So this previous event got me really looking at Lady’s shoes…
https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums/custom-aftermarket-suspension-handling/14294-sudden-low-speed-front-end-wobble-waddle.html

They do not look too bad from 5 feet and tread is left, BUT cracks are evident also.
Decoding her tires’ date codes left me in shock…
One front tire was 460 and one rear was 061 (see pictures).
Using the secret decoder ring linked in the above thread, these tires were made in the earliest, late 2000 and early 2001, ONLY if Kelly did not switch to the new 4 digit date code in 2000 like they should have.
OR, they could be from late 1990 or early 1991! I doubt they are from the 80s, but who knows!
Regardless of anything, they need to get changed.

The size is a goofy 215/70/14, which is hard to find off the shelf in a good brand. I need to look at special order.
I ~personally~ think the RWOL lettering on the sidewall is righteous on this particular car, so I want to keep that if all possible. Anyone know of any good RWOLL radial tires? I want to keep the performance and ride of radials...

Of course, a simple task of getting new tires opens up a big can of worms…
The wheels will need to get blasted and painted, as they have original flawed paint. While they are spraying paint, the front stoneshield needs repainting and I am considering adding a repro spoiler.
Looks like the suspension may get rebuilt sooner than I have planned also…

I am considering finding some 15s, so that future tires will be easier to come by.
Anyone around Dallas have a usable set of 15” rally wheels for sale?

 

And there's the ever present balancing SS II/III question[s]
Center cap, trim rins on/off the wheel

FYI

15" SS wheels with bolt on centers are $$$$

15" SS wheels with snap on centers are much less.

 

I am in Lawton, OK and I have a set of SS wheels that are 15". They are sitting in my garage not being used. They are green. Oldsguy and I got them off of a late 70s Delta 88. Do you want me to measure the bolt circle?

 

Yep... This is far worse then taking a woman shoe-shopping, not even counting the $$...

Please do! Is it possible to measure the backspacing, too?
These are for clip on center, right? Thanks!

 

Quote:

The size is a goofy 215/70/14, which is hard to find off the shelf in a good brand

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes....ehawk+Indy+500

Eh? The Firehawk is a damn good tire, reasonably priced, and should be pretty easy to find even w/o special order. I think I'd ditch that 215/70 in favor of a 225/70R14 too.

I've never really been a fan of OWL tires, but to each his own.

 

Well, I was referring to the local shops around town - I never even thought about buying tires online until you mentioned it...
The Indy 500 and the T/As are there in stock - both look pretty good but the Indys got a slightly higher review.
How does the installation work on tirerack? I could not find the installer selector feature... I assume the installation fee is not included, but I would at least like to find a place and call them.
It was good to just find good name perfomance tires for a 14" rim.

Sounds like a keen idea to me, but how much (or little) would that affect my speedometer? The 215 is 25.9" dia and the 225 is 26.5". I know there is a way to figure this out...
I would not think i would have rub issues with such a small change...

Yep, I know... The solid white letters look fine, too.

 

I have the indy 500 on my car. 225/70r14 No problems with rub. Checked speedo when I got it with one of those radar speed signs. Either right on or off 1mph. no biggy.
Larry

PS Like the tires and they look good.

 

I would go with BF Goodrich radial ta 245 60 14s,nice stance and real nice looking! Got them on my 70 conv all the way around with no problems at all !

 

You were reading my mind - I WAS actually lookind at those! I need to find out how wide my stock rims are. Are yours all stock? I bet those would look nice! Please post a closeup picture!

 

for anything nostalgic and local check with Wallace Wade Antique Tires

 

If you are running the 14x7 super stock 2 with bolt on center caps you will have no problem. I been running that size tire for over 20 years on different Cutlass's I have had!

 

Rob, I will measure the bolt circle and back spacing on those wheels this afternoon. They have the snap on centers. I have all of the trim rings, and centers; however, some of the trim rings are battered. They are presentable though.

 

So things are looking brighter now...
The local Discount tire can order the BFGs for me and work around my wheel painting timeframe. They also give me a 5% company discount, so the price is about the same (or a tad less) than tirerack.

The Firehawks are not available in the 245 size for 14 or 15 wheels, so it looks like BFG is the way to go. I will get the little 215-70-14 for the spare, to conserve trunk space. The original spare is a 205-75...

I still have the decision of using 15" wheels, but I do not know if i will even know the diference. I need to ask Richard if his suspension mods will work with 14 or 15" wheels...

 

Rob, I measured the wheels I have.

They are 5 lug 15"x8" with a 4.75" bolt circle and 4.5" backspacing. The wheels have all of the snap on centers with the trim rings and internal trim. They are dark green. They are the wheels that were on Oldsguy's Delta 88 a few years ago:

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...to.php/photo/5

The wheels currently have 4 wheel adapters to change them to a 5" bolt circle. I wouldn't suggest using wheel adapters. They are only for trailer queens IMHO. The wheels also have O'Reilly brand chrome lugs that are surface rusted.

