[Heybuck]

My '66 Grand Prix (when purchased by me 20 years ago) was fitted with Michelin 215/75 tyres with a 3/4" whitewall.

I replaced them after about 5 years with 215/75 Bridgestone again with 3/4" whitewalls.

2 years ago I purchased some American Classic 215/75 but they came with a 1" whitewall. I don't like the look of the 1" whitewall but I don't really like the way they ride. Noisy, they "thump" on bumps etc. The Michelins and the Bridgestones rode (and looked) much better.

I'm stuck on the 215/75 size because my speedo is rock solid accurate so I don't want to change sizes.

So my question is, can anyone steer me to another brand and hopefully with a 3/4" whitewall? The options here in Australia are very limited but I can buy and import quite easily.

Thanks

[OG68]

Diamondback Tires has a good selection and can configure any whitewall size you want.

https://dbtires.com/product/diamond-back-ii/

[694.1]

Does your car ride "hard"? Like they are aired up to 60 PSi or the body mounts have been replaced with solid mounts?
My '57 has those too. Wondering if it is the tires??

[Heybuck]

OG68,

Thanks for the link to Diamond Back. I've heard of them before. I'll look into this.

694.1,

To answer your question, I can say definitely that the American Classics ride harder than either the Michelin's or the Bridgestone's. In fact this question has come about because the American Classics are fitted to my 8-lug rims.
I still own the Michelin's, they are fitted to some steel wheels I have. Took my 8 lugs off a month or so ago and temporally fitted back the old Michelin's. I had forgotten how smooth and quiet they ran. I have driven the car a couple of times just locally and even ran it down the freeway at 60mph for a short while. The old Bridgestone's were equally as smooth. Just a whole lot better ride.
I only took the old Michelin's and the Bridgestone's off the car because of their age. The Bridgestone's were starting to get some hair line cracks but the Michelin's under close examination still look amazing. But I can't trust 20+ year old tyres so they will have to go back under the house soon as I finish painting my 8-lugs.

Tyres are a problem.....

[wbnapier]

I've used Diamond Back before. They can custom make a lot of of white wall / red line stuff (I think) at a reasonable price. I would email or phone them and see what they say.

I see all you Aussie Pontiac fans on this forum. I always wondered if any of you guys ever tried to consolidate your orders and ship containers every once and while to save money.

[Heybuck]

Originally Posted by wbnapier

I see all you Aussie Pontiac fans on this forum. I always wondered if any of you guys ever tried to consolidate your orders and ship containers every once and while to save money.

There are companies that consolidate containers and it works very well if you are prepared to wait. OK for big size or very heavy items (engines etc), but for small items usually its cheaper to arrange it yourself via an international forwarder (TNT or DHL or FEDEX etc) or even the post.

I actually looked at bringing in my own American Classic tyres but while it would have been cheaper, I went with the local agent here. Paid a premium but that included fitting and of course a warranty. If I did it myself, I'd have to wear the fitting and no warranty.

I'll contact Diamond Back and see what they offer. But will they be better than the American Classics??? That's the question no-one will know.

Ian

[Stuart]

Are there any tires available there in the desired size? I'm wondering if you could pick up a set of blackwall tires in the brand of your choice, and then find a local company that could add whitewalls to them like Diamondback does.

[Marv]

I have found that good quality (Michelin, Continental, etc) tyres ride much better than cheaper equivalents or smaller brands.

I have a set of factory 15in steel 5x5 wheels off my Bonneville doing nothing under my house. They're stripped of tyres so wouldn't cost too much to ship if you wanted a spare set of wheels for road driving/cruises, and a set with wide whites for shows? I know some guys up my way who do this - run steelies when cruising and put their Keystones/Astro Supremes with the white walls on just for show use.

[Heybuck]

Thanks Marv, I won't do anything just yet. The real truth of all this is I guess I'm just a bit peeved at the poorer ride the American Classics are giving me when I compare them to my old Michelin's and Bridgestones.

But commonsense needs to be considered too. Those American Classics cost me just shy of A$1000 for 4 tyres fitted and balanced. What am I going to do with them?To replace them will cost maybe another grand and the market for secondhand 14" tyres is hardly buoyant. Then consider that I drive the car maybe 2-3000 kilometres each year, I think I should just forget about the "thumps" and road noise the American Classics transmit. Just live with them.....

BTW, I am running Continental tyres on my WK Caprice, my wife's Nissan Murano, my trusty old (1993) Toyota Hi-Ace and my daughters Kluger. I'm sold on them. Quiet, smooth and great mileage out of them

Ian

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by Heybuck

But commonsense needs to be considered too. Those American Classics cost me just shy of A$1000 for 4 tyres fitted and balanced. What am I going to do with them?To replace them will cost maybe another grand and the market for secondhand 14" tyres is hardly buoyant. Then consider that I drive the car maybe 2-3000 kilometres each year, I think I should just forget about the "thumps" and road noise the American Classics transmit. Just live with them.....

I think the idea of living with what you have for another couple of years is what I'd do. They'll be 4 - 5 years old and just about time to replace them anyway. Five years would be $200.00 per year - an amount that is trivial when you consider the investment in the car.

FWIW - I've run DiamondBack Redlines on my '64 GTO with great success. I now run 17" Continental blackwalls with 17" steelies and poverty caps (my car was originally built with poverty caps) and I just had red "pin stripes" painted on the rims to make it look like I still am running redlines.

[66 Wagon]

Hankook has 215/75-14 with a 20 millimeter (around 3/4-7/8) white stripe, called Optimo H724

I have had them myself on a '66 wagon and they're really good.
Low noise, good handling and in my opinion the ride with them on are smooth.



They're reasonable priced tires made in South Korea and I will buy them again.