Classic and collector car tires
The size molded into the tires on a 1970 Challenger does not exist any more. This page turns the old code on your build sheet into a tire you can actually buy today, tells you what it costs, and says when the original is worth paying for.
Why your size is not on the shelf
American tires have been sized three different ways in living memory, and a car built before about 1980 wears one of the first two.
- Numeric, until the mid 1960s. 6.70-15 meant roughly 6.7 inches of section width on a 15 inch rim. The height was not in the code at all, because every tire of that era was close to a 90 percent profile.
- Alpha-numeric, roughly 1968 to 1980. F70-14 put a load class in front instead of a width. The letters ran from A up to N, each one a slightly larger and stronger tire. The 70 is the aspect ratio and the 14 is the rim, so the only part you can measure directly is the wheel.
- P-metric, from the late 1970s on. 215/70R14 is what everything says today: section width in millimetres, aspect ratio, R for radial, rim in inches.
Almost nothing is still built in the first two systems, so the job is to find the metric size that lands on the same rolling diameter. Get that right and the speedometer stays honest, the wheel arches stay clear and the gearing feels the way the factory meant it to.
Old size to modern radial
Every size in the right-hand column is one we cover, so you can click straight through to what it costs today. Where the closest match on paper is not what people actually fit, the note says so.
| On your car | System | Fit this today | Typical cars | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.60-15 | Numeric bias-ply | 155R15 | Volkswagen Beetle, Karmann Ghia, Type 3 Every standard air-cooled VW left the factory on this. |
$95 |
| 5.90-15 | Numeric bias-ply | 165R15 | Porsche 911 (short wheelbase), 914, Triumph TR6 165HR15 was the factory radial replacement. |
$100 |
| 6.00-15 | Numeric bias-ply | 165R15 | Austin-Healey 3000, MGA Same radial as 5.90-15; the two were one step apart in bias sizing. |
$100 |
| 6.40-15 | Numeric bias-ply | 185R15 | Jaguar E-type Jaguar itself approved 185VR15 to replace the Dunlop RS5 crossply. |
$115 |
| 6.70-15 | Numeric bias-ply | 205/75R15 | Corvette C1 and C2, 1950s full-size sedans Whitewalls in both widths are easy to get in this size. |
$50 |
| 7.75-15 | Numeric bias-ply | 205/75R15 | Full-size Ford, Chevrolet and Plymouth of the 1960s | $50 |
| 7.00-15 | Numeric bias-ply | 215/75R15 | Half-ton pickups, Jeep CJ-5 | $50 |
| 7.50-14 | Numeric bias-ply | 205/75R14 | American sedans, roughly 1957 to 1965 Detroit moved from 15 in to 14 in wheels in this period. |
$85 |
| 8.00-14 | Numeric bias-ply | 205/75R14 | Full-size and intermediate sedans of the early 1960s | $85 |
| 6.95-14 | Numeric bias-ply | 205/70R14 | Base-model muscle cars and personal-luxury coupes | $90 |
| 7.50-16 | Numeric bias-ply | LT215/85R16 | Early Power Wagon, military and farm light trucks The tall narrow look, still made as an LT radial. |
$145 |
| 165SR13 | Early radial | 185/70R13 | BMW 2002, small 1960s to 1980s imports 23.2 in against 23.4 in, so the speedometer error stays under 1 percent. |
$65 |
| G78-15 | Alpha-numeric | 215/75R15 | 1970s half-ton pickups and vans | $50 |
| H78-15 | Alpha-numeric | 225/75R15 | Full-size Ford, downsized Cadillac of the late 1970s Wide whitewalls are the period-correct look. |
$95 |
| L78-15 | Alpha-numeric | 235/75R15 | Early Bronco, Jeep CJ-7, Wagoneer, squarebody pickups Also the big 1965 to 1978 Cadillac and Buick coupes. |
$95 |
| E70-14 | Alpha-numeric | 205/70R14 | Base Camaro, Mustang, Chevelle 25.3 in against 25.5 in for the original. |
$90 |
| F70-14 | Alpha-numeric | 215/70R14 | Camaro SS, Mustang Mach 1, Chevelle SS, GTO, Road Runner The single most important classic size in the US. |
$95 |
