Getting ready to buy new rubber for my "SusieQue", 1969 FB (don't laugh my wife named my car. It's easier to live with the name than to live with the little woman if she wasn't on board with all this money I'm spending. Anyway I'm needing your imput on which way to go on the tires. My rims are 14 x 7. I'm going to go with red line tires. What's your thoughts on Radial vs Bias Ply. What size looks best/works best on 14 x 7 rims. All opinions appreciated.
My opinion is ...try to get 15 in rims, you`ll have a lot better selection...14s are getting harder to come by... but I use BFGs (with white raised lettering)on mine (still got 14s) , had a hard time to find 14s to replace 2 a few months ago....
I have a 69 convertible, also with 14 x 7 (rally II) rims. After a fair bit of research, and based on my intended 'pleasure driving/cruising--not racing' use for the car, I purchased red line radials (215/70R15) from Diamondback. These are Michelin Harmony X-series all-season tires, and I've been very pleased with their ride quality, handling (wet and dry) and quiet ride characteristics. They weren't cheap, however: $258 Canadian each through a dealer here in Ontario.
Diamondback also offers red lines based on BF Goodrich and I think perhaps Cooper tires, but I wanted long-life without separations/flat spots etc, and Michelins generally deliver in that regard...(my 1965 Corvette has Sears-branded 'Tredlock' kevlar-belted radials made by Michelin and they're still good (no cracks/separations etc), 23 years after I installed them. Only the age of the rubber is leading me to replace them before using the car.
I'm in the same dilemma. I also have 14x7 Rally II's with white walls. Your options are limited. The only half decent tire I can find is the Uniroyal in a 215/70R14 white wall.
I'm struggling to justify $225 for red wall vs $80 for white wall.
I know what you mean dam1960 but I'm going to bite the bullet and do it. I think the look is worth the difference, and hopefully they will last several years since my car won't see that many mile and be garaged.
I have 14x6 Rally I on my 67 LeMans, had no problems getting tires from Diamondback. I went with 225/70/14 Cooper brand red lines. When I bought mine two years ago now I had my choice of three brands and went with the Cooper brand because they were the cheapest of the three AND had the longest mileage warranty (longer than the BFG). Also at the time, Cooper tires were still made here in the US. Not sure if that is still true or not.
They have been on my car now for 2 years, I've put 25k miles on them and they look brand new. They are radials and ride and handle perfectly.
Delivered to the house the four of them were somewhere around $750. The red line is solid all the way through and does not nor will not come off and the outer face of the tire is shaved smooth and clean. They look great!
