|
Tire Availability Survey - Large 14 & 15 Whitewalls
by Ed Mills
|
I put this together based on some
research I did last month for tires for my 300L (8.55-14 narrow
whitewall OE) and my 67 New Yorker (8.85-14 narrow whitewall OE). I
looked at both big 14's (8.00/8.25/G78-14 and larger) and big 15's
(7.10/8.15/G78-15 and larger) and was disappointed to find many of
the tires which were available only a couple of years back are now
extinct.
I included both Narrow and Wide Whitewall, but there
are also good options in the 15 inch sizes in Blackwall and RWL that
could be used as is or have Whitewalls added by the Diamondback
vulcanizing process.
I put the results in an email in response
to a question on another list, but I thought it may also be of
interest here so I am reposting. Its a long and somewhat technical
"survey" I did on whats still available - probability you
will be able to skip through to the portion that deals with your
size. For those of you who have seen on the 300 list, I
apologize.
Its not guaranteed to be complete and there may be
some perfectly good inventory of some tires such as the Firestone
F380, Goodyear Integrity or Regatta II, Cooper Trendsetter SE,
Hankook Optimo H725, etc. that are no longer in production or now
only in Blackwalls in sizes that previously were available in
whitewalls. I would personally have no hesitation to buy such NOS
tires which are relatively new - say 1 to 3 years old, but there are
those who do not recommend using tires more than 5 years old - others
say 10 years old - probably depends on use. For example, I would not
want to run a 10 year old tire with age cracking issues for hours
under load at 80mph on a hot day but would be fine driving the same
tire from home to a local show at 30-45mph.
The sizes of most
interest for the big Chryslers are typically the replacements for
7.60/8.45/H78-15, 8.00/8.85/J78-15, 8.00/8.25/G78-14,
8.50/8.55/H78-14, and 9.00/8.85/J78-14. The current "replacements"
are respectively P225/75R15, P235/75R15, P215/75R14, P225/75R14, and
P235/75R14. I also included the P215/75R15 (7.10/8.15/G78-15) as a
point for those considering replacing 14's with 15's due to
availability of 14's.
I would note that the metric
"equivalent" 75 series sizes tend to be significantly
smaller diameter that the 80 and 83 series bias tires they replace.
Furthermore, radials of a given diameter tend to have a lower Static
Loaded Radius than a comparable bias tire of similar OD. Hence a car
on radials will sit a bit lower even if OD is identical. Hence there
would seem to be a desire to upsize assuming you have clearance for
the increased tread width.
I have provided typical OD and
tread width from older files I have dating back to the 50's including
some engineering data - but I would also note that in the 1950's thru
at least the early 1960's there tended to be some variation in OD by
manufacturer and tread width both by manufacturer and in different
tire lines within a manufacturer.
Anyway, here's the bad
news:
8.00-14 & 8.25-14
typically 27.5 inch OD x 4.6 inch tread width Replaced by
P215/75R14 typically 26.7 inch OD x 5.6 inch tread width (Another
option would be the 225/70R14 but its a bit shorter and wider still
and mostly raised white letters)
8.00R14 American
Classic 3-inch WW 27.59 OD x 5.9 tread with 7.7 section
width P215/75R14 American Classic (both wide 2.5" and
narrow 1" whitewall) 26.7 OD x 5.7 tread P215/75R14
Coker Classic (wide 2.5" whitewall) 27.1 OD x 5.7
tread P215/75R14 Hankook Optimo H724 narrow whitewall 26.7
OD x 5.3 tread P215/75R14 Toyo Extensa
AS currently shows blackwall only - These were previously available
in narrow white
Now Extinct:
Firestone FR380 Narrow Whitewalls 26.7 OD x 5.6 tread
and Cooper Trendsetter SE (et al*) 26.55 OD x 5.4
tread
8.50-14 & 8.55-14 typical OD
28.2-28.3 OD x 4.7-4.8 tread H78-14 typical 27.6-27.7
OD x 5.7-5.8 tread Replaced by P225/75R14 - OD range
27.05-27.62 (small sampling)
8.50-14 and 8.55-14 BFGoodrich
Silvertowns still available from Coker in correct tread for 1957-60
cars 8.50-14 - Universal Tire and Lucas Tire also show a Lester
tire with a 3 inch Wide Whitewall H78-14 Coker Classic 4ply
bias (wide 2.5" whitewall) 27.60 OD x 5.75 tread P225/75R14 -
Coker Classic (wide 2.5" whitewall) 27.62 OD x 6.04 tread
Narrow Whitewalls Last Seen in Coker
Classics 27.62 OD x 6.04 tread (no longer listed NW)
and Cooper Trendsetter SE (et al*) 27.05 OD x 5.6
tread (Discontinued
late 2007)
* Here I would note that Cooper
makes several other brands such as the Mastercraft AS-IV which is
essentially the same tire and both TBC and Treadways market tires
which have similar specs such as Multi-Mile Matrix and the ElDorado
Golden Fury - both of which seem to be available in similar size and
sidewall configurations. TBC brands include Cordovan, Multi-Mile,
Sigma, and Vanderbilt. Treadways brands include ElDorado, Jetzon,
Telstar and Sumitomo. Other tires of this family may include Dean,
Hercules, Starfire, Tempra, and Big-O, as well as Mastercraft and
possibly others. After finding certain similarities in line
specifications and size / sidewall availability, I stopped searching
individual lines and only list the Cooper entry into this field. The
14's seem to be extinct in Whitewalls, but 4 or 5 sizes of narrow
whitewalls still show up in 15 inch production - including P215/75R15
and P235/75R15 but not P225/75R15 which is now
Blackwall only.