| G70-14 | Alpha-numeric | 215/70R14 | Big-block intermediates on 14 in wheels 225/70R14 is the closer match on paper but is hard to find new, so most owners fit 215/70R14. |
$95 |
| E70-15 | Alpha-numeric | 215/70R15 | 1969 Camaro Z28, 1968 to 1972 Corvette Fitted on the correct 15x7 Rally wheel. |
$50 |
| F70-15 | Alpha-numeric | 215/70R15 | Corvette, second-generation F-body 225/70R15 is the accepted substitute if you want the wider stance. |
$50 |
| G70-15 | Alpha-numeric | 225/70R15 | Mid-1970s Trans Am and Corvette The factory called it GR70-15; by 1980 the sticker simply said P225/70R15. |
$100 |
| H70-15 | Alpha-numeric | 235/70R15 | Big-block cars on 15x7 Rally or Magnum 500 wheels 28.0 in tall, 9.3 in section: the widest of the 70-series 15 in sizes. |
$105 |
| E60-15 | Alpha-numeric | 235/60R15 | 1970 Challenger T/A and AAR Cuda, front 26.1 in tall, noticeably shorter than a 70-series on the same wheel. |
$105 |
| F60-15 | Alpha-numeric | 255/60R15 | Boss 302, 1970 to 1974 Z28, second-generation Trans Am Wants an 8 in rim; 7 in is the minimum. |
$125 |
| G60-15 | Alpha-numeric | 245/60R15 | 1970 Challenger T/A and AAR Cuda, rear A measured G60-15 is 26.6 in, so 245/60R15 is the dimensional match. Most restorers fit 275/60R15 instead for the wider rear. |
$110 |
| L60-15 | Alpha-numeric | 275/60R15 | Street-driven big-blocks on 15x8 and wider The rear of the most famous staggered set in American motoring. |
$140 |
Prices are per tire, the cheapest tier we see this month. Classic sizes have a much thinner budget tier than modern ones, and several have none at all.
Bias-ply or radial?
This is the one decision that changes everything else, and it comes down to what the car is for.
Fit a modern radial if you drive it
- Far better wet braking, and it does not wander on grooved pavement
- Runs cooler, so it survives highway speed on a hot day
- No flat spots after the car sits over winter
- Two to three times the tread life
- Costs less than a reproduction bias-ply in most sizes
Fit reproduction bias-ply if it is judged
- Correct size code, tread pattern and often the original brand name
- The tall soft sidewall the car was designed around
- Points in a concours class, where a radial is an automatic deduction
- Accept the trade: lighter grip, more steering effort, flat spots and a shorter life
There is a third way that suits most collectors. A specialist takes a current radial and vulcanizes a whitewall, redline or gold line onto the sidewall. You get modern wet grip with a period face. It is not concours legal, but on a car that is driven it is the answer more often than not.
Never mix the two. A bias-ply and a radial behave differently under load, and a car with one of each on the same axle can change direction without being asked.
Age matters more than tread on a collector car
A classic covers a few hundred miles a year, so the tread almost never wears out. The rubber gives up first: it hardens, the sidewall cracks from ozone and sunlight, and the tire can fail with most of its tread still on it. Six years is the working limit, and a tire that has sat in one spot on a concrete floor for a decade is unsafe no matter how it looks.
The date is stamped on the sidewall as the last four digits of the DOT code: week and year. How to read the DOT date code shows exactly where to find it.
Every US car built since 2003 carries this placard. It also gives the pressures, which the sidewall does not: the number molded into the tire is the maximum it can hold, not what your car wants.
A car built before 2003 may have no placard at all. On those, the size molded into the sidewall and the original owner's manual are what you have to go on, which is why the conversion table above exists.
Makes that are gone
These marques stopped building cars, most of them within living memory, but the cars are still on the road and they still need tires. We list every size each one used, year by year.
