What are the best 14 inch tires for a Mach 1?

[gnatsum 12]

 hello everyone. I have a 69 Mach 1 in driver condition and have acquired a set of used 14 X 7 Magnum 500 Wheels. I would like to know what are the largest and or best tires that would be appropriate for those wheels on that vehicle.

[Mach1 Driver 560]

You will get lots of opinions on this. The "LOOK" would be 15" magnums with BFG Radial T/As.  I believe BFG still makes 14s but since Michelin bought them I hear complaints of steel belts moving then tires coming apart and damaging fenders at very low miles. Cooper Cobras aren't nearly as popular but a safer bet these days. Now that I've said that I better duck the incoming.

 

[69RavenConv 286]

I've run a set of 14" BFG Radial T/As on my convertible for about 4 years and have no complaints. It's not a performance car, though, so I don't run it hard by any means so YMMV. I've heard good things about the Coopers as well but have no first hand experience.

[barnett468 418]

What exactly do you mean by "the largest"?

How will you be driving the car, mild or semi aggressively?

The lower the profile, the better it will corner but the firmer the ride will be.

 

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[barnett468 418]

2 hours ago, Mach1 Driver said:

You will get lots of opinions on this. The "LOOK" would be 15" magnums with BFG Radial T/As.  I believe BFG still makes 14s but since Michelin bought them I hear complaints of steel belts moving then tires coming apart and damaging fenders at very low miles. Cooper Cobras aren't nearly as popular but a safer bet these days. Now that I've said that I better duck the incoming.

 

"Cooper Cobras aren't nearly as popular but a safer bet these days."

They are also much cheaper then T/A's and probably work better. I know for a fact that they squeal far less then the T/A's did after Goodrich changed their formula. for the worst.

 

"Now that I've said that I better duck the incoming."

What "incoming" is going to be coming in that you need to duck?

 

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[Mach1 Driver 560]

1 hour ago, barnett468 said:

What "incoming" is going to be coming in that you need to duck?

 

People tend to have strong beliefs about their tires.

Consumer Affairs rates them 1.5 out of 5: https://www.consumeraffairs.com/tires/goodrich.html

Cooper isn't that much better with 2 out of 5: https://www.consumeraffairs.com/tires/cooper.html

but I don't think this is specific to a particular tire, just the brand

[Mike65 475]

I have the Cooper Cobra's 215/70R-14's in the front & 225/70R-14's in the rear. I have not driven on them yet.

 

[Mach1 Driver 560]

9 minutes ago, Mike65 said:

I have the Cooper Cobra's 215/75R-14's in the front & 225/75R-14's in the rear. I have not driven on them yet.

 

Oh you should'a gotten bigger ones in front- it doesn't look like they could'a hit...anything ;)

[1969_Mach1 333]

I'm looking at tires as well to replace my 24 year old Goodyear Eagle GTII on stock 14 x 6 Chrome Styles Steel Wheels.  I'd like new 15 x 7 wheels as well but I think that's out of the question right now.  For 14" tires your choices pretty much narrow down to BF Goodrich TA's or Cooper Cobra's.  I currently have 215/70R-14's but I'm thinking of going with Cooper Cobra 225/70R-14's.  Looking at Mike65's coupe above, I see the 225's he has on the stock 6" wide rear wheels fit pretty good.

Summit Racing gives wheel width recommendations for tire sizes.  As well as the tire height, width, and other specs.  It's a pretty good starting point to see what fits your wheels.  Then you need to consider the ride height, stock lowered, etc.

[Mike65 475]

The 14" wheels & tires fit the wheel well better because I have 4.5 mid eye rear leaf springs, & the Shelby/Arning UCA drop & 600 lb 1" lowering front coil springs. Even though the engine & trans are not in the car it sits lower then stock.

[Mach1 Driver 560]

I did a little research on tires. The widest you can put on the front without hitting slightly under some conditions is 235/60-15 (per Barnett468)

In that size we are limited to manufacturers. 

