14" tires are hard to find these days

[mikefam]

I've been searching for a set of raised white letter tires for my 14x6 rally wheels and I'm not having much luck. It looks like all roads lead to BF Goodrich T/A radials. I found that Cooper makes a tire in this size and that's about it.

So does anyone here know of any other 14" rwl tires that I can look at?

TIA, Mike.

[KevinW]

Mike, I agree. While you can find smaller 14" like 195s, the wider 14s (215/70R14 fits a 14x6 real nice!) seem to be BFG TAs or Cooper Cobra GT (RWL) or Kumho (blackwall).  I have BFGs on my 14x6 rims,  plan to mount some repro bias plys on steelies for the 2nd set.

[Kelley W King]

I 69 I use to have had Kelly,s on it I think

[69Z28-RS]

They still sell BFG RAdial TAs in many sizes for one reason; they are VERY popular as most of us think there's not better 'era relevant' tire to run on a muscle car..

[HawkX66]

They still sell BFG RAdial TAs in many sizes for one reason; they are VERY popular as most of us think there's not better 'era relevant' tire to run on a muscle car..

I like my new Cooper Cobras. I think they have the right "look." I've always loved Cooper Tires. They perform excellently and they are reasonably priced. They'll be on it tonight finally.

[mikefam]

Has anyone tried 225/70r14 TA's? Do they rub?

Mike.

[jeff68]

I had the 225/70-14 BFG Radial TAs on my 68 Convertible with 14x6 XG code rally wheels.  I would get a very slight rub on the fronts, but I think this was due to using the XG wheels (offset for front disc cars) with my drum brakes.

Now I'm running GoodYear Polyglas F70-14s and never looking back!

[mikefam]

I have the same xg code rims.

How does the car drive with the bias ply tires compared to the Goodrich radials? I would go with the Goodyears or Firestone wide ovals but I don't think that I will like the bias ply squealing around all the turns.

Mike.

[jeff68]

I think the TAs rode just a tad softer (nothing significant), and I'm sure they would ultimately corner better at high speed, but my days of really pushing the Camaro's limits are behind me. 

Now, I absolutely love the Polyglas tires.  They look awesome, handle very well, and they seem to grip like crazy in the rear.  I do have my alignment set up per factory specs for bias ply tires, so maybe that helps.  Also, I run the correct tire pressure for these tires (IIRC it is 24 psi cold).  I initially had them at 30 and they were very stiff.  I was apprehensive about the Polyglas tires at first, but I seem to notice none of the 'bad' things that some people say about them.  Most of my driving is on twisty/turny back roads (sometimes at a pretty good clip), and I've never heard a peep from the tires.

If you can get over the price, give them a try.

[X33RS]

I am of the same opinion as Jeff.  I tend to believe the bias plys are made better than they were 45 years ago.  They sure do drive pretty good compared to what I remember anyway.  Alignments do play a roll, there are different specs for bias vs radial tires.
   I drive on the bias pretty frequently around town, mountain roads etc....and I don't notice any of the unstable or twitchy driving I used to remember with these things.  They actually drive nice.  They also grip much better than they used to.  I've gone 1.8x 60 foot times on an F70-14 with nothing but a few simple suspension tricks, and no traction aids. 
   I also run BFG radials on a couple of cars, fine tire, no complaints.  But on a correct looking restoration nothing looks better in my opinion than the original bias ply tires.   

[adjudimo]

I have 225 70R 14 Uniroyal Tiger Paw GTS radials (Rallye Edition) raised solid white letters on 14" rallys. Sorry, don't remember if their 6 or 7 inches wide. But the tires will rub if you turn it all the way to lock on both the front and rear side on the inner fender/frame. It really never happens though, how often do we actually turn this tight of radius? I just checked it out sometime in the past for the heck of it. I still have a spare 14 rally in storage that I can measure if needed.

[wtexz10]

My 14" Goodyear GTII's are over 15 years old now and I'm just nervous about driving them on the highway for any amount of time. So,I just bought a set of 17" rally's and mounted them with my derby caps.  These are Firestone Firehawk Indy 500.  Now I'm debating weather to paint the letters on the sidewalls.   

I'll now be able to use the Goodyears exclusively for shows.

