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Preference on Tires?

Rockett

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Hey guys, I just recently purchased this '69 Roadrunner & the tires are about 17 years old. Sooo... although less than 1,000 miles since new, I'm thinking that I really need to replace this old rubber (no "she said" jokes, please!)

New to the MOPAR scene & I don't want to pass up this opportunity to buy "appropriate" tires & stuff that I'll be happy with.

Sooo... Presently the car has Goodyear Eagle GTII's.... front: P235/60R15 rear: P255/60R15 on Magnum 500 [style] wheels. I'm happy with the stance & appearance, but I haven't driven the car much at all in the 2 weeks that I've had it.

1.) Are these a good choice of tires? Should I replace with pretty much the same thing? Or ... what options do I have for improvement? Go *wider* in the rear, or all the way around?

2.) Should I trust a place like NTB & have them do all the work? (And is it the driver's side that has the left-hand lugs?) Or, would I be better off ordering tires myself (Tire Rack?) & then taking the wheels off the car to have a place like NTB simply mount & balance the new stuff for me?

3.) I'm also considering white letter tires. I'm an old guy.... do white letters still look cool? Part of me thinks that white letters on Magnum wheels on a ViaminC car might be a bit "busy". Does anyone have pics of a similar setup?

Any & all comments & opinions are welcomed & appreciated!

Rick

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I’m liking the Coopers on everything I own. These are 295 50 15’s on the Coronet. Inexpensive and great when caught in the rain. Smell good too.
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Yes it’s the drivers side that has the left had lugs. I wanted the old school look in spades so I put Goodyear polyglas RWL tires all the way around. L60x15 on the back and E60x15 on the front. Got 2 thumbs up from an appraiser on the look but most on here will tell you the new radials are a much better bet. Since I put few miles on the car I didn’t care - I wanted the look.

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Yeah, the old school Mopar saying is "Tighten to the front, loosen to the rear."
As far as tires go (Now this is just me) I don't pay allot for tires.But I also don't drive allot of miles.Most of the time my tires time out,are too old to take a chance.Like you stated. Round here they dry out and crack, tread still look like new.I have been buying a brand called Hercules.About $60 to $80 a tire.I have them on several vehicles.I bought 14'' for my wife's car and they are made in USA.The 15'' I got were made in China and the 16'' were Japan.I have been happy with them for general use.
 
I love the look of the 275 60r15 (28" tall) on the rear. I have run the 295 50r15 (26.5 tall) as well, but they just didn't look right to me on a b-body, especially a big one like the '68 and later body styles.

If they made an inexpensive 295, 28" tall tire I would buy it in a heartbeat. Oh wait, it wont fit in the wheel wheel of my '67... guess I'm stuck with the 275.

Cooper Cobra or BFG Radial T/A are your best bet for these sizes.
 
I don't think RWL's will be to busy. I think they will give you another dimension to your car's look. They will make the magnum's stand out a little more.
If you are happy with the stance and look I would stay with the same size arrangement. I'm an old guy too, but still about 18 with my cars.
 
IMHO the radials of today are way better than the "vintage" bias stuff. You size combination seems good. My Satellite has 215/65/15 Yokahama on the front. Seem pretty good, look wide enough, not a curvy road car though. Backs are 325/50/15 Goodrich TA Drag Radials(will be M&H Sport/Street 325's), narrowed Dana, moved springs. As far as brand, ???

BTW, I really like the ride height of your combo. Top of rim about at wheel lip in the back. Check recommended wheel width for the size you choose. All I've talked to say Coopers seem pretty good.
 
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What brand did Plymouth use in 1969? Goodyear?
If so, & specially if I go with RWL, I'd likely go Goodyear just to get "that look".

Should I drive the car in to NTB? Or, would I be wiser to just bring the wheels in, with the new tires for mounting & balancing only? Any bad experiences with NTB or other chain tire shops on older cars like these? These cars do operate differently than what young guys have been used to since the 80's.

