Street tires. What do you use?

[Mr. Barley]

Have '70 GTO with stronger than stock 400 ci, manual, and 12 bolt 3:55 rear. Coil springs replaced with stock type Moog HD for '69 GTO in front with HD stock type Moog in rear and Bilstein shocks all around. All bushings, body and suspension, replaced, along with some steering components. Currently using BF Goodrich with P215/65R15 95S in front and P225/60R15 95S in back. Hard to measure wheel width, but guessing 7 in. They are after market Pontiac style wheels.

Just getting a little concerned because the other day I was cleaning the tires and noticed that there was no DOT code denoting tire age. There appears to be a BF Goodrich code (closest I can tell is 026103 on the 215s and 026098 on the 225s), but nowhere do I find anything starting with DOT. Still working on translating what markings are on the tires, but starting to suspect they could be tires from over 15 years ago. The car spent a long time sitting in the garage before I got it. The tires seem fine, plenty of tread, drive, and handle fine, but the date thing is a safety issue. No point in tying up all that time and money to go screaming down the road toward tire failure.

What brands and sizes do you use for front and rear on your GTO?

[Mr. Barley]

This is an update on my Street Tires post.

The idea of finding no DOT code bugged me to the point I began researching the issue anywhere I could find information. What I found out is really an education in survival while protecting my investment in my GTO.

As it turns out, the DOT code was on the inside wall of each tire. First, I learned where it was located. Then, in my case, I had to jack up each wheel and scrub the grime off the inside tire wall in order to read the markings on the tires. This was a a messy job laying on the ground with a scrub brush, detergent, and a hose. I did get the tires clean, but needed Armor All to make the markings stand out enough to read.

Here is where we get into critical information that will benefit anyone who buys tires and drives any motor vehicle. It is something I certainly wasn't aware of, and from what I learned about the subject, isn't something most people think about.

My front tires have the DOT date code 524. This indicates that my front tires were probably manufactured in the fifty second week of 1994. This means my front tires are a little over 15.5 years old. BF Goodrich's factory website has information stating a recommendation that after 10 years all their tires be removed from service regardless of how good a condition the tire appears. Need I say how critical it is to have good front tires on your vehicle?

Consumer oriented organizations use six years as the point a tire should come out of service. Most tires in regular use wear out and are replaced within this time frame. The catch is you frequently don't know how old your tires are, that you thought were brand new, when they are actually put on your car. Your tire shop could sell tires that appear brand new, but could already be old enough that they shouldn't be put into service.

Why is this concern about tire age important? Age causes the tire compounds to deteriorate and separate during use. This deterioration goes beyond stuff you can physically see on the outside of the tire, like dry rot. Translated, this means when the tire fails, it will fail during highway use, and the failure is catastrophic. The tire will fail completely and without warning. Anyone who has traveled the Interstates in this country has observed at least one auto wreck from a failed tire and knows how it ended. Anyone remember a while back the problems associated with Ford SUVs and Firestone tires?

In my case, even by BF Goodrich standards, my front tires need to be replaced, immediately. My rear tires have a DOT date code of 3004. This means they were made during the thirtieth week of 2004. They are over 5.5 years old. Not quite the same safety hazard as the fronts, but approaching the window where replacement is the safe thing to do.

I hope this information proves useful to everyone. If you have questions, do your own research. In the meantime, consider what your safety and all the time and money you've put into your classic car is worth to you. In perspective, new tires, made this year, are really cheap compared to the problems you could have.

Now that I must replace my tires, I'm still interested in knowing what you use and your experience as to tire types and sizes! I want to stick with the 15" wheels that look stock. What do you think about replacement tires for an old GTO?