Rob Peters Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 Even though my tires still have about 1/2 to 3/4 of their "Tread Life" remaining I am thinking I am on borrowed time when it comes to the age of the tires. I bought them the year after I got the car because the old tires were just yucky black-walls and they were just plain old butt ugly. I put the BF Goodrich T/A Radials on her and I really liked the look of the raised white letters. My only complaint was that the raised white letter tires were really not put on Monte Carlo's. I am not sure but you may have been able to special order raised white letter tires like was available on Chevelle's but it was not common to see them on a Monte from the factory Those who know me are aware I am kind of a stickler when it comes to original things on my cars. To that end, since my tires are getting old I am thinking of of going to a thin whitewall, closer to what was on the Monte's from the factory. I could still run my rally caps and rings but the thin whitewalls would open up other possibilities. I also have a full set of the body color keyed caps and a full set of the classy looking standard caps. It would also allow me to install a set of fender skirts if I wanted. I already have a pair of fender skirts (they would need a bit of work but I have them and the brackets too. I like the Monte dressed in both the raised white letters and the whitewall's so I haven't fully decided which way I am going. Another reason I am considering the thin white wall is the number of times I am getting called by production companies for my car to be used in movies having the tires closer to original would be a better fit. So what are others thoughts on this..... Raised White Letters or Whitewalls? rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cny first gen 71 Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 White walls to stay original, myself i've never liked the fender skirts. As we always say its your car its your decision. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stangeba Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 All I can say is, look at the picture below. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stangeba Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 I believe thin single stripe WSW tires are very very very hard to find. Mine are Cooper "Lifeliner Touring SLE" 225/70R15 radials, thanks to one of our members, Capri, who told me about them after she got them for her 71 SS. I don't believe they make them any more. :-( Bias belted G70x15 from Cooker? Way too much $$$ for me to afford even if they do make them but I can't find them. Diamond Back tires can bond on any size white, gold, blue or red wall to any tire you want. I purchased my Coopers from them in April 2007 for $416.00. The WSW was great BUT they sanded / polished off all the ugly HUGE COOPER TIRE billboard letters, I hated them, then shipped them to me for about the same price I found them here in Michigan, with the huge letters still on the side. Bruce 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
footballubet Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 I like the thin whitewall tire on an original car. And you know how I am about originality. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
420ponies Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 Diamond back is where I got my redlines. They can do so much with there set-up that they can make you any style you want on any tread pattern. I'd check them out and see what they have to offer. definitely white walls on yours Rob. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stangeba Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 They were great to deal with! The stripe does stand proud, or sticks out vs being inset. I had seen one tire at a car show where the driver hit a curb. The WSW was damaged but still intact! Nice part is YOU can pick the brand of tire (I think) Goodyear, Firestone ect... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtankjones Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 Why not get both. When the movie stars call. Put the white walls on. Any other time. Run the white letter wheels. Just my 2 cents worth. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 I went through the same struggle when I needed tires for my red 71 SS a few years ago. I really like my cars looking original but In the end I decided to get the RWL as it was cheaper and easier. If someone made the inset white stripe like the originals, that could sway me to buying them for the copper 71. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
502ci Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 I say whitewalls...actually I am surprised you have not gone that route already. As far as the old tires on there now I say do burnouts with them till they blow, lol. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Peters Posted December 11, 2016 Author Share Posted December 11, 2016 Blue Tony, just not enough scratch to do both. Bill, unless I have wet or gravel covered pavement burn outs just don't think happen on my baby. The nice thing about the white stripe tires is they look nice with either the original rally wheels or any of the hub caps offered on the Monte. The nice thing about the rally wheels is they work with either the rings & derby or if you feel like running the hub caps you can pop off the rings and derbys a snap the hub caps on them for a whole new look. rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostnFound Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 I say white stripe for originality. I wanted to go with them but will wait until she needs a new set down the road. I wish someone like Goodyear would make them again. I favourite wheel is the rally wheels with original caps and rings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LS5 Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Hi Rob, yes the whitewalls would better suit our cars but I am going with the Coker Tire Bias Ply Tires.. Darren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LS5 Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 This is where I got my thoughts from Rob and besides haveing them on a couple of Chevelle's I had...... Darren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Peters Posted December 12, 2016 Author Share Posted December 12, 2016 Hi Rob, yes the whitewalls would better suit our cars but I am going with the Coker Tire Bias Ply Tires.. Darren Darren, I know the Bias-Ply would be more original but I will go with the radials for the safety and ride comfort reasons. rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtankjones Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Rob Peters. Ask Home Depot for some overtime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueanalyst Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Rob, thought I'd comment on one other thing I haven't noticed being suggested in the other posts and that is age. As you know I recently destroyed the fiberglass inner fender of my Monte when the driver side front tire shredded the tread off of it at low speed. What I didn't mention in that earlier post is that earlier in that day on the way to a big car show in Ottawa, Kansas, I rolling raced a Boss 302 Mustang and we were both well over a hundred miles an hour. One of the things I was told by my brother with the automotive engineering degree is that I exceeded the limits of the tire. He said that despite the fact that I had 3/4 of the tread left, that wasn't the most important consideration. He said age is the most important factor because tires lose some of their elasticity as they age. The older the tire the less elastic they are. He said if I had driven it at only low speeds I probably could have driven it several more years without a problem. He acknowledged however, that was asking a lot from a guy driving a muscle car. So no matter what you decide, I just wanted to remind you of the age factor. I was reminded the hard way that age is an important factor in the tires we drive on. As far as my two cents on your decision - If I were driving an SS as I do, I would put raised white letters on, to me it speaks to what was always on muscle cars during this period and there's no doubt that despite the fact that GM was making a maiden voyage into a car type than is common these days (performance luxury) there's no doubt that the SS Monte was a muscle car. If I were driving non SS there's no question in my mind that I would have the white walls on it, rally wheels or not. Bottom line - "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" so suit yourself! Good luck with your search. