[JMB36TA]

Originally Posted by Formulajones

They do. They've been making them for a couple years now....

https://youtu.be/IJ0eqR8mrkA

Not cheap, but if you want a radial with the correct appearance.......

I‘ve been seeing them in the $230 range but I don’t know if they’re radial. Kelsey tire keeps popping up. You know anything about them or where I can check out the radials?



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[Grand73Am]

Originally Posted by JMB36TA

I‘ve been seeing them in the $230 range but I don’t know if they’re radial. Kelsey tire keeps popping up. You know anything about them or where I can check out the radials?

I didn't see where you said what year car you have. I'm guessing around 1970? So, I guess you want a repro of the tire that was used in 1970.

Firestone Wide Ovals at Coker Tire would be one choice. And in the video that FormulaJones put up, it's about Coker Tires' radial tires that look like Firestone Wide Ovals, so those are radials.

Kelsey tire is another manufacturer of vintage tires, and have been reproducing Goodyear tires. They have the Polyglas, but they don't make it as a radial. They've been making Polysteel radials, but Polysteels weren't used until later in the 70's. Here's a link to their website and their Polyglas tires. http://www.kelseytire.com/pages/preformancetires2.html

Personally, I'd just get some Radial TA's and save some money .

[JMB36TA]

Originally Posted by Grand73Am

I didn't see where you said what year car you have. I'm guessing around 1970? So, I guess you want a repro of the tire that was used in 1970.

Firestone Wide Ovals at Coker Tire would be one choice. And in the video that FormulaJones put up, it's about Coker Tires' radial tires that look like Firestone Wide Ovals, so those are radials.

Kelsey tire is another manufacturer of vintage tires, and have been reproducing Goodyear tires. They have the Polyglas, but they don't make it as a radial. They've been making Polysteel radials, but Polysteels weren't used until later in the 70's. Here's a link to their website and their Polyglas tires. http://www.kelseytire.com/pages/preformancetires2.html

Personally, I'd just get some Radial TA's and save some money .

My car is a 69 Firebird T/A tribute so I’m going after the original T/A look. I’ve looked at early ads and seen them with black walls. The early ad with the red ram air VI decals has white walls I think. But that wasn’t a production model, it was a promo model. I’m leaning towards BFGoodrich radial t/a’s from Coker. It’s a good radial at $100 less than the Polyglas.




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[Chief of the 60's]

Originally Posted by JMB36TA

My car is a 69 Firebird T/A tribute so I’m going after the original T/A look. I’ve looked at early ads and seen them with black walls. The early ad with the red ram air VI decals has white walls I think. But that wasn’t a production model, it was a promo model. I’m leaning towards BFGoodrich radial t/a’s from Coker. It’s a good radial at $100 less than the Polyglas.

Sweet car! Definitely deserves the proper tires.

[JMB36TA]

Originally Posted by Chief of the 60's

Sweet car! Definitely deserves the proper tires.

Thank you Chief! I spent a lot of time and research getting her as close to a T/A as I possibly can. She's almost there with just a few minor details left, like the correct alternator and master cylinder.

[scott70]

Originally Posted by JMB36TA

My car is a 69 Firebird T/A tribute so I’m going after the original T/A look. I’ve looked at early ads and seen them with black walls. The early ad with the red ram air VI decals has white walls I think. But that wasn’t a production model, it was a promo model. I’m leaning towards BFGoodrich radial t/a’s from Coker. It’s a good radial at $100 less than the Polyglas.




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Beautiful car by the way. Always liked the 67-73 birds. 69 being one of my favorites. If you could,,,the wide oval radial would look good,,,but they are pricey. If I could find bfg 235/70-14 new I'd buy those again . Going for the stockish look but radial ride also.

[JMB36TA]

Originally Posted by scott70

Beautiful car by the way. Always liked the 67-73 birds. 69 being one of my favorites. If you could,,,the wide oval radial would look good,,,but they are pricey. If I could find bfg 235/70-14 new I'd buy those again . Going for the stockish look but radial ride also.