Cooper makes theirs and 7 other brands: Avalon, Cooper, Dean, Mastercraft, Mickey Thompson, Roadmaster, Sears Guardsman, and Starfire. Three come in that size: Cooper, Mickey Thompson, and Starfire

Coker makes vintage style tires in 5 brands: Michelin, Firestone, BF Goodrich, Uniroyal, and M&H. Two come in that size: BF Goodrich, and M&H.

Other manufactures of this size are: Milestar (Taiwan), Vitour (China), Carlisle (Pennsylvania), Pirelli (Italy), Centennial (China)

So it seems to boil down to three well known companies: Cooper, Cooker, and Pirelli. The Pirelli's don't come in raised white letters and are around $277 each. So that leaves Cooper or Coker. The Coopers rate 2 out of 5 and the Coker BF Goodrich 1.5 out of 5. The Coopers are cheaper. Pick your poison. If there are others please share.

 

[gnatsum 12]

Thank you everyone for your input. To answer barnett468's questions, I only intend to drive the car mildly and at regular city/highway cruising speeds and I will not be racing it or driving very aggressively. At least not yet LOL. The reason I want to go big on the tires is to fill the wheel wells as much as possible, and given that my rims are only 14 inch diameter, I'll need large tires to make that happen.  The Cooper Cobras sound good, and are more in my budget.  Can I do 235/75-14 all around? I believe that would be the widest and tallest, right? Am I correct that 235/75 is taller than 235/60? Any clearance issues with 235/75-14? Will those tires fit the 14x7 rims?

[gnatsum 12]

Here's my car, a work in progress. It currently wears a rusty set of old Cragar Supertricks. The 14x7 Magnums should look much better.

[barnett468 418]

2 hours ago, gnatsum said:

Thank you everyone for your input. To answer barnett468's questions, I only intend to drive the car mildly and at regular city/highway cruising speeds and I will not be racing it or driving very aggressively. At least not yet LOL. The reason I want to go big on the tires is to fill the wheel wells as much as possible, and given that my rims are only 14 inch diameter, I'll need large tires to make that happen.  The Cooper Cobras sound good, and are more in my budget.  Can I do 235/75-14 all around? I believe that would be the widest and tallest, right? Am I correct that 235/75 is taller than 235/60? Any clearance issues with 235/75-14? Will those tires fit the 14x7 rims?

Tire sizes vary slightly between manufacturers, but below is what they theoretically "should" be. The 235 75 14 is a truck size tire and it would most likely hit. You are safe with 205 75 14. The other thing to consider is wheel offset. If you have aftermarket wheels, they may stick out slightly farther than the stock ones which can cause the tires to hit the fenders.

235 60 14 ....... 25.1 x 9.3

235 75 14 ....... 27.8 9.25

205/75R14 ..... 26.1 8.10

215/75R14 ..... 26.7 8.50

 

[Guillaume69 150]

I have been using Cooper Cobras (235/60R15) on Torque Thrust wheels for the past 15 years or so on my 69.

Those tires are, in my opinion, the best for looks, just like the BFG, because of the white rised  lettering. They also seem to never, ever, wear out. Which could be nice, but has a major drawback.

The rubber compound on these tires is hard as stone. And they get even harder (if that’s possible) in cold temperatures. Which basically makes them extremely poor on wet or damp cold surfaces, in term of performance. I’d even venture to say that I find these tires dangerous when used on a 50 year old rear wheel drive muscle car.

I have over 100,000 miles on them and got used to be very careful. But I would never let someone else test drive my car on a wet road.

And every time I switch to my 2013 Boss 302 and its Michelin Pilot Super Sports, I make a note to myself that says: « dump the Coopers, put real tires on the 69, and drive it like you stole it! »

As far as rised lettering goes, there seems to be technical solutions available now, that might allow to get both performance and looks. Not cheap, but worth taking into consideration.

https://www.tirestickers.com/shop/

G

[gnatsum 12]

I saw that Hankook had tires that might fit. Anyone have those on their vehicle?

[barnett468 418]

4 hours ago, gnatsum said:

I saw that Hankook had tires that might fit. Anyone have those on their vehicle?

i have used lots of hankooks and they are no worse than ta's or coopers.

 

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