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Peters Posted December 12, 2016 Author Share Posted December 12, 2016 Rob, thought I'd comment on one other thing I haven't noticed being suggested in the other posts and that is age. As you know I recently destroyed the fiberglass inner fender of my Monte when the driver side front tire shredded the tread off of it at low speed. What I didn't mention in that earlier post is that earlier in that day on the way to a big car show in Ottawa, Kansas,One of the things I was told by my brother with the automotive engineering degree is that I exceeded the limits of the tire. He said that despite the fact that I had 3/4 of the tread left, that wasn't the most important consideration. He said age is the most important factor because tires lose some of their elasticity as they age. DSC00914.JPG I agree with your brother and as I stated in my post: "Even though my tires still have about 1/2 to 3/4 of their "Tread Life" remaining I am thinking I am on borrowed time when it comes to the age of the tires". Yes, age is not a tires good friend. It is not just the elasticity that is lost, the tires will start to dry rot. In looking at my tires there is no visual evidence of dry rot but some of that could be due to applying the tire dressing on the tires hiding some of that possible cracking of the rubber. My fear is mostly based on the age of the rubber and the fact it could break away from the belts and destroying fenders, quarter panels etc. One of the things that got me thinking about making the change is my son had a tread separate on his 2001 Pontiac Bonneville. It did a lot of damage. It damaged the rocker panel, tore the rear bumper, disintegrated the inner fender panel, ripped the gas filler tube out of the car and a wiring harness. Luckily he was able to get it off the road without crashing because he was going at a fairly low speed. Now, all I need to do is save enough money and find the tires that will fit my desire of no more than a 3/4 inch white wall. rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Peters Posted December 12, 2016 Author Share Posted December 12, 2016 Rob, thought I'd comment on one other thing I haven't noticed being suggested in the other posts and that is age. As you know I recently destroyed the fiberglass inner fender of my Monte when the driver side front tire shredded the tread off of it at low speed. What I didn't mention in that earlier post is that earlier in that day on the way to a big car show in Ottawa, Kansas,One of the things I was told by my brother with the automotive engineering degree is that I exceeded the limits of the tire. He said that despite the fact that I had 3/4 of the tread left, that wasn't the most important consideration. He said age is the most important factor because tires lose some of their elasticity as they age. DSC00914.JPG I agree with your brother and as I stated in my post: "Even though my tires still have about 1/2 to 3/4 of their "Tread Life" remaining I am thinking I am on borrowed time when it comes to the age of the tires". Yes, age is not a tires good friend. It is not just the elasticity that is lost, the tires will start to dry rot. In looking at my tires there is no visual evidence of dry rot but some of that could be due to applying the tire dressing on the tires hiding some of that possible cracking of the rubber. My fear is mostly based on the age of the rubber and the fact it could break away from the belts and destroying fenders, quarter panels etc. One of the things that got me thinking about making the change is my son had a tread separate on his 2001 Pontiac Bonneville. It did a lot of damage. It damaged the rocker panel, tore the rear bumper, disintegrated the inner fender panel, ripped the gas filler tube out of the car and a wiring harness. Luckily he was able to get it off the road without crashing because he was going at a fairly low speed. Now, all I need to do is save enough money and find the tires that will fit my desire of no more than a 3/4 inch white wall. rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Peters Posted December 12, 2016 Author Share Posted December 12, 2016 Tony, I am only part time at Home Depot and until you work 40 hours there is no overtime paid. Pennsylvania is not a state that requires workers be paid overtime for any hours over 8 hours a day. At the Home Depot I work at, if any full time employee works more than 8 hours in a day they are told to leave early the following day they work but I don't know that is a corporate directive or if our management just tries to keep a lid on it. rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 http://www.lucasclassictires.com/Radial-White-Wall-Tires_c3.htm These guys have a good selection of classic tires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Peters Posted December 13, 2016 Author Share Posted December 13, 2016 I am trying to keep the tire diameter as close to an original tire as possible so the speedometer is as accurate as possible. For all of you tire guru's out there. I am not sure if the original tires were G70-15's or G78-15's. From what I am seeing on line here are my thoughts: If they were G70-15 I think the tire diameter was 27.5 inches so I think my best bet would be either the 215/70R 15 at a diameter of 27.3 inches or 215/75R 15 at 27.7 inches. I think I could possibly even go with a 235/70R 15's at a diameter of 27.95 inches. If they were G78-15 I think the diameter was 28.0 inches and I think my best choice for that would be the 235/70R 15 at a diameter of 27.95 inches How flawed is my thinking. Out of the three which would I be best with? rob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stangeba Posted December 13, 2016 Share Posted December 13, 2016 This came to mind but may be incorrect, When I ordered the Rally wheels for my 71, they were only available in 7" wide and the WIDE OVAL single thin white stripe tires were required or should I say, included with the wheels. This is how I think I remember it but my window sticker doesn't read that way.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueanalyst Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 Rob, the 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week before overtime is a company policy designed to minimize the expense of overtime. Hence the reason the company sends you home early the next day if you work more than 8 hours a day. The reason they do that is because it is a Federal Law under the Fair Labor Standards Act. If you work more than 40 hours in a week, you begin being paid overtime for every hour worked over 40. It's the law. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leghome Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 When I worked for GM we got overtime for anything over 8 hours a day. It must have been a negotiated in the contract with the union. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts