Tires for Classics

Before the change over, there was a sticky on tires for classic and vintage cars. How can I access that.

You can't. Let me see if I can.

Here's David's post that kicked it off:

We have run a few stories about tires for classics, but the subject is an important one that can't be pushed to the back burner. Without good, safe, reasonably priced tires, how can we enjoy our classics? (And 15-year-old tires that still have a lot of tread remaining do not count as safe.) The sad truth is that most modern performance tires don't come in sizes that are appropriate for a pre-1980 classic. So, what can we do? I have been talking to John Rastetter of The Tire Rack a lot about this subject, and he'd also like to see more options available for classic car owners. The answer may involve developing a new tire or simply importing something that is not yet sold in the U.S., so our goal is to first foster some communication on the subject between the car owners, retailers and even the tire companies. To get this going, a few questions for you guys: - Which cars desperately need more options when it comes to tires, and what sizes would you like to see? - Rank these qualities in order of importance: performance, period looks, cost, ride quality, rain performance. - How many sets of tires would you buy during a 10-year period. And if you have friends who also own classics and have an opinion on the subject, please encourage them to weigh in on this thread. The louder our voice, the better the odds we'll eventually have more choices regarding tires. Thanks for the input.

I hate to mention a specific name, especially since I know very little about them, but what about something like a Coker Tire? I just input sizes that would be suitable for my old '67 E-type and an early '60's Triumph and the sizes came up. Are they not suitable for "spirited" driving?

Coker makes some really, really nice tires, especially if you want period-correct looks. We were looking for some low-buck alternatives based on more modern designs.

And I just checked out the Coker site. Check out their period-correct wheels. Yum.