[wtexz10]

Front view

[wtexz10]

Rear view

[wtexz10]

Close up of front

[wtexz10]

Close up of rear

[mikefam]

Thanks for all the input, I put a set of 225/70 Radial T/A's on today. They do rub just slightly at full turn as jeff68 said earlier and that doesn't bother me. They ride much nicer than the tires that I removed and fill the wheel well better. They look good. I couldn't justify the cost of the repro replica tires because I don't take the car to shows and cruises often, it's a driver.

Mike.

[mikefam]

They still sell BFG RAdial TAs in many sizes for one reason; they are VERY popular as most of us think there's not better 'era relevant' tire to run on a muscle car..

I like my new Cooper Cobras. I think they have the right "look." I've always loved Cooper Tires. They perform excellently and they are reasonably priced. They'll be on it tonight finally.

They still sell BFG RAdial TAs in many sizes for one reason; they are VERY popular as most of us think there's not better 'era relevant' tire to run on a muscle car..
[/quote

I like the look of the Goodrich radial T/A but don't agree that it is correct for the era. As I recall there were a lot of Firestone and Goodyear tires around in 1968. I think that the Goodrich T/A's became popular a little later.

Mike.

Mike.

[69Z28-RS]

They still sell BFG RAdial TAs in many sizes for one reason; they are VERY popular as most of us think there's not better 'era relevant' tire to run on a muscle car..

....

I like the look of the Goodrich radial T/A but don't agree that it is correct for the era. As I recall there were a lot of Firestone and Goodyear tires around in 1968. I think that the Goodrich T/A's became popular a little later.

Mike

Mike is right... in the late '60's and early '70's no one was running radial tires on a muscle car, because they really weren't available, or at least not available in the low profile sizes for muscle car.. If radial tires were available at all, they were being used on luxury cars - and I really can not recall when they became available on luxury cars, but it was the mid-70's probably before the Radial TA BFG became the 'popular car' on muscle cars, just as the 60's muscle cars were becoming in vogue.   When I said 'era relevant', the era I was speaking of was mid-70's forward...  and I still don't know of a radial lower profile RWL tire that looks better on our cars than the BFG Radial TA..

Thanks Mike for correcting the thought I may have created inadvertently.   In the late sixties and early 70's, the tires being sold on and for our cars were all bias belted tires... Firestone Wide Ovals, Goodyear, etc...  My wife's '70 Mach I came with F70-14 Firestone Wide Ovals; most muscle cars came with F70-14 or F70-15 bias belted tires when new and were generally replaced with those type tires the first times they needed tires.  I ordered a '70 RR in late '69 and ordered it with F60-15 Polyglas GT tires, and my car was the only car around my area with even those tires at the time; I think it was 1973 before the new Corvettes were delivered with radial tires...

[mikefam]

My first set of Radial T/A's was on my 1976 Chevy Blazer. When I think of them I think of Monte Carlos and Trans AM, definitely a lot of them around in the 70's but then again there were still a lot of 68 Camaros around in the seventies. They're not incorrect on a sixties car but just not what's in my mind's eye when I think about 60's muscle cars. When I think back to the 60's I picture big ole G60 or H60 bias ply on the back and skinny tires on the front.

I was very close to buying a set of F70 wide ovals RWL but the Goodrich radial cost $100/tire less and is a great tire. If I was showing the car I would have gone with a set of F-70 bias ply, maybe even whitewalls as the car is a convertible cruiser more than a muscle car.

Mike.

[mikefam]

My 14" Goodyear GTII's are over 15 years old now and I'm just nervous about driving them on the highway for any amount of time. So,I just bought a set of 17" rally's and mounted them with my derby caps.  These are Firestone Firehawk Indy 500.  Now I'm debating weather to paint the letters on the sidewalls.   

My 14" Goodyear GTII's are over 15 years old now and I'm just nervous about driving them on the highway for any amount of time. So,I just bought a set of 17" rally's and mounted them with my derby caps.  These are Firestone Firehawk Indy 500.  Now I'm debating weather to paint the letters on the sidewalls.   

I'll now be able to use the Goodyears exclusively for shows.

I'll now be able to use the Goodyears exclusively for shows.

Those are beautiful wheels! Not correct but they sure look nice. Very nice car too.

Mike.

