Wow. these 215 60R 14's are becoming rare. I have Kuhmo's now. But they don't make this size anymore. I saw a NEXEN tire which was "H" rated But after seeing multiple websites showing it as back ordered, I contacted Nexen directly and was told that size was discontinued. Almost down to BF Goodrich being the only choice. I don't mind the brand, but at $125+ for an "S' rated tire, I think they are over priced. A local shop claims they can get Hankook's in this size which also appear to be H rated, but reviews of the tire are mediocre at best. I thought about going up a size, but there aren't good options there either. Depending on the size I chose it was not available in that size, only available from BFG, or throwing off my speedo too much, or some other complaint.
Probably more choices if I went to 15 inch rims, but I want to keep the stock wheels.
Hey edfiero, I feel your pain. Just try getting 14" tires for a 60 full size Pontiac. Ask me how I know. $900 later. No I didn't bother getting the spare.
Looks like your close to me. You wouldn't be off rt 10 would you?
Spoon
------------------ "Kilgore Trout once wrote a short story which was a dialogue between two pieces of yeast. They were discussing the possible purposes of life as they ate sugar and suffocated in their own excrement. Because of their limited intelligence, they never came close to guessing that they were making champagne." - Kurt Vonnegut
I bought a set of Copper 15" CS5 Grand Touring tires rated @ 80k miles,. They are great, ride very quite. Ordered them from www.tires-easy.com
I'm curious what size you went with? I have an 87 GT, and am all over the place deciding on size. I'd like the rears to fill up the wells a bit better than stock. One of the POs put 225/60/15 on the rears which look pretty good. I didn't realize they were up a size till I looked closely at them. Searching, I see many guys have opted for 235 or 245's in the back. (I like sidewalls and plan on keeping to a 60 instead of dropping to a 50.) I like to cruise and hot rod little, so am more concerned with looks and comfort. (As opposed to sidewall flex and cornering.) I am happy with the stock size up front as the steering effort is acceptable with the 205/60's but have read many go up to a 215. (Too much reading old threads has really confused me but I'm settling in.)
As I haven't driven the car with 215's in the rear, I'm considering them but do think the 225's on it now look good and am leaning a bit taller / wider, but don't want to take the staggered look too far. This car is my summer car so I'm not concerned with snow capabilities! (If it's snowing, I'll be driving the iron duke Notchie lol)
Sorry for the hijack, but as the OP was looking at going to 15's anyways maybe the info will help. I also didn't want to start a fresh thread with these age old common questions or bump a very old one.
Couple years ago I had to replace my '62 Falcon's 13" wheels with 14" wheels because the only 13" tires I could find were for trailers. LOL
I'm now wishing I'd just gone to 15" wheels because 14" tires are hard to find. My local Big O carries Epic brand tires in a few 14" sizes - I have 185/60-14 - and, to be honest, I'm not all that mad at the tires. They aren't going to win races, but they have adequate grip, nice road manners, and behave fine in the rain. Worth a look. I think you can also get GT (brand) tires in various 14" diameters. They are a Chinese tire, but have been in business for a long time - my first experience with them was their "Champiro H" in the '90s. It's a totally ok tire.
But, 14" tires aren't long for this world. I'd really make the move to 15" tires, and honestly I'd consider some aftermarket 16" wheels. 15" tires probably won't be available in the next decade.
Edit: Crap. Just checked, looks like neither Epic nor GT makes many 14" tires anymore. Only 70-series in two sizes each. No help here.
[This message has been edited by thesameguy (edited 03-31-2016).]
Literally just received a new set of wheels and rims. Came in yesterday, unwrapped today. The old rims are black lace from a stock '88 GT, and have less than 31K miles. New Firestone tires bought last spring and have less the 2K miles on them. 205/15 fronts, 215/15 rear. Will sell for the price paid for the tires and throw in the rims, already mounted and balanced. Let me know if your interested and I will get a pic and price of tires. Will swap them out in a week or so.
update, tires are Firestone Precision Sport. Total cost was $397.32 ------------------
Jerry '88 Fiero GT Red and proud of it
[This message has been edited by Jerry Tarnofsky (edited 03-31-2016).]
They do, but I would be cautious of Coker tires. Their tires are *typically* made using old molds, which means they don't have modern certifications - no load, speed, traction, temp, etc. ratings. If you read their literature carefully, Coker recommends their tires strictly for show use and not for use on the street. Of course, they're probably fine, but if something ever happened and someone got hurt because a Coker tire failed, you could end up in trouble. I don't like to fear-monger, but just be aware.
Another similar approach would be Diamondback tires. They actually OE Toyo (IIRC) tires, so they're truly suitable for road use. Of course, being actual certified specialty tires means they're even more expensive - ~$200ea. Ouch.
