Firestone Wide Oval Tyres : Dangerous or Not

[Nico-67]

Hi guys, I'm looking to change rear tyres of my 60' for Firestone Wide Oval, but some people tell me that is dangerous to drive with it. I drive my bug all the time (in rain, sun...) and I do much kilometers with it...
What's your opinion about the drive with this type of tyres ?

[Nico86]

From what I heard, they are "slippy" on wet and gravel roads. A lot of guys use it on their VWs or US cars, but for a daily driver they are not the best in my opinion.

I've check your blog, Vredestein Classic's are good tires with good prices and a nice look. It's what I use front and rear since a few years. I have 185SR15 and they also have 185/70 and 205/70, check with the offset of your BRMs.
Otherwise get a pair of Michelin XWS or XZX for the rear to match your 145s but prices are crazy if you will have to change them every 2 years on your daily driver... Take a look at Mickey Thompson or BF-Goodrich Radial T/A that also have a good look.

If you decide to go with the Wide-Oval, maybe it is better put bias-ply tires on the front of the car too.  And pay attention in the "rond-point"  

[Turtle001]

thatz one hell of a sexy tire -- but not ideal for a daily driver -- other option is Firestones F560's

[Fasterbrit]

Drove my car on them for a year and never had a problem. They are very tall so raise your gearing somewhat...

[Rocket-Racing]

These kind of tires are not dangerous by any means, they were used on some of the fastest musclecars around 1970... Being bias ply they just take some time getting used to. Made in the original molds but with "modern" rubber.
They come in lots of sizes, F70-15 is the one most suited for bugs. Equals about 215/70-15 in modern numbers.
I'm using Goodyear Polyglas on my '57, their version of Firestones Wide Ovals. I used F70's on 5" rims earlier. Now I'm running F60-15's (245/60-15). They fit under the fenders but require the rim to have perfect offset (I widened mine inwards to 6,4").
My car is used daily from April to November and clocks up about 15.000 km every year without any problems.
That being said, these kind of tires are most suited for cars with a late 60's/early 70's style. That's when they were the coolest tires around. Nobody would be seen with raised letter bias tires in 1980 

Some pics for reference, F70's in the first pics, F-60's in the other two.

[Rocket-Racing]

 

[Nico86]

These kind of tires are not dangerous by any means, they were used on some of the fastest musclecars around 1970... Being bias ply they just take some time getting used to. Made in the original molds but with "modern" rubber.
They come in lots of sizes, F70-15 is the one most suited for bugs. Equals about 215/70-15 in modern numbers.
I'm using Goodyear Polyglas on my '57, their version of Firestones Wide Ovals. I used F70's on 5" rims earlier. Now I'm running F60-15's (245/60-15). They fit under the fenders but require the rim to have perfect offset (I widened mine inwards to 6,4").
My car is used daily from April to November and clocks up about 15.000 km every year without any problems.
That being said, these kind of tires are most suited for cars with a late 60's/early 70's style. That's when they were the coolest tires around. Nobody would be seen with raised letter bias tires in 1980  

Some pics for reference, F70's in the first pics, F-60's in the other two.

What front tires are you running? Radials or Bias-ply? The Goodyear looks good too.

[qubek]

they were used on some of the fastest musclecars around 1970...

And where musclecars from 1970ties known for their handling?

Nico, you have to remember that US are different then Europe. Americans drive with spools, slicks and everything. Even their normal tires are different than those sold in Europe (even if the brend is the same). Driving style differs, roads are different, traffic....
I know that guys who import cars from US often junk the tires immediately. They are designed with different priorities in mind. The handling on them is usually shitty.  

So if something is OK in US, it will not necessarily work well for you.

