Some kind of tire question.

Topic: Some kind of tire question. (Read 2407 times) previous topic - next topic

Some kind of tire question.

October 28, 2005, 10:46:23 PM

Just had a somewhat quick question as to what the stock tire size was for the 8 hole rims. According to most sites like Firestone and TireRack the general stock tire size for my 87 T-bird Lx was 205/70/14. The tires that are curently on the rims are 235/60/14. Is this a big deal? Or are the current tires I have completely wrong. Just curious to know because I intend to purchase new tires within the next few days.

Some kind of tire question.

Reply #1 – October 29, 2005, 01:49:20 AM

According to my '87 brochure they're supposed to be P215/70Rx14

Some kind of tire question.

Reply #2 – October 29, 2005, 08:12:03 AM

Quote

According to my '87 brochure they're supposed to be P215/70Rx14

that's the correct size from the factory 205/70r14 is for the earlier cats and birds
215/70r14=25.85 inch diameter
235/60r14=25.10 inch diameter

The tires you have are making your speedo and odo read higher than actual.

Some kind of tire question.

Reply #3 – October 29, 2005, 11:46:24 AM

Quote from: Paul Flockhart

that's the correct size from the factory 205/70r14 is for the earlier cats and birds
215/70r14=25.85 inch diameter
235/60r14=25.10 inch diameter

The tires you have are making your speedo and odo read higher than actual.

Doh, yeah the 215 is right, shoulda checked one last time before posting. So if i'm thinking somewhat right, the 235/60's are a bit wider than stock. If so I think i'd like to stay with the same width since the tires i'm going for would benefit the car by staying that wide. I guess technically I could stay with the size I have now and have the added benefit of being less likely to get a speeding ticket! But i'd really like to have the right size with a good width as well. Any suggestions?

Some kind of tire question.

Reply #4 – October 29, 2005, 08:16:56 PM

As far as 60 profiles on a 14 inch rim if you could find a 255 60R 14 it would be 26.0 inches in diameter. That would be a very wide tire for the stock 8 holes.
The closest thing I can find on the tire rack web sit is a 245 width.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compare1.jsp?width=245%2F&ratio=60&diameter=14&startIndex=0&search=true&pagelen=20&pagenum=1&pagemark=1&RunFlat=All&x=67&y=12

They measure 25.6 inches in diameter.

Some kind of tire question.

Reply #5 – October 29, 2005, 09:59:02 PM

Quote from: Paul Flockhart

As far as 60 profiles on a 14 inch rim if you could find a 255 60R 14 it would be 26.0 inches in diameter. That would be a very wide tire for the stock 8 holes.
The closest thing I can find on the tire rack web sit is a 245 width.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compare1.jsp?width=245%2F&ratio=60&diameter=14&startIndex=0&search=true&pagelen=20&pagenum=1&pagemark=1&RunFlat=All&x=67&y=12

They measure 25.6 inches in diameter.

Well one problem with the ones in the link you posted... no Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 model. On a side note, I wasn't necessarily off whe I posted that 205/70/14 spec. At least not in the fact that it's what i've seen on 3 different websites while looking for tires. I'm gonna take a look at the sticker on my door and see if it still lists the specs for the tires. Not that I don't believe what's been stated, more so to double check for my own sanity. Worst case scenario i'll just get the stock size tire, it should still look somewhat wide on the car, as the one that were on it before did for the most part.

Some kind of tire question.

Reply #6 – October 31, 2005, 10:32:11 AM

So, i'm gonna go nuts if I keep finding more info about the 205/70/14 tire size thing. I went through some of the older receipts for work on the car (read before it was even in my family), and I found one for a tire purchase from Goodyear. Low and behold the 205 tire sze was listed. Now I went over some info off the CoolCats site and it says 215, I also had my brother-in-law check the size on the tires I had switched from, and those were even 215. So right now it's 50/50 in my head as to what the correct stock size is. I'm reasonbly sure i'm gonna just get the 215's, but it seems rather concerning that i'm finding a lot of contradicting info.

Some kind of tire question.

Reply #7 – October 31, 2005, 12:49:56 PM

My 88 Bird has P215/70/R14 tires on 8 holes right now. I have a dealer brochure that states that standard tire size for 88 was P215/70/R14. Also the tire tag on the passenger side door states this:
Standard Thunderbird/Cougar tire size P215/70/R14
Thunderbird Sport tire size P215/70/R14
Cougar XR7 P225/60/R15
Turbo Coupe P225/60/R16

Some kind of tire question.

Reply #8 – November 01, 2005, 10:01:57 PM

Ok, i'm gonna be ordering up the new tires prolly tommorow or Thursday, however i've got one last question. I think. "If" I stay with the 235/60/14 size tires like what I have now, how much will this affect my overall gas milelage. If it would be negligable if even existant over the stock 215's (which i finally found on the passenger side door b-pillar), then I wouldn't mind staying with the wider tire.

Some kind of tire question.

Reply #9 – November 02, 2005, 08:57:22 AM

Maybe a 1 MPG difference..... not much at all.