I couldn't find anything about "show use only" on their website. Do you have a link?
quote
Originally posted by thesameguy:
They do, but I would be cautious of Coker tires. Their tires are *typically* made using old molds, which means they don't have modern certifications - no load, speed, traction, temp, etc. ratings. If you read their literature carefully, Coker recommends their tires strictly for show use and not for use on the street. Of course, they're probably fine, but if something ever happened and someone got hurt because a Coker tire failed, you could end up in trouble. I don't like to fear-monger, but just be aware.
Another similar approach would be Diamondback tires. They actually OE Toyo (IIRC) tires, so they're truly suitable for road use. Of course, being actual certified specialty tires means they're even more expensive - ~$200ea. Ouch.
Their language has become what I would term "evasive" over the last several years are Diamondback has been eating into their business. Some of their tires carry aged DOT approvals (as they're made from old molds) and some do not. You need to read each individual tire description to see what has DOT approvals and what does not. The specs they publish are hit and miss and aren't collected anywhere - you have to ask whether a specific tire is speed, temperature, load, or traction rated and they may or may not tell you. Just recently I had a devil of a time getting them to commit to specs on tires for my '67 Fleetwood. I ended up buying Hankooks, as Korean or not at least they tell you what you're getting.
I know Coker provides a very valuable service and it's not my intention to bad-mouth them. I am happy they're around, and happy you can buy vintage tires for vintage cars. I would just encourage caution in shopping, be sure of what you're getting, and be positive if you're buying specialty tires for a daily driver you're checking for all the relevant certs.
[This message has been edited by thesameguy (edited 04-01-2016).]
I still use 14's because I have lightweight wheels (9.3 lbs). Just now I pulled up TireRack and they show plenty of 185/195 in H and T , some with 4-1/2 stars, $50 to $75. Use their size filter. When I phone my Sears and America Tire they do not have that selection, but have a couple others. Sears used to be competitive ,but now is out of it. America Tire is the only source I have found locally. I do not trade with TireRack, but some may find them viable.
What about using a 215/70r14? Cooper still have those available and I have always liked my Coopers. Softer and dont last as long as some, but lets face it you are not going to get "GREAT" performance from an 80s era 14 inch tire.
The side wall is a little larger and at about 70 according to the speedo you will really be going 75. I cant imagine giving up my 14 inch pizza slicers yet so I will probably go this way when the time comes. Stock cars certainly have enough room in the wheel well to hold the tire. And I dont think you would get any rub in the front from turn to turn.
I bought a set of tires from Diamondback for my Magnum. They were new Bridgestones, with all the outside sidewall lettering removed and a 1/4" red line inlaid. They ran very smooth and got excellent wear for the time I had it. I drove it 17,000 miles and looked 'out of the box' brand new. It was my everyday driver at the time and even used it to tow cars and trailers. You are right that they were $200 each though....but I had one of a kind tires for shows.
I did not mention it but until recently Goodwinrace site, catering to the miata had long shown a good looking Falken stock 14 autocross tire with decent cross section, Looks like they no longer sell tires. Also tirerack shows a 14 gumball which is not DOT approved and would be dangerous to run on any damp road. I finally got used to skinny tires in my old age, but I hear you about the 195s and 70 series. Even the 195x55s seem to have disappeared.
You wanna talk wet use tires. I put a set of Kumho's on one of my Corvettes. The car was literally undriveable in the rain over 60 mph. It wouldnt run in a straight line, and even changed lanes on its own hitting any kind of puddles. On a curve, it was a 50/50 chance it would turn when you turned the steering wheel. I sometimes ended up on the edge of the median or berm. I got rid of them very fast.
It could be worse if you have a Mera version of a Fiero. The stock front tires are 245 x 50 x 15 and the rears are 265 x 50 x 15. I have not been able to find a replacement front tire for many years and there are only one or two potential sources for the rear tires. It is fortunate that I can run the 265 tire on all four corners with few issues since I can occasionally find that size.
Coker tires are as good or better than the original tires they represent.
The mold has nothing to do with the tire. The fact is these are older designed tires in most cases and are not as strong or handle as well as a more modern tire. The same can be said for many of the cars they go on too.
In most cases the rubber is better .
Coker just does not make any major claims on the tires as they are generally older technology and do not recommend them for much as they do not want the liability of someone doing something stupid. Case in point any tire with a white wall or letters generally is weaker and has a much lower speed rating as the white rubber is not a structural part of the tire and can fail under high heat from high speeds. So they do not want you to take your Hemi Cuda and try to run 150 MPH for an hour on a bias wide oval tire. Note that is why White Walls and White Letters are rare today when even many 4 cylinder cars can do 130 MPH.
It is a matter of liability anymore so they side on caution to protect themselves.
But after seeing multiple websites showing it as back ordered, I contacted Nexen directly and was told that size was discontinued.
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