when i got my car it had/has g78-15 www dunlop bias ply tires on it, i knew they were old, but figured i'd run em anyway, treads were good, but starting to rot pretty good, so fast forward a year later and i'm still running them, but now the rot is starting to worry me so i want to replace them. g78-15 does not seem to be a common size. i know nothing at all about old bias ply www's, so is that a good size to use? should i go with a different size? i just want something safe and reliable, its no race car. i want to stick with the www bias plys.
Try Coker tire, you should be able to get the modern size from the application listing on the web site. Going with a radial (ugh) or vintage look bias ply. or call your local tire shop/ some the old school tire guys will know exact what that g78x15 transfer over to.
Should be about 27.5 to 28 inches tall; P215/75R15 is in the ballpark, maybe P225/75R15, depending on brand.
Jasonp, If the G78-15 you have now work for you, we carry our Coker Classic in a G78-15 with both a 2 ¾ whitewall for $119.00 each and a 3 ¼ whitewall for $124.00 each. Both are in stock ready to ship. Thanks, Jess Jess Hoodenpyle Sales and Customer Service Manager Coker Tire 423-648-8563 www.Coker.com
Look for the date code on the tires you hav eto get an idea of how old they really are. I don't really think you could buy a WWW in that size when those sizes were being used in the industry (late 60s-early 70s?) before the P-metric scale was introduced.
I had an old tire with good tread and just a few cracks explode on me once while doing 70 MPH. lucky for me it was a rear inside tire on a dually. if it had been the front tire (which was in the same shape) I'd have surely crashed.
I used G78-14 tires on my '63 Pontiac 421 Catalinas until 1988. When the last set wore out and I went to buy more, they were gone for every tire store in the Dallas Texas area. After searcing for a week I finally found out that all the 78 aspect ratio tires that were left in the tire stores by mid-1988 were sent back to the tire manufacturers and were replaced with the modern P metric series even though the P metric tires were first introduced in the U.S. in late 1970s. I have run Coker B.F. Goodrich Silvertown 8.50 x 14 bias ply BSW tires mainly for shows since the 78 series tires were eliminated. Modern P Metric radial tires are not designed for the older suspensions and they will put more stress on shocks and other suspension components found on a car that is 1970 and older. You should have a "Radial Tuned Suspension" for P metric radial tires because radials are built of more rigid materials than bias ply tires in order to maintian the same strength. That feature causes the radials to run rough when on a car that is 1970 or older. Gas filled shocks will also make a older car drive like a log wagon. The two problems I have with Coker Classic tires: 1.) They wear out fast. You will be lucky if you get 20,000 miles out of a set of them even if you rotate the tires every 6,000 miles. On a show car they may last 30 years. 2.) I worry about the DOT load and speed rating of Coker Classic tires. Are they just for car shows or are they safe at a sustained speed of 100 MPH or more on a hot day? If tires were still made of butyl rubber like the Atlas Buchrons were in the 1960s, they would last forever. I have a pair of Atlas Buchrons that I use for cheater slicks. The 1" wide white side wall looks brand new after 50 years.
Duntov, Good concerns. 1. Bias ply tires just dont last as long as radials. It is due to the way the tire is built using cross-ply technology. 2. Our Coker Classic bias ply tires meet or exceed all U.S. DOT requirements. Thanks, Jess Jess Hoodenpyle Sales and Customer Service Manager Coker Tire 423-648-8563 www.Coker.com
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