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Factory/Optional tire/Wheel dimensions, help needed
Good Morning Gents,
my infight with the German TÜV (technical surveillance institute) comes to the next round. Now they claim my tire sizes(235/60 r15) on my 72CS.
I wonder if anybody knows if a tire of that size would have been a possible on a new 72 Cutlass Supreme, even it would just have been an option. I have to prove now that it is "serial" condition :-(
Thanks for your time and help!
The 235/60-15 size didn't exist in 1972 when these cars were built. Here is the salesman's SPECS page for the 1972 Supreme. Standard tire was F78-14 (G78-14 with A/C or FE2 suspension). The only other optional tire size was G70-14. Dimensions are as shown:
F78-14 tires had a 7.90" section width and a 26.50" overall diameter
G78-14 tires had an 8.35" section width and a 27.06" diameter
G70-14 tires had an 8.75" section width and a 26.82" diameter.
Your 235/60-15 tires have a 9.25" section width and a 26.10" diameter, so a little wider and smaller in diameter than any of the originals. Frankly, I find this too small for the A-body cars. I'd suggest 245/60-15, which are 9.65" section and 26.57" diameter, or 225/70-15, which are 8.86" section and 27.40" diameter. Both of those sizes are readily available from BF Goodrich.
Note that the 235/70-15s have a max load rating of 1,896 lbs. The 245/60-15s have a rating of 1,753 lbs. Either choice is more than adequate to support a 1972 Supreme.
Wow, do they want you to replace your modern radial tires with archaic bias ply tires? Or just have tires with the same overall dimensions as the original factory tires?
Thank you very much Joe, this table helps.
@Kenneth: they dont say what you have to do. they just say why they dont let your car pass through the technical inspection. I could go with 235/60r15 IF they would be on an approved rim. I run Cragars, they are not approved. As none american rim :-(
TÜV is pita with an American old car :-(
Dang we are lucky we don't have to worry about such minor things as tire size for inspections, for the most part. I thought some of our laws were crazy but that seems a little over the top restrictive.
Dang we are lucky we don't have to worry about such minor things as tire size for inspections, for the most part. I thought some of our laws were crazy but that seems a little over the top restrictive.
I'm all for inspections that verify that a car is safe to drive. I don't care if a car owner want's to risk his or her own life, but I get concerned if their poor judgement can cause their car to hit mine.
Laws like this are well-intended, but as usual, politicians are clueless when it comes to technical details. The reality is that you'd be hard-pressed to find a newer tire that is LESS safe than the ones that came on these cars originally, but the letter of the law is to specify that only original equipment tire sizes are acceptable. Sadly, "common sense" and "politician" are rarely used in the same sentence. The reality is that so long as the load capacity of the tire is adequate and the tire doesn't rub on the car to the point that it can be cut, it's fine for the application.
2 more years approved.
Next silly discussion with TÜV about wheel sizes in May, 2019
:-)
Congrats. Out of curiosity, what did TUV do with the information? What tires do you have on the car now? I'm curious if they cared about the actual sizes or only the load rating.
I still have the 235/60 r15.
We have a couple of small Oldtimer Meetings here, from Time to Time i meet there other people with american Oldies. There was a guy with a Buick Skylark who helped me and copied his papers (with 235/60 r15 permission). So I went again to TÜV, showed those papers, explained that its the same body and he was convinced. He didnt put it in the papers but for now its ok.........:-)