Thank you! 68s have always been my favorite Firebird and the 69 Trans Am always ranked as #1 on my list but I couldn't afford a real one. This is as close as I'll ever get. I agree that the wide oval would look good but they're the same price as the Polyglas and if I were to spend that money I'd go with the Polyglas The BFG are a good tire and $100 less saving me $400! They all look good and the BFG is a modern radial.

[Grand73Am]

Originally Posted by JMB36TA

I’m leaning towards BFGoodrich radial t/a’s from Coker. It’s a good radial at $100 less than the Polyglas.

You shouldn't have to buy the BFG Radial TA's from Coker. They aren't obsolete tires like the others, and are still widely available. Michelin bought out BFG around 1990, and has been making the Radial TA's ever since. I noticed the quality improved after Michelin started making them. I bought my last set 2 years ago from my local Kaufman Tire store, when they had a sale. So, I think you can buy them from most local tire dealers. I even see them advertised at Walmart. And Tirerack.com carries them as well. So, you can shop around for the best deal.

[JMB36TA]

Originally Posted by Grand73Am

You shouldn't have to buy the BFG Radial TA's from Coker. They aren't obsolete tires like the others, and are still widely available. Michelin bought out BFG around 1990, and has been making the Radial TA's ever since. I noticed the quality improved after Michelin started making them. I bought my last set 2 years ago from my local Kaufman Tire store, when they had a sale. So, I think you can buy them from most local tire dealers. I even see them advertised at Walmart. And Tirerack.com carries them as well. So, you can shop around for the best deal.

Coker is the best deal that I've found. Local tire stores are about $10-$15 more per tire. One dealer told me if they match Coker's price they wouldn't make anything off me. I can order them through Jeg's with free shipping.

[Grand73Am]

Okay, so you have shopped around . I wouldn't have expected Coker to be less than a local store, all things considered. But buying them thru Jegs does look like a good deal with the free shipping.

[JMB36TA]

Absolutely, always do research

[Formulajones]

Originally Posted by JMB36TA

I‘ve been seeing them in the $230 range but I don’t know if they’re radial. Kelsey tire keeps popping up. You know anything about them or where I can check out the radials?



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Coker makes the Firestones in both radial and bias ply. They only deal in the Firestones however.

If you're looking for a Goodyear, Kelsey is where you want to look. They only produce the Goodyear tires in a bias design, no radials are offered in a Goodyear....at this time.

We run BFG Radial TA's on both of our classic daily drivers. They are inexpensive and it's an okay tire. The advantage they have is that they still make sizes that have become obsolete with most other brands. Only issues I've had with them over the years is when they get to be about 7-8 years old, if I haven't wore them out yet, I've had a couple of them develop knots. So I tend to start questioning them when they start getting some age on them. Especially here in AZ where summer temps are 110+, constant sunshine, and the blacktop is like an oven. I've seen more tire failures in the 12 years I've lived here than my entire life anywhere else.

[JMB36TA]

Originally Posted by Formulajones

Coker makes the Firestones in both radial and bias ply. They only deal in the Firestones however.

If you're looking for a Goodyear, Kelsey is where you want to look. They only produce the Goodyear tires in a bias design, no radials are offered in a Goodyear....at this time.

We run BFG Radial TA's on both of our classic daily drivers. They are inexpensive and it's an okay tire. The advantage they have is that they still make sizes that have become obsolete with most other brands. Only issues I've had with them over the years is when they get to be about 7-8 years old, if I haven't wore them out yet, I've had a couple of them develop knots. So I tend to start questioning them when they start getting some age on them. Especially here in AZ where summer temps are 110+, constant sunshine, and the blacktop is like an oven. I've seen more tire failures in the 12 years I've lived here than my entire life anywhere else.

I hear ya on the AZ weather, I'm in Tucson. My 02 T/A sat outside for years and I went through many tires due to dry rot. Now it's outside again since I got the 69. I have a 2 car garage so either a car or both Harley's have to sit outside. Trust me when I say it's not an easy decision...lol