When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
66 Starfire new wheels & tires: comparing old & new
Just threw the switch on 5 new tires for my '66 Starfire. Many thanks to you all for your combinations & recommendations.
The main reason is my tires were from 2014. This time I took the opportunity to upgrade to 15x8 wheels from Stockton Wheel (USA made). For about 20 years I've had 15x7 and the last tires were 225/70R15. The old tires made the speedo read a bit low and were wearing out on top of the age.
Per Joe P's recommendation many moons ago, I went with Diamondback tires once again since they can vulcanize a 3/4" whitewall on the tires like I'm used to. I've always liked a whitewall on the big cars. I think they contribute to a quieter "period" look for the big cars vs. the more muscle style of raised white letters or redlines.
Thought you all might like to see a comparison of old vs new on the '66 Starfire: The old: 225/70R15 BF Goodrich radial TA's on rear 15x7 wheel of my '66 Stafire. Better than the original 14x6 by a good measure, but I decided to upsize again.
Tire testing of 245/60R15's on 15x8 wheel: The new: 245/60R15 on 15x8 wheel. Reminds me of the Blues Brothers line about "Cop tires, cop suspension"
The die is cast, but I'll be getting new tires for my 98 convertible soon too. I'm hoping these tires will fit under the rear wheel skirts, but not sure. Will check that on Monday. If not, I'll need a different solution for it, but it'd be great to have them both the same.
I like the look, but do you all think this will help the handling and ride a bit?
I'm no racer, but hoping to get somewhat better cornering out of the deal as well as better on-road grip.
Just tested the 245/60 R15 tire size on my '66 98 convertible. I have 2 pretty similar cars, I was hoping I could have 1 tire size for all.
No go on the 98. They'll work fine for my Starfire which, mechanically is more or less a gussied up 88.
The '66 98 Olds has fender skirts. The skirts force an outer limit for the width of the tire. The 245/60 R15's would work fine on the front, but will sit too close to the rear skirts to work well. They don't _quite_ interfere, but that's standing still. Tolerances were close enough that I had no confidence it would work in motion.
My tire guy ran the experiment with a 245/60 R15 mounted to a 15x8 with 4.00 offset. The fender skirt securing rod didn't clear the wheel unless bent and hit the tire too. We concluded this wheel/tire combo won't work well on the 98, unless I go chasing custom offset wheels which I'm not inclined to do this time around.
He suggests 235/70 R15 on the existing (therefore free) 15x7 wheels. Right now the car has 235/75 R15 on the suggestion of Diamondback years ago. I've never liked how tall they make the car sit, so the debate is now really 235/70 R15, perhaps the shorter 235/60 R16 (if it exists), or 225/70 R15.
Do you all have views/knowledge about how any of these tires have worked for your big cars? Particularly 98s from 1965 to 1970?
Thanks in advance for any experience you can offer.
Chris
Just an information point, I have that tire size (245-60-15) on 15x7 wheels and they fit the wheel fine. Maybe test them with your 7” wide wheels to see if the clearance is different?
Fun71, exactly the kind of intelligence I'm looking for here. Many thanks.
This is a big car, not a Cutlass, so dimensional bets are off, but ya never know what swaps between Cutlasses and big cars. Oddly enough: upper trailing arms!. I've used Hotchkiss boxed trailing arms for 20 years or more that were made for a Cutlass/442...
We kicked around options today and my tire guy said the widest he's comfortable with on a 15x7 is 235. I'm inclined to trust his judgment, but since we have the tire and the wheel, maybe it's worth a second test. I'll see if he's into it. Seeing the near-interference on the 15x8, we both went "oh.", meaning no-go.
Just tested the 245/60 R15 tire size on my '66 98 convertible. I have 2 pretty similar cars, I was hoping I could have 1 tire size for all.
No go on the 98. They'll work fine for my Starfire which, mechanically is more or less a gussied up 88.
The '66 98 Olds has fender skirts. The skirts force an outer limit for the width of the tire. The 245/60 R15's would work fine on the front, but will sit too close to the rear skirts to work well. They don't _quite_ interfere, but that's standing still. Tolerances were close enough that I had no confidence it would work in motion.
My tire guy ran the experiment with a 245/60 R15 mounted to a 15x8 with 4.00 offset. The fender skirt securing rod didn't clear the wheel unless bent and hit the tire too. We concluded this wheel/tire combo won't work well on the 98, unless I go chasing custom offset wheels which I'm not inclined to do this time around.
He suggests 235/70 R15 on the existing (therefore free) 15x7 wheels. Right now the car has 235/75 R15 on the suggestion of Diamondback years ago. I've never liked how tall they make the car sit, so the debate is now really 235/70 R15, perhaps the shorter 235/60 R16 (if it exists), or 225/70 R15.