As for wide ovals... I would not try them unless my car was a pure show car. But people can sacrifice a lot on the altar of Style

[Rocket-Racing]

I run 5.60-15 bias ply up front. Trouble is bias tires tend to vary a lot in size from different manufacturers even if they have the same designation. Firestone makes new ones but they are a bit high, at least for a lowered car. I use old Goodyears that are a little lower. The rule is to not mix radial and bias on the same vehicle, but I sometimes use other wheels up front with 165R15 radials with no problems at all.
Be aware that when using bias tires you need to have the suspension in good shape and all angles set right. They are less "forgiving" than radials.

[Rocket-Racing]

they were used on some of the fastest musclecars around 1970...

And where musclecars from 1970ties known for their handling?

Nico, you have to remember that US are different then Europe. Americans drive with spools, slicks and everything. Even their normal tires are different than those sold in Europe (even if the brend is the same). Driving style differs, roads are different, traffic....
I know that guys who import cars from US often junk the tires immediately. They are designed with different priorities in mind. The handling on them is usually shitty.  

So if something is OK in US, it will not necessarily work well for you.

As for wide ovals... I would not try them unless my car was a pure show car. But people can sacrifice a lot on the altar of Style

I live in Norway. We have some of the worst roads in Europe and my car is, like I said, driven (hard) 15000 km pr year. Not to shows but as a daily driver. Highway, gravel, fast, slow.. No problems at all  

There's no denying that modern radials will handle better. The question wasn't if they were the best handling tires around but if they were dangerous. They are not.

[qubek]

I know that you live in Norway, my remark was general and I was not referring to your post except for the part with muscle cars.

You are right that bias-ply tires are not dangerous in a way that they will suddenly explode or something. Their "only" drawback is that they make car handle bad

[Nico-67]

Thanks guys. I Have radial tyres in front and I have fear that the differance between radial and diagonal was dangerous

[Neil Davies]

My take on it is that Beetles aren't the greatest handling cars anyway. Then we lower the front, fit a much more powerful engine and leave the brakes alone, stick a set of skinny tyres on the front and some fat ones out back. I think with all those disadvantages, I'd at least like a more modern rear tyre to try to re-dress the balance a little bit!

[dirk.nl]

In the wet they are a bit slippy but they are great looking, i like them [ Attachment: You are not allowed to view attachments ]

[Diederick/DVK]

hehe, i wasn't that wet THAT afternoon   
just a pool of water in a 90 degree bend.

they look AWESOME on your car, Dirk!

[dirk.nl]

hehe, i wasn't that wet THAT afternoon   
just a pool of water in a 90 degree bend.

they look AWESOME on your car, Dirk!

they don't need a lot of water

[Type1/DVK]

shrrreeeeeeeek, there he wen't 90dgrs around way to cool haha! ended up good after all.. *wide oval's caution when wet* 

[Black Sheep]

Drove my car on them for a year and never had a problem. They are very tall so raise your gearing somewhat...

I know where them boots went ,

 I've been trying to prise them from him ever since

[Ovalino57]

Hello GUys, do you know where I could buy those tires overhere in Europe? I have 5.5 inches Sprints in the back what´s the best size of tires?

Cheers

Nico

[banditina]

These tires are sexy but dangerous!

[banditina]

look as how the car goes right and left,  the car swing right and left when overtaking, all the nylon tires follow the lines of the road!


<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/DqqF05IIVfQ" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/DqqF05IIVfQ</a>

[CHR!S/DVK]

look as how the car goes right and left,  the car swing right and left when overtaking, all the nylon tires follow the lines of the road!


<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/DqqF05IIVfQ" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/DqqF05IIVfQ</a>

you gotta love that ponytail of the man! wonder that the missus fancies more, the straight-cut gears or the ponytail?

[fish]

Firestone Cavallino is a nice old school tyre to keep an eye out for.

[T.Fabs]

I have a set on my car... I can say... They are fun to drive! 

[Diederick/DVK]

ma vaffanculo! e' cazzutissimo  
for what it's worth, my guess is she likey the bumpy ass ride  

[banditina]

ma vaffanculo! e' cazzutissimo  
for what it's worth, my guess is she likey the bumpy ass ride