(My son recently bought a used Jeep at a dealership, & the young "porter" really had no idea how to drive a manual transmission. So, with them "prepping" the vehicle, my son pretty much had to tell the guy to get out of the Jeep & stop destroying the clutch. Smh.)
 
What brand did Plymouth use in 1969? Goodyear?
If so, & specially if I go with RWL, I'd likely go Goodyear just to get "that look".

Should I drive the car in to NTB? Or, would I be wiser to just bring the wheels in, with the new tires for mounting & balancing only? Any bad experiences with NTB or other chain tire shops on older cars like these? These cars do operate differently than what young guys have been used to since the 80's.

(My son recently bought a used Jeep at a dealership, & the young "porter" really had no idea how to drive a manual transmission. So, with them "prepping" the vehicle, my son pretty much had to tell the guy to get out of the Jeep & stop destroying the clutch. Smh.)
If you go with the tires like mine - don’t buy them at Year One - they’ll gouge the **** out of you on shipping. I searched and found them at Universal Vintage Tire in Ohio. Price was okay and shipping was reasonable. They’re not cheap to buy though anywhere. But the look is great.
 
Rick I'm all for taking the wheels in and not the car. I've had and heard way to many horror stories.
I forgot to add that Hercules tires are a division of Cooper Tires. I like their Iron Man series for classic cars.
In the photo my 65 has the Iron Man 215/75/R15 on the front and Goodyear Drag Radials 275/60/15 on the rear.This is on steel wheels.
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Also attached is photos of the 65 with BFG 255/70/R15 rear. 225/70/R15 on the front with the Torque Thrust wheels.
Just food for thought. IMG_2736.jpg IMG_2735.jpg
 
295 50's would clear my leaf springs? Wondering if I'd then need a wider wheel?
What are you running on the front?
225 70 14’s on the front. Coronet may be different. Rears are 8” rim. When pushed real hard on track day, the inside left rear did kiss the leaf. It was solved with a spacer. Drives straight, handles good. O compromises with 14-15’s.
 
Rick I'm all for taking the wheels in and not the car. I've had and heard way to many horror stories.
Also attached is photos of the 65 with BFG 255/70/R15 rear. 225/70/R15 on the front with the Torque Thrust wheels.
Just food for thought. View attachment 785524 View attachment 785525

Yeah, I kind of cringe when I think of handing the keys over to someone who is going to drive my car over to a far maintenance bay & ask me to have a seat in the waiting room. Ugh.

I'm a bit intrigued by your 255/70's on the rear. I presently have 255/60's ... if I went with 70's, I'd have a slightly taller sidewall & a bit more "rake" on the car, huh? Do you know your total tire height on those? I'm calculating 29"?

I'm at 27" now. (OEM=26.1")

I suppose the speedometer would read [even] slow[er] then, right?

BTW.... Way cool cars you have there!!! :thumbsup:
 
Cooper Cobra's here too. :thumbsup:

Had BF Goodrich on it when I bought it, but a belt separated on me a couple of hundred miles from home. It was a slow bumpy ride. I'm soured on them.
 
I just put Cooper Cobras on the Satellite and am very happy with them. We drove over 150 miles round trip to a show on them - the way down in the rain, and they ride nice. I like the solid white letter look.
I forgot to mention that I ordered them on line and took the wheels in and had them mounted and balanced. I don't like turning the car over to someone else, either. I added another pic of the Belvedere with black walls -which I also like.

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Guess I forgot about my opinion on RWL's. They were neat in 1970, but I found they did discolor & require maintenance. Black walls for me, everybody should do what THEY like.
 
I would never hand my keys over to someone I didn't know to change the tires. Remove them yourself and take them to a shop to have the new tires put on the wheels. My preference is BFG TA's, white letters out, 275/60/15 rears. But whatever you end up doing, make sure you give the old ones a good scorching before you take them off.:lol:
 
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