[Kelley W King]

If my memory still works I believe 73 was the year radials came on certain cars. I remember my boss had a Mark something that had them and a friend had a olds with them. I run the BFG TA,s myself.

[BULLITT65]

Surprised nobody mentioned The Goodyear Eagle ST. I ran them for years on my first Mustang, and they are on one of my cars now. Not sure if they still use the "ST" designation, but they still make the Goodyear Eagle in different varieties, and they still have the raised white lettering.

[JKZ27]

I liked the look and feel of the Eagle ST over the Goodrich also but I don't think you can still get them. I'm not sure if GY even makes a raised white passenger tire anymore.

[BULLITT65]

I think Goodyear makes the Eagle in a raised white letter and it has a Nascar white letter as well. Not sure of they still make it. A couple of years ago they did though.

[69Z28-RS]

IMO....   one of the reasons that the BFG Radial TA is still a desirable tire is the size/font of the RWL...  it's a radial tire and has RWL that are very much like the RWL used on the original polyglas and Polyglas GT bias belted tires.. ie.  small and neat letters, NOT the big garish letters used on those Eagle ST's that Austin just posted... 

[BULLITT65]

IMO....   one of the reasons that the BFG Radial TA is still a desirable wheel is the size/font of the RWL...  it's a radial tire and has RWL that are very much like the RWL used on the original polyglas and Polyglas GT bias belted tires.. ie.  small and neat letters, NOT the big garish letters used on those Eagle ST's that Austin just posted... 

Man all this time I thought we were talking about tires...

[69Z28-RS]

kinda like feet and inches.... sometimes the wrong words pop out of our keyboards.. 

[BULLITT65]

hmm, that is one key buddy "(inches) vs (feet) '......lol (really just me not holding on to the shift button) (or proof reading, "doh"       )

What is your excuse???

 

[69Z28-RS]

For some reason the site wouldn't allow me to delete or edit your post.... 

[BULLITT65]

Good thing I quoted you or nobody would have seen it... 

I see what you are saying with the font. My Z came with both BFG's (original owner ran them in the 80's)and a reproduction set of the Goodyear wide tread GT. I decided on running the wide tread, since the rest of the car was pretty much stock. I do like the good year eagle RWL, I think if I had bought my uncles 4 speed 80 Corvette, I would have run the Goodyear Eagle GT RWL.
It seems like BITD, (80's) more chevy guys ran BFG's and Ford guys ran the Goodyear RWL. Anybody else notice that?

I liked the Goodyears since they had more of a squared off profile, and the BFG's always looked a little rounded/curved or like a bubble on the side wall. Just my 2 cents

[jeff68]

Mike-
Make sure to post some pictures with the new tires.

If I was showing the car I would have gone with a set of F-70 bias ply, maybe even whitewalls as the car is a convertible cruiser more than a muscle car.

I almost went with the white stripe Polyglas, but decided on the RWL since that's the way my Dad had the car set up 'back in the day'.  He said people used to look at the car and wonder why they were on a no-stripes, no-spoilers car with full wheel covers.  I think it gives the car a more muscular look, and maybe hints that it isn't a base 327 under the hood.


Now, anybody remember the old GT Qualifiers?  I rocked them on rally wheels when I was back in high school (mid-late 80's).  I thought they were awesome, although technically I think they were "totally awesome" at the time.  Looking back, those letters were BIG!



Here's the only picture I have with the BFG TAs on the car:

[mikefam]

I'll get some pictures the next time it comes out of the garage.

Mike.

[mikefam]

Mike-
Make sure to post some pictures with the new tires.

Here's a few pics. The tires aren't much different than what I took off which was a set of off brand rwl radials but the the old ones were 215's rather than 225's and I can't remember if they were 70 profile or 60 profile.

[mikefam]

I don't know why the photos all posted as rotated sideways but if you right click and choose view image they are oriented correctly.

Mike.

[BULLITT65]

I like the final look . Great color combination of the white and burgundy really tie into the sidewall lettering.

I await (BillOhio) burgundy Z finished pics, I think that color really displays well on the Camaro.

[mikefam]

That color is Ford dark toreador red that you see on a lot of late model F-150 pickup trucks. The car was originally cordovan maroon with the deluxe parchment interior and white top. The interior is now deluxe parchment and the paint is close to cordovan but it pops a lot better.

Mike.