Some of the above companies also list a
common Gremax 5000 narrow whitewall tire at the end of the passenger
section. The Gremax appears to be made by Crowntyre Industrial Co.
Ltd of China and imported for distribution by TBC and possibly
others. These are mostly 15 inch and a couple of 14 inch (195/75R14
and 205/75R14) narrow whitewalls. The 15 inch narrow whites include
215/75R15, 225/75R15 and 235/75R15 plus 225/70R15.
Hankook is about the only major
player – and by that I mean someone who is well known for
Original Equipment tires (Michelin, Goodyear, Bridgestone, Toyo,
Hankook, etc.) that is still making 14 inch whitewalls in “larger”
sizes (up to 215/75R14) in their Optimo H724 line. The Hankook Optimo
H725 was also produced in certain Narrow Whitewall sizes, but alas,
the most recent listing that I can find dated 2013 only shows the
H725 in Blackwall. Let us hope Hankook does not decide to abandon the
whitewalls entirely as they appear to be a pretty good and cost
effective tire not made in China (Korea and Indonesia yes, but not
China). Another tire you might come across is the Kingstar Centum
SK72 which is made by Hankook and appears to be available in pretty
much the same size ranges as the Hankook Optimo H724. (Up to
215/75R14 and several large 15’s.)
Another company which has several
narrow whitewalls is Milestar in their MS775 line. Milestar according
to their site is a trademark of TIRECO a US registered company since
1970, but according to Wiki, the tires are made by Nanking Tires, a
Taiwanese based company. Again, these are a few smaller 14 inch in
narrow whitewall up to P215/70R14 and some of the larger 15 inch. The
15 inch narrow whites include 215/75R15, 225/75R15 and
235/75R15.
Also I noticed after I had compiled my list that
Coker is now listing a new Maxxis Narrow Whitewall, but its size
range is limited to those already represented in my tabulation.
Maxxis is a well known tire in ATV use made by Cheng Shin Rubber Ind,
Ltd. based out of Taiwan - but not sure where the MA1 passenger tires
are made and again, sizes in narrow whitewall are only up to
P215/70R14 and some of the larger 15 inch. The 15 inch narrow whites
include 215/75R15, 225/75R15 and 235/75R15 plus P225/70R15.
9.00-14 & 8.85-14
typical 28.7-28.8 OD x 4.8-4.9 tread
9.00-14 and
8.85-14 BFGoodrich Silvertowns still available from Coker in correct
OE design for 1957-1960 cars. The 8.85-14 size would be appropriate
for 1965 and later cars. P235/75R14 American Classic (both 2.5"
Wide and 1" Narrow Whitewall) 27.9 OD x 6.3 tread
9.50-14
- Lucas Tire has both a Lester with 2.5" Wide White
and a General Dual 90 with 2.25" Wide White as well as Coker /
BF Goodrich in Narrow and Wide White.
One further note
relative to tires. My personal preference would be a high quality
mass produced radial tire rather than a “specialty” tire.
The Bias Repros are very nice for “SHOW” but I would not personally choose them for “GO” for high speed or long distance driving. They are typically made
in small batches using older production methods that may not have the
same level of quality control as a high quality production tire. To
some degree, the same arguments can be made about small batches and
older techniques even on the specialty radials.
But having said that, there are NO
big 14 inch tires being mass produced. The biggest I can find is a
P215/75-14 and even those are getting scarce (Hankook H724 and
Kingstar Centum SK72 - made by Hankook) in narrow white and Toyo
Extensa AS in black. There are 225/70R14 – mostly Raised White
Letters- but they are actually smaller in diameter than the
215/75R14.
There are taller (80 series) 195-14
and 205-14 radials but beware – most (probably all) of these
are Heavy Load tires for trucks and trailer use and have limited
speed ratings (as low as 65 or 75 mph).
