I have a set of four original aluminum wheels (turbine I think they may be called) off of a 1984, they probably the most common on the Fireos. They are at power spray right new being sandblasted and powder coated and then going to put mount new tires and install them on my 1987 SE.
What I would like to know is what is the correct tire for this 14" wheel? On my driver 84 there is no two tires alike and I cannot make out what's on the label on the side of the door.
I would like the correct size for the best handling.
My '84 had the sport gearing, and was built with 215/60R14 tires. I can prove that. These days, you can get that size only from BFGoodrich. Or maybe some obscure, local, off-brand. I don't like how the BFG Radial T/A handles on a strut-style suspension, but it handles great on a double-control-arm suspension. Best pricing is from www.tirerack.com. A 215/60R14 isn't very tall, so it doesn't fill the wheelwells very well, especially the rears, which are larger. I've seen claims of other years being built with 205/60R14s but have yet to see any evidence.
[This message has been edited by Isolde (edited 05-10-2011).]
I went and checked the door sticker of my 85 that came with the wheels you are asking about - it says 195/70R14 is the correct size
if you still have your sticker on the driver's side front fender well (inside the front compartment) it will tell you exactly what came on your car. The codes are:
QDX P195/70R14 black wall, steel-belted (85-87) QDY P195/70R14 white-lettered, steel-belted (85-87) QFE P185/75R14 black wall, steel-belted (86-88) QFG P185/75R14 white-lettered, steel-belted (86-87) QPU P215/60R14 black wall, steel-belted (84-87)
Robby
[This message has been edited by RobbyH (edited 05-10-2011).]
I went and checked the door sticker of my 85 that came with the wheels you are asking about - it says 195/70R14 is the correct size
if you still have your sticker on the driver's side front fender well (inside the front compartment) it will tell you exactly what came on your car. The codes are:
QDX P195/70R14 black wall, steel-belted (85-87) QDY P195/70R14 white-lettered, steel-belted (85-87) QFE P185/75R14 black wall, steel-belted (86-88) QFG P185/75R14 white-lettered, steel-belted (86-87) QPU P215/60R14 black wall, steel-belted (84-87)
Robby
Wow thanks Robby for going that extra mile for me. My door sticker is really faded on both of the Fieros. However the one on the 87 has stamped out steel rims, (the reason I want the aluminum wheels) so what ever that label says would be narrower and that size would look way stupid on the wider aluminum rims.
Again, I greatly appreciate you taking the time and checking your label out!
John
PS: I will check that sticker out under the hood on my 84, I know it's still legible
[This message has been edited by John N (edited 05-10-2011).]
Standard tires in 84 were 185/80R13, optional was 215/60R14. I don't think any other sizes were used in 84, at least not that I've ever been aware. The 195/70R14 were on some later models, but I don't think 84 offered them. I searched for the BFG T/A Radial P215/60R14 for an 84SE about a year ago. That size wasn't easy to find, but when I finally got it, the manufacturing date was recent so I think they might still be in (very low) production. Frustrating how hard they are to get, last time I bought tires for that car (10 years ago) every tire store had them sitting on the shelf.
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08:28 AM
Fierology Member
Posts: 1195 From: Eastern Tennessee Registered: Dec 2006
FYI, "turbine" wheels are the ones on the car in the picture below: They were only offered in 84. The more common 14" aluminum wheels found on Fieros are called "High Tech" wheels.
Looked at a picture of my 84SE RPO tag, and mine had the same code. Personally, I'd get the 215/60, but that size definitely has to be ordered and costs about double the $57. The advantage of 195/70 is that they're cheaper and easier to find on-demand, or at least I thought so. I'm surprised WalMart needs to order them, I thought lots of more recent cars use that size. Really the choice comes down to economy vs performance - the 195/70 will certainly cost less, be easier to replace in an emergency, and should slightly help gas mileage. But if you're shopping for handling then I'd order the 215/60 BFG's.
[This message has been edited by armos (edited 05-12-2011).]
i have a 87 GT on stock wheels and they are 185/65r15.
And they are incorrectly sized... 15x7 inch diamond lace wheels are sized 205/60R15 in the front and 215/60R15 in the rear, stock... The 88 15x6 front uses the same front tire size...
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11:28 AM
Fierology Member
Posts: 1195 From: Eastern Tennessee Registered: Dec 2006
