Firestone or Goodyear F70-14 tires

[kilroy]

I'm putting the finishing touches on my 69 396/325/4-speed Pace Car. Everything is just right, and I wanted to put the correct tires on her.

It seems like most people have Firestone Wide-Ovals on their restored Camaros, but all the old magazine ads for the pace car seem to show it with Goodyear tires.

I've received conflicting opinions from those experts I've telephoned.

Some say the pace cars had Goodyear since Goodyear was a sponsor of the Indy.
Some say Goodyear with only "polyglass" and not "F70-14" raised white letters.
Others say Firestone was on all 69 Camaros, even if it was a Pace Car...

Would love to get an authoritative opinion.... if one exists...

[Charley]

I would put on a Goodyear Wide Tread F70-14.    "NOT POLYGLAS"!!!!!!! I can get you a pic of a spare out of a low mile 69 Pace car.

[kilroy]

Well, that helps. Now which Goodyear?
There are three raised white letter Custom Wide Tread Goodyear tires (which all have "polyglass" in the raised white letters)

F70-14 Goodyear Custom Wide Tread RWL
http://www.universaltire.com/cart.php?target=product&product_id=25143&category_id=345

F70-14 Goodyear Custom Wide Tread RWL NS
http://www.universaltire.com/cart.php?target=product&product_id=25144&category_id=345

F70-14 Goodyear Speedway Wide Tread RWL
http://www.universaltire.com/cart.php?target=product&product_id=25149&category_id=345

Here's the whole Goodyear selection guide at Universal Vintage Tire that I am working from:
http://www.universaltire.com/cart.php?target=category&category_id=345

[kilroy]

Well just got home and took a look at a old 2-page magazine ad from 1969 for the Pace Car to see if I could read the tire lettering. Sure can, but unfortunately rather than clarification, it introduces another variable.

The 2-page magazine ad (attached, though too small to be legible), clearly shows the tires labeled "Goodyear" and "Wide Tread GT".

Now Vintage sells a tire with that lettering, however, it is an E70-15, which would be not be correct for the factory 14" rallys on non-Z28's. Picture here: http://www.universaltire.com/cart.php?target=product&product_id=25152&category_id=345

[Charley]

Hard to tell from the pic on the site but it looks like this one I think.   http://www.universaltire.com/cart.php?target=product&product_id=25149&category_id=345

Here s a pic of a orig virtually new tire from a 69 Pace car and a repo tire on my TA convert.

[Mark]

Heres a picture from the track in May of 69.  Track cars were running Goodyears.



Or this newspaper clipping of a Festival Car showing Firestone tires:

[Pacecarjeff]

I thought I had heard that the tires were changed at the race.
Giving both tire manufactires equal time.
Or, maybe the 2 prepared track Cars used different tires.

Something like that
I know that both Goodyear, and Firestone were represented that day.

All my "official" track photos show the Goodyear Wide track.

[lcmc]

 The biggest mistake people make is putting polyglas or polyglas gt tires on a 69. From what I understand polyglas was not used until 1970 model. Check these guys out for your tires.

http://www.kelseytire.com/index.htm

[Charley]

Yes... The goodyear speedway rwl       http://www.kelseytire.com/pages/preformancetires.html

[Jerry@CHP]

Another foot note to this tire thread.  Regarding the Firestone tires, the reproduction Firestone tires available are not even correct for the 1969 model year, yet many install them not knowing any better.  I have photos of the correct 1969 Firestone tires in my 1969 Camaro fact book on page 179 but uneducated people still seem to buy what is available which are 1970 and later versions of the Firestone wide oval tire.  The correct 1969 Firestone tire is not available in reproduction.  Why it is not made is beyond me.

Jerry 

[BillG]

I have what I think is an original spare in my pace car.  It is a Uniroyal Tiger Paw.  Could this be.  Was that another tire option for 69?

[Jerry@CHP]

Bill,

Uniroyal, Goodyears and Firestones were used during the model year, probably the real deal.

JM

[Steve Shauger]

I have what I think is an original spare in my pace car.  It is a Uniroyal Tiger Paw.  Could this be.  Was that another tire option for 69?

Bill, Uniroroyal was