| Make | Ended | What happened | Models we cover |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suzuki | 2013 | Still builds cars elsewhere, but stopped selling them in the US in 2013. | 1, from 2004 |
| Saab | 2012 | Bankrupt in December 2011 after GM sold it; US sales stopped in 2012. | 1, from 1985 |
| Mercury | 2011 | Ford closed the division in January 2011 after 72 years. | 2, from 1985 |
| Pontiac | 2010 | Closed in GM's 2009 bankruptcy restructuring, last cars built in 2010. | 11, from 1965 |
| Saturn | 2010 | Closed in the same GM restructuring as Pontiac after the Penske deal collapsed. | 1, from 2000 |
| Oldsmobile | 2004 | GM's oldest division, closed in April 2004 after 107 years. | 5, from 1966 |
| Plymouth | 2001 | Chrysler wound the brand down over 1999 to 2001; the Neon was the last one. | 6, from 1967 |
| AMC | 1988 | Bought by Chrysler in 1987; the last AMC-badged cars were 1988 Eagles. Jeep was the part Chrysler wanted. | 2, from 1968 |
| Datsun | 1986 | Not a failure but a rename: Nissan retired the Datsun badge in the US over 1981 to 1986. | 3, from 1968 |
| DeLorean | 1983 | One model, roughly 9,000 cars, and the company was in receivership within two years. | 1, from 1981 |
| Triumph | 1981 | The TR7 ended in 1981 and the name went with British Leyland. | 1, from 1969 |
| MG | 1980 | US sales ended when British Leyland closed Abingdon in 1980. | 1, from 1962 |
| Austin-Healey | 1972 | The BMC licence with Donald Healey ended in 1972. The big Healey had already stopped in 1967. | 1, from 1959 |
Still building, with a long back catalogue
These makes are alive and well, and we cover their older cars too. The same page gives you the size for a 1967 Camaro and a 2024 one.
Classic sizes, by wheel diameter
Every size we cover that was original equipment on a car built before 1985. Each one has its own page with prices, what is worth buying in it and which cars used it.
16-inch wheels
15-inch wheels
14-inch wheels
13-inch wheels
Who still makes these tires
Four US specialists cover almost everything the mainstream brands dropped. None of them is a retailer we link to; they are listed because on some sizes they are the only source there is.
Coker Tire
The largest maker of reproduction tires in the US. Builds genuine bias-ply in the original sizes and codes, with period tread patterns licensed from Firestone, BFGoodrich and others. The choice when a car is judged.
Diamond Back Classics
Takes a modern radial and vulcanizes a whitewall, redline or gold line onto it. You get current wet grip and tread life with a period sidewall, which is why most drivers rather than showers end up here.
Universal Vintage Tire
Deep catalog of pre-war and early post-war sizes, including the very small and very tall ones nobody else lists.
Lucas Classic Tires
Specialises in the oldest end: wood-spoke era, high-pressure clincher and early balloon sizes.
Three mainstream lines are also still in production for this market and are sold everywhere: the BFGoodrich Radial T/A, the Cooper Cobra Radial G/T and the Michelin XWX and XAS for European classics. Where one of those is the right answer we name it on the size page. Compare where to buy.
Read next
Classic Car Tire Sizes: Converting the Old Codes
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Tires for a Classic Car You Actually Drive
A collector car that gets driven has a different tire problem from one that lives under a cover. There are three honest paths: a p…
Classic car tires: common questions
Can I put radial tires on a classic car that came with bias-ply?
Yes, and most owners do. A radial grips better in the wet, runs cooler and tracks straighter, and it will not flat-spot after the car sits. The car will feel different: the steering goes lighter at speed and the ride is firmer over sharp edges. Do not mix the two on one car, and never mix them on one axle.
Do I have to fit the original size?
Only if the car is being judged. A concours class will check the size, the tread pattern and often the maker, which is what the reproduction bias-ply tires exist for. For a car you drive, the accepted radial equivalent in the table above keeps the rolling diameter close enough that the speedometer stays honest and the wheel arches stay clear.
Why do classic tires cost more than modern ones?
Volume. A 155R15 comes out of a legacy mold that runs a few thousand tires a year instead of a few million, so the fixed cost per tire is many times higher. A set of four in a classic size routinely costs more than a set for a new car, and there is often no budget tier at all.
How old is too old for a tire on a classic?
Six years is the working limit, and this matters far more on a collector car than a daily driver. Tread depth is almost never what fails on a car that covers 500 miles a year: the rubber hardens, the sidewall cracks from ozone and sunlight, and it lets go without warning. Read the DOT date code on the sidewall, not the tread.
What does the letter in F70-14 mean?
It is the load and size class, not a measurement. Alpha-numeric sizing ran from A to N, with each letter a slightly larger and higher-capacity tire at the same section height ratio. The number after it is the aspect ratio and the last number is the rim diameter, so F70-14 is a 70-series tire on a 14 in wheel, roughly where a 215 metric section lands.
Can I still buy whitewalls?
Yes, in three ways. Reproduction bias-ply with a molded whitewall, a modern radial built with a whitewall from the factory in a handful of popular sizes, or a modern radial with a whitewall vulcanized on afterwards. The third is the widest choice and the only route to an exact band width.
Updated September 2026.