Tires for my 1971 Chrysler 300

[Mid70's Chrysler Fanatic]

I've got Mastercraft WSWs on my '74 T&C; I'm satisfied with them after two years. They've held up well and give a decent ride.

Hankook makes excellent tires, and I'd prefer them to blackwalls (or worse yet, old rubber, which can self-destruct without warning). But when I see a classic American car and my eyes drift down to that foreign name, it's like...[insert record scratching sound here]. Cooper and M/C aren't technically OEM but are closer to the mark, at least.

 

[Carmine]

It's weird to me that some marketing guy raking in a 6-figure income isn't smart enough to say "hey, let's tone down the obnoxious sidewall designs in our whitewall line... those customers probably are more concerned with aesthetics than the Subaru WRX crowd".

Conversely, it's weird that no one at an OEM says "you know all those white rubber blanks we keep around for truck tires? Let's send a few down to the 15" line and sell them at a price just below what Coker gets for a 50 y/o tread design. We'll just run Saturday O/T once a month, but we'll dominate the market because of word-of-mouth."

In other words, the parts are all there, but nobody knows how to assemble them!

 

[Jimmyse23]

It's weird to me that some marketing guy raking in a 6-figure income isn't smart enough to say "hey, let's tone down the obnoxious sidewall designs in our whitewall line... those customers probably are more concerned with aesthetics than the Subaru WRX crowd".

Conversely, it's weird that no one at an OEM says "you know all those white rubber blanks we keep around for truck tires? Let's send a few down to the 15" line and sell them at a price just below what Coker gets for a 50 y/o tread design. We'll just run Saturday O/T once a month, but we'll dominate the market because of word-of-mouth."

In other words, the parts are all there, but nobody knows how to assemble them!

Amen

 

[CBODY67]

One correction in my Post #20, the radials I initially put on my '67 Newport were Kelly-Springfield fiberglass-belted radials in P225/75R 14 size rather than P225/75R-15, as stated.

In digging around in the Hamtramk-Historical website's Library section, I found the old spec sheets which Chrysler supplied to the Automotible Manufacturers' Association for many models and model years of cars. In the tire section, I was able to find the "Reva/mile" specs for many then-OEM tire sizes, std and optional.

In particular, the H78-15 tire size revs/mile was 728. Additionally, G78-14 = 768, G78-15 = 746, GR78-15 = 744, HR78-15 = 727, J78-15 = 715, LR78-15 = 704, L84-15 = 695. The "revs/mile" spec is important for correct speed/distance calibration of the vehicle's speedometer. A tire article in Car Life mentioned that each of the alpha-numeric sizes (at that time, usually "78" and "75", to later include "70" and "60", but basically the normal mainstream sizes) had a government size spec, which would relate to revs/mile, from which there could be a 7% variation.

The alpha-numeric tire sizes were related to weight-carrying capacity (increasing with the progression through the alphabet, A-N), the aspect ratio (78, 70, and 60, initially), and rim diameter. This was oriented toward consumer "ease of comparison" of one tire size to another. Plus not putting less weight-carrying-capacity tires on a vehicle than should be there, which is where the Tire Size/Inflation Pressure decal in the lh door frame came into play, too. Of course, the lower the aspect ratio, the general idea that the tire was "higher performance" than the '75" aspect ratio tires, yet still had similar max weight capacity ratings.

The alphabetic notations for "Load Range Ratings" were another allegedly easier way to assist the consumer. Load Range "B" would be the normal "4-ply rating", "C" would be 6-ply, "D" would be "8-ply", and "E" would be "10 ply". "C" seemed to be later replaced by "XL" after the size designation, with inflation pressures of 36psi for alpha-numeric sizes and higher than that for the later P-Metric "XL" designation radials.

So you can use the above AMA Spec revs/mile numbers to shop for tires in the 16" or 17" rim diameters to replace current 15" tire sizes, or to verify which 15" tire sizes to consider.

Enjoy!
CBODY67

 

[david hill]

Put on a set of Hankooks Optima 724 in January of this year. Best performer in dry or wet conditions. 235r75/15 tire is the size I used. Set the psi at 32 psi. Took some negative caster out of the alignment. Tire wear is excellent. Just my opinion. White side wall is one inch wide.

 

[saforwardlook]

Put on a set of Hankooks Optima 724 in January of this year. Best performer in dry or wet conditions. 235r75/15 tire is the size I used. Set the psi at 32 psi. Took some negative caster out of the alignment. Tire wear is excellent. Just my opinion. White side wall is one inch wide.

View attachment 290905

A car that excellent looking deserves some early style wheel centers is all.......................

 

[CBODY67]

Took some negative caster out of the alignment.
View attachment 290905

I was thinking the OEM caster spec was "+3/4 degree" for power steering cars?

As long as it works well for your car, though. The CAR looks GREAT! Great camera angle, too. I'll forgive the center cap issue, as it's "all in the family" and "close match". Only Chrysler people would notice it, I suspect. Just as long as it wasn't the similar AMC item!

Enjoy!
CBODY67

 

[71NewYorkMan]

FWIW-
I've had Mastercraft P235/75R15's on my 71 NYer for 6 years now, with 4000 miles on them. Several long trips (200 miles) at highway speeds. No complaints. Smooth, quiet, and handles well. At the time, these were the only readily available tires in my area. Looking at Cooper and Hankook for my next project.

 

[ImpJay]

Looking at Cooper and Hankook for my next project.

Thumbs up for Cooper Trendsetter SE tires (235/75R15, 3/4`` white stripe) from me.

Beautiful Ny´er, BTW.

 

[jct]

when i had my 71 FURY III i ran the pep boys house brand tire 255/70/15

 

[ayilar]

I just ordered 5 new Hankook Optimo H724 in 235/75 R 15 for Medina, my '71 Monaco. I bought the same tires in 225/75 R15 (the original size) last year for my '70 Polara 'vert, and could not be happier with them.

Note on availability (June 2019): Get your Hankook Optimo H724 WW tires while you can!

 

[ayilar]

FWIW-
I've had Mastercraft P235/75R15's on my 71 NYer for 6 years now, with 4000 miles on them. (...) Looking at Cooper and Hankook for my next project.View attachment 291019

Really, really like your NYer. Beautiful car! Would love to hear/see more about it. How about a dedicated thread?

PS: If you’ve had the tires for 6 years, I’d consider new ones. FWIW, I generally replace tires after 5-6 years regardless of mileage. Even if you wait longer, the fact that the Hankooks H724 will soon be gone from retail channels might prompt you to move faster than you would have otherwise. Just my two cents of course, it’s your money and your risk aversion.

 

[71NewYorkMan]

PS: If you’ve had the tires for 6 years, I’d consider new ones.

There are different schools of thought on tire replacement, I know. Between 6 and 10 years of age, variables come into play. At 10- yes! replace regardless ! (industry standard). In my case- car is garage kept, thus sunlight exposure is minimal. Ozone exposure can't be avoided, however (which is the ultimate age factor in tires). Mine are supple and sidewall crack-free, thus I will push them for a few more miles.

 

[71NewYorkMan]

Really, really like your NYer. Beautiful car! Would love to hear/see more about it. How about a dedicated thread?

I've received a few compliments on my car on various posts on Cbodies, and appreciate them all! I will get around to posting a "garage" for this car. Thanks!