Do you all have views/knowledge about how any of these tires have worked for your big cars? Particularly 98s from 1965 to 1970?
Thanks in advance for any experience you can offer.
Chris
Chris
The OEM tires were 8.55x14, which were 27.96" in diameter with an 8.50" section width.
235/75-15s are nearly an inch larger than OEM at 28.88" OD with a 9.25" section width.
235/70-15s are identical to the OEM diameter at 27.95" OD with the same 9.25" section width.
245/60-15 are over an inch smaller than OEM at 26.57" OD with a 9.65" section width.
On my 67 Delta (which doesn't have the fender skirts to deal with) I have the 235/70s on the front on 15x7 Torq Thrusts that only come in a -0.25" offset and 275/60-15s (which have exactly the same OD) on 15x8.5 Torq Thrusts that only come in a -1" offset. These fit and look great on my car, but again, I don't have fender skirts.
Just for fun i tried the squarebodys frontwheels on the 88 and i think it looks much better than the
14" wheels. They are 235/70-15 on 15x8 with - 20 mm offset.
235/70-15s are identical to the OEM diameter at 27.95" OD with the same 9.25" section width.
^^^THIS^^^
I'd go with the 235/70 R15 if you don't like the 235/75 R15s.
BTW, who is your "tire guy"? Do you use a corporate chain like Firestone or Goodyear, or do you use a local place? I need to find a good place when I replace the tires on my 71.
Just threw the switch on 5 new tires for my '66 Starfire. Many thanks to you all for your combinations & recommendations.
The main reason is my tires were from 2014. This time I took the opportunity to upgrade to 15x8 wheels from Stockton Wheel (USA made). For about 20 years I've had 15x7 and the last tires were 225/70R15. The old tires made the speedo read a bit low and were wearing out on top of the age.
Per Joe P's recommendation many moons ago, I went with Diamondback tires once again since they can vulcanize a 3/4" whitewall on the tires like I'm used to. I've always liked a whitewall on the big cars. I think they contribute to a quieter "period" look for the big cars vs. the more muscle style of raised white letters or redlines.
Thought you all might like to see a comparison of old vs new on the '66 Starfire:
The old: 225/70R15 BF Goodrich radial TA's on rear 15x7 wheel of my '66 Stafire. Better than the original 14x6 by a good measure, but I decided to upsize again.
Tire testing of 245/60R15's on 15x8 wheel:
The new: 245/60R15 on 15x8 wheel. Reminds me of the Blues Brothers line about "Cop tires, cop suspension"
The die is cast, but I'll be getting new tires for my 98 convertible soon too. I'm hoping these tires will fit under the rear wheel skirts, but not sure. Will check that on Monday. If not, I'll need a different solution for it, but it'd be great to have them both the same.
I like the look, but do you all think this will help the handling and ride a bit?
I'm no racer, but hoping to get somewhat better cornering out of the deal as well as better on-road grip.
Anyway, hope you enjoy the pictures.
Chris
Are you sticking with the tri-bar spinner hubcaps?
1) Yup, I’m keeping the Ben Hur spiked tri-bar spinners. My wife calls ‘em “dog killers”. My tire guy dislikes them since each one must weigh 4-5 lbs. “your fuel economy would go up just by changing hubcaps!”. I like ‘em since the spinners are ‘66 only. However they are fakes of my own construction. Really the hubcaps are 1970 or so 15” 1049B Chevy hubcaps with ‘66 Olds spinners salvaged from 66 14” hubcaps over the years. Olds never made a 15” fake wire wheel until the 80’s and I never liked those latter day rocket logos on 60’s cars.
2) I’m hoping that when all is said & done the spinners will be flush or just inside the fenders. I think I have a good chance to get there. I don’t know though.
3) My tire guy is a local independent in north of San Francisco, not a chain. I was referred to him by my longtime mechanic friend as the go-to guy here. I’m sure you can find such a shop in your area, just ask around among your trusted car friends, check at shows and something will turn up. Might a town or city away, but the right person makes a big difference.
Joe P. - thanks again for your tire data. I’m 90% sure I’ll go 235/70 R15 on the 98 with fender skirts. I’m a little disappointed I couldn’t get both cars the same, but a little variation here isn’t a big deal. I’m just going to have to remember that the speedometers will read differently. The 245/60’s, just plain didn’t fit on the 98 with the skirts. I may ask my guy to test those 245/60’s on a 7” wheel, but he thinks 235 is as wide as you can go on a 7” wide wheel. He may not want the liability of going with the wider tire on the skinnier wheel even if it worked under the skirts.
Can’t wait to see the new tires on the Starfire, should be next few weeks or so. Next up will be the 98 and then I’m good for another 8 years or so
July 6th, 2023, 02:12 PM