 

Well, after jacking the right front tire so i could rotate it, the soft bulge in the tread was very obvious... Note the big dirty scuff on the inside lower sidewall next to the bulge. This was not only an age issue, but something was hit hard. This further supports my conclusion that this poor car has been crashed into a muddy ravine and has gone off road too often. The oil pan had been dented in and hammered out, the front crossmember had a bucket of red dirt and granite rocks in it, and red dirt caked everywhere underneath...

NOW - how much will i gain going from 14" to 15" wheels? If I want to do it, this is the only time... I decided to only stick with the factory issue wheels though.

Olds64, It looks like your would fit nicely. I have 14x7s with a 4" backspace and the same bolt circle. Go ahead and PM me a price and your general location in OK. Also, how do the caps look?
Thanks...

 

Rob, I sent you a PM. I will post pics of the wheels this evening.

 

Rob,

That tire is a mess, glad it didn't come apart at speed could have caused a bigger problem. I believe going with the 15" wheels is a good choice. Larger tire selection. On my 57 Olds going to the 15" wheels has made the car handle better as well less. Feels like there is less side wall flex and the tires don't squeal when I go around corners.

 

Rob,
I put 225/70/14 Kelly Chargers on my car...OMG in 1986!!! They only have less than 600 miles on them. No cracking what so ever. Look like they just came out of stockroom; they even have those litte rubber "hairs" sticking up all over the place. And they hold air

I was talking to a co-worker who says that tires should be replaced every 8 years just based on the fact that rubber deteriorates. I don't know whether to believe him or not.

BTW, is that rust starting on Ladys fender? If it is, trust me, you'll want to take care of that PDQ.

 

Wow - my 2 year old michilins on the Caddy show cracks already on the side wall...
I do have a set of plain steel wheels with 20 year old tires that are almost new, but I do not trust them to go far... Lady will wear these while her wheels are off.

Thats always a nice little bonus...

It is true, but how much really depends on use, storage, tire quality, climate, ozone level, angle of the planets, etc... Tire shops of course recommend changing at 5-6 years. My failure here was not caused by age alone.

Yep, it is POR15'ed-over rust. Rust-stopped. Remember this process I did last year?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/robsalb...7602930020786/

If not then this might jar the ol' memory!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/robsalb...7602930020786/

It was all cleaned and POR15ed to last until the car gets repainted (who knows when) and the fenders are patched or replaced.

 

Olds64,

Those green wheels look nice - thanks for the pics.
However, they are likely to be heat- warped by day's end...
105 in the shade further north with 108 expected?
I thought it was hot here at 102!

 

Big scuff aside, my tire guy says that the number 1 cause of those bulges is overinflation. I argued with him that "naw, it's over 10 years old and it was 100 degrees out a few weeks back..."
He looked at me and said "overinflation". How did he know that when I checked the other tires on the car, some lunkhead at work had them pumped up to 40 psi? And I wasn't even the lunkhead?

 

The old tire thing is true. I have seen them come apart. The tires dry out and seperate from the steel or nylon belts. This is well discussed in the trucker and motorhome foruims as these tires sit on the shelves for years and when you pushing 30,000 to 80,000 lbs done the road it can be cause a disaster taking several cars with you. I put new tires on every 6 years because I only put 5-6 thousand a year on the motor home. I would be very concerned about old tires. My 2 cents

 

Hmm... Sounds like I should think about replacing the Sears Guardsman G78-14s on my Cutlass. My dad had them put on in 1978 and they have a 28,000 mile tread guarantee. They've got a little over 20,000 miles on them so they should still be under warranty!

 

Man, those are OLD!!
I would keep those things, even on a different set of rims for show.
I DO challenge you to take it to Sears sometime and make a warranty claim later just for fun. Take a camera, too - I want to see the look on their face!!

A couple years ago when i got a defective new tire with a bulge on my 78 ford, the tire shop did not have my size in stock (I had to go to a different shop), so they went to put my spare on. They about crapped when they saw it was the original spare!
Half the shop guys were there scratching their heads at what to do, as they did not want to put that on and I refused to pay for a new spare.
In the end they put on the spare, saying it WAS safer than the new one with the bulge. It got me to the other tire shop just fine!

My spare may still have the original air, too, as I do not remember ever putting air in it....

 

My dear departed father [who grew up in the depression 29 not this one] would always buy 3 new tires, Keep the best ole one as a spare and use the spare for his 4th new tire.

 

If I worked for Sears, I would honor it! But I don't, and I'll bet they'll say there's a statute of limitations. Hit them up with the idea and see what they say! I suspect you'll hear:

But one the serious side, I wouldn't put a lot of trust on the tires if they're all dried out like the one in the pic. It looks like it's on borrowed time. You could probably sell it on ebay as a nostalgia item!