MX; a performance tire that is only going to last 12-15K, so probably not what you are looking for.

Gordonm

If it is for 15" wheels your choice is very limited. What size tire are you looking for.

PB82CE

BFG Radial T/A's

Great ride and handling...

MYBAD79

I assume you want the 255-60-15 tires ? I have the BFGoodrich T/A Radials and I'm happy with them, I don't think there is a big difference between the BFGs, Goodyears or Firestones or Dunlops- these four are available with raised white letters, not sure if you want the white letters or all black sidewall....

You cannot expect much performance from this tire size, it will be a lot better than 225-70-15 tires (if you currently have those), but any el cheapo low profile 17" tire will probably perform better due to the smaller sidewall.

Crab

255/60/15 BFG/TA radials reasonalbly priced try 'em you'll like 'em

vettepilot68

Thats a sharpe looking 72 OHSIXX...anyway, looks like I will be going with the BFG T/A Radial...thanks all.

joe73vette

Pirelli Scorpion Zero is the only V-rated tire that comes in 255-60-15. It's a blackwall only.
Joe

i885744

2 words...Fire Hawk, oh wait is that one word, lemme look...



1 word...FireHawk. I really do love them. I have 255/60/15's up front and 275'60 15's under the flares in the rear. They perform great wet or dry. I like them much better than my old BFG radial's. Looks, handling, wear patterns, wet or dry, I think they're the superior tire.

pgtr

The Eagle ST and the BFG Radial TA are pretty much neck and neck for the most bottom of the line entry level tire one could put on a 3k lb performance car. WHile both makers offer excellent tires - these models are clearly cashing in on decades of 'branding'. What you are getting with these tires is cosmetic performance only. Otherise it's just another hard rubber, low speed rating tire lacking in dry adhesion, strength or safety margins of a better tire. Beyond being A) the most important performance aspect of any car tires and B) easily the most overlooked area on most C3s, tires are one of the most important safety areas on the car. It never ceases to amaze me how someone can put $5K into a performance engine another $1500 into suspension mods and then turn around and put some of the worst 50 buck tires on the beast because of a sidewall treatment.

I know people get emotionally wrapped up in 'brands' and fail to look at or understand basic tire specifications or sidewall data - but to those folks - show me any tire that has worse performance characteristics than either of these dynamic duds.

At a BARE MINIMUM on ANY car beit your family van or econobox grocery getter - an all-season H rated tire w/ A temperature. Heck that's what your average cheapo sub $20K econobox comes w/ new off the lot these days. Shouldn't a vintage GT be treated to at least that much?

On your '68 you have (had?) 15X7" rally rims - the F70 OE size tire equates to 215/70R15 - in this size there are a couple few *extremely* good tires avail w/ V or W speed ratings. That's a smallish tire for 8" but works well on a 7" rims. COnsider one of those Z or W rated all-season performance tires if keeping your 68 original. Pirelli comes to mind but there may be others...

If you have 8" rims the 225/70R15 offers better choices in tires contrary to what was posted above and is considered the std tire on all C3s by current tire stds. Look at the Ford Crown Victoria interceptor tires from Firestone (PV41) or General (XP2K V). There's also the Goodyear Eagle RSAs... These are all V rated tires w/ A temperature ratings and treadwear in the 300s - any would make an excellent choice.

IF you want to squeeze 255/60R15s on 8" rims on that car (warning they may not fit pre '78s w/o fiberglass trim some do some don't) the ONLY tire left that is decent in this size is the Pirelli Scorpion Zero.

Otherwise the broad selection of decent tires is all up in the 17" diameter I'm afraid.

There's also a potential 'bargain' performer tire out there as well. Check out the Cooper Cobra H rated tires in 225/70R15 for example.

And finally there's a SUmitomo HTR200 and Michelin Pilot XGT both are H rated and in 225/70R15.

After everyone posts the usual antecdotes about BFGs and Eagle fare - look at their UTQGs for the dirt truth. Understand that a tire w/ an A temp and H or V or higher speed rating (vs S or T low speed ratings) is a stronger tire that thus offers both better performance and safety margin. It rejects heat better. And a lower treadwear rating (say in the 300s...) implies a softer compound that will offer much better dry lateral adhesion yet last for many years (esp on a vintage car that is probably not going to receive a lot of miles anyway where time and UV is the real enemy).