As
to 15 inch, there are several of what I would call
"major" brands - at least those that I recognize as having
been around a while - I have listed only the Whitewalls which include
Cooper, Toyo, and Hankook - all of which are competitively priced
($70-100) as well as the specialty brands from Coker and American
Classics. And there are the many variations of Cooper, TBC, and
Treadways as well as the Kingstar Centum SK72, the Gremax 5000, the
Milestar MS775, and the Maxxis MA1.
There are also a number
of Blackwall and Raised White Letter tires including BFGoodrich,
Goodyear, Firestone, Michelin, etc. which I did not list due to their
great population. Any of these would make good candidates for the
Diamondback Whitewall Vulcanizing Process.
7.10-15 & 8.15-15 typical
28.0-28.1 OD x 4.5/5.0 tread
7.10R15 American
Classic Radial 28.21 OD x 4.70 tread with 2.75" Wide
White P215/75R15 Cooper Trendsetter SE 27.55 OD x 5.4
tread Narrow White P215/75R15 Hankook H724 27.7
OD x 5.3 tread Narrow White P215/75R15 Toyo Extensa
AS 27.6 OD x ??? tread Narrow White P215/75R15
American Classic 27.6 OD x 6.24 tread - 1.6" Narrow and
2.75" Wide White P215/75R15 Coker Classic 27.62 OD x
6.04 tread - 2.5" Wide White
7.60-15 & 8.45-15
typical 28.7-28.8 OD x 4.6/5.0 tread
7.60-15
Coker Classic 4-ply Bias 28.70 OD x 4.90 tread - 3" Wide
White 7.60R15 American Classic Radial 28.87 OD x 4.90
tread - 3.25" Wide White H78-15 Coker Classic 4-ply
Bias 28.36 OD x 5.74 tread - 3" and 4.4" Wide
White P225/75R15 Hankook H724 28.3 OD x 5.6 tread
Narrow White P225/75R15 American Classic 28.29 OD x
6.52 tread - 1.3" Narrow and 2.75" Wide White P225/75R15
Coker Classic 28.29 OD x 6.24 tread - 2.75" Wide White
8.00-15
& 8.85-15 typical 29.2-29.3 OD x 4.8/5.2 tread
8.00-15
Coker Classic 4-ply bias 29.08 OD x 4.70 tread - 2.5" and
3" Wide White 8.00R15 American Classic Radial
29.41 OD x 5.00 tread with 3.25" Wide White J78-15
BFGoodrich (Coker) Silvertown Belted 28.72 OD x 6.0 tread - 7/8"
Narrow and 5/16" Dual White P235/75R15 Cooper
Trendsetter SE 28.65 OD x 5.9 tread Narrow
White P235/75R15 Toyo Extensa AS 28.9 OD x ??? tread
Narrow White P235/75R15 Hankook H724 Extra Load
28.9 OD x 5.8 tread Narrow White P235/75R15 American
Classic 28.8 OD x 6.72 tread - 1.6" Narrow and 3"
Wide White P235/75R15 Coker Classic 28.91 OD x 6.58 tread -
3.125" Wide White
8.20R15 American
Classic Radial 29.91 OD x 5.60 tread with 3.25" Wide
White 9.00-15 BFGoodrich (Coker) Silvertown 29.59 OD x
5.40 tread - 1" , Dual, and Triple White L78-15
BFGoodrich (Coker) Silvertown Belted 29.30 OD x 5.88 tread - 1"
Narrow and 1/8+5/16" Dual White L78-15 Coker Classic
4-ply bias 29.30 OD x 5.88 tread - 3" and 4" Wide
White
One further note for those of us unfortunate
enough to use the large 14 inch tires (most 1957-68 Chryslers, as
well as lots of Oldsmobiles, Mercurys, Lincolns, and Pontiacs) –
and I recognize this may be sacrilege to many, but the best match for
diameter to the typical 8.50/8.55-14 and the 9.00/8.85-14 may be a
225/75R15 or a 235/75R15, They will still sit slightly lower as
radials always do, but even the biggest specialty P235/75R14 is about
an inch short on Outside Diameter.
Information has been compiled from
my personal BFGoodrich, Goodyear, Michelin, and Firestone historical
files as well as information obtained over internet sources including
both historical and current data from Wiki, BFGoodrich,
Bridgestone-Firestone, Hankook Tire, Toyo, Cooper Tire, TBC,
Treadways, Kingstar, Milestar, Gremax, and Maxxis Tire as well as
Coker Tire, Lucas Classic Tire, Universal Tire, Diamondback Tires,
and Wallace W Wade Specialty Tires.
All information is
provided for reference use only. Please check specifications of
individual tires before any purchase. I have endeavored to provide
correct references and attributions - if I have failed to correctly
list complete names of tires, trademarks, manufacturers,or resources,
or have included typographical errors, I apologize in advance. All
data best effort as of 2/28/2014.
Best, Ed
Rev
1 to add tires / corrections as of 3/18/2014
|
|