[nccobra]

I'm sure this has been gone over a thousand times and I must be using the wrong search terms to find it in the archives but my '68 calls for a 205-70R-14 white wall tire which are becoming obsolete, and pricey. However, there are lot of other 14" tires that are available. What is a current popular replacement size? Keep in mind this is a stock 289 automatic that my 17 year old daughter drives to school daily and I want to keep it as "little old lady" as possible.

[65BlueHorse]

when i first got tires on mine the guy at the shop (he owns a 1970 couger) told me to use the 205/70-14 tires that you mentioned. I just got black wall but the tire shop i go to keeps them in stock. I think you can go from 190-215 width and you probably want a 70 sidewall. Are you looking for whitewall tires or black ones?

[Chuck M]

Hi. I not only share your interest in classic Mustangs but I also have 30 years in the tire and auto service business. The 205/70-14 size is still readily available but is slightly pricier than the 75 series tires. A 195/75-14 will be slightly taller and slightly narrower. A 185/75-14 will be about the same height as a 205/70-14 but will be about 3/8" narrower. Either of the 75 series tires are commonly advertised as special purchase tires from most of the big retailers such as Firestone, Pep Boys, and Sears so deals can readily be found. On the side of every tire is a "UTGQ" rating. This rating will include a temperature, traction, and treadwear rating. Traction is what is most important to you and your daughter. This rating is a measure of the tire's ability to stop on a wet road. An "A" rating indicates a good performing tire. Temperature ratings will vary with the tire's speed rating. A "B" rating is most common for all season passenger car tires. Treadwear is a little tricky but numbers higher than 300 generally indicate a tire that will wear well. Hope this helps.

Chuck M.
65 GT Fastback

[nccobra]

Ok, thanks. The car's only driven 1,000 miles a year so a $50 whitewall tire is good, just elusive. Tire Kingdom has them but it's three days for shipping, now I can widen my search for a local deal. I only need one (the PO sway bar kit installation was screwing up the alignment) but given I've spent three hours on this already, I'll need to get four to match. Amazing how a 30-minute $35 project turns into $250 and half a day.

Now I need to decide what to do with the 1968 spare. It has no visible dry rot and it is used. I wonder if the collector value of a 41 year old used tire is worth the room it will take up in storage?