81' Corvette Guy

I have got the special edition BF Goodrich "Dynamic Dud" all the way around on mine..see sig for tire sizes..thanks! Joe!

Wrecked82

Top rated tire in your size is the Firestone Indy 500. Have had Dunlops & BFG's. Indy 500 best so far.

pgtr

"Top rated". Impressive claim but do tell us by who, their testing procedures and criteria and which competitors tires were by definition less than top rated. I'll give you this - these tires and others like them would likely be an excellent choice for the 'drifting' craze.

stingr69

I don't read too much about tire ratings but I do read the other buyers comments where they get high marks. I bought these Firehawks as well and they needed to use quite a bit of weight to get them balanced which tells you a little bit about them.

I realy do like the Firehawk Indy 500's once I got them on the car. Might not be the highest performance tire out there but for what I am asking these tires to do for me, they do very well. You have to decide for yourself what you demand from a tire. These do the job for me and I would buy them again.

-Mark.

I'm Batman

I love my Indy 500 FireHawks.

JRD77VET

That's what I have on my '77. They do have a small yellow scorpion on one side of the tire. They are actually listed as a sport truck tire which will give you a slightly stiffer sidewall for better handling.

They are great in the rain and aren't noisy. Great cornering too. I had Dunlops on before and the only comparison between the two is that they both were round. The V rating is good for sustained 149 mph ( like I could do that with 4.11s )

I got mine at www.tirerack.com


Jeff

427V8

pure crap tires. Not worthy of a Vette

MYBAD79

I agree.... but I want to keep the original aluminum wheels, so I am limited to 15" tires. I probably buy the Pirellis the next time I need tires (it's the only V-rated tire in this size) ... like I said above, any no name brand 17" tire is better ... I wish they made the aluminum wheels in 17".

Wrecked82

You have an attitude, so I will pass.

pgtr

Regarding the comments and popularity polls on some online tire retailer sites, a note of caution. These comments tend to be antecdotal and often reflective of the group they are marketed to. It's also very likely to come to wrong conclusions if one compares apples and oranges. For example, the FStone 500 tire may very well have a higher numerical popularity and more positive comments than say the FStone PV41. However the inescapable fact is that the 500 is not even remotely in the same class as the PV41. One is a basic entry level highway radial and the other an all season speed rated performance tire. E.g. those comments can only be potentially relevant comparing to highly similar tires.

Unfortunately this raises a valid point - good objective analytical tire tests and data are indeed hard to come by. That's why I recommend folks understand not only the basic UTQG info stamped on a tire but consider what exactly an H rated tire or an A temp tire or treadwear means, the tradeoffs and underlying construction, quality, strength and safety - not just some claims of 'performance'.

Aesthetically such tires look good and they'll get the basic function of a pneumatic tire accomplished. To be fair however - it's not that they aren't the "highest performance" tire - it's that despite the considerable marketing, branding, sidewall graphics and deliberate intermingling with the makers other actual legitimate performance tires and high performance tires - it's simply not a performance tire at all. THis is the same tire that is shared on basic entry level vehicles for basic transporation. It's as entry level as it gets. In fact DOT has considered upping minimal tire standards to make such anachonisms on public highways a thing of the past (Just as likely the tire lobby will block it).


And beyond performance there's also the underlying safety and strength aspects of a basic entry level tire vs even an entry level performance tire (H+ speed rating, A temp). By considering an H-speed A-temp tire - one is looking at a tire w/ notably more capping strength. Beyond claims of 'performance' - which tire would I rather be driving a vintage 3k lb car @ 75mph on a hot summer day down the interstate? It's a very simple answer for me.

--------------------

Jeff, Don't worry 'bout that 149mph ratings... As a V rated tire they give you additional nylon cappings that confers additional strength (and heat handling characteristics) and thus the better handling, overal strength and safety margin. You were shrewd not to be deterred by the SUV tire marketing or lulled by the cheapo cosmetic performance tires that otherwise occupy this size. While it the ONLY serious 255/60 tire choice left for a C3 it IS a very good tire! It's also A temperature rated - something you'll not see in the cheapo fare.

If you hurled $2K in suspension mods etc at an identical C3 but shod it w/ the non-performance cosmetic performers - it still could not touch a C3 w/ your tires and a good stock suspension in a performance handling comparison. (unless it was a 'judged' drifting contest - then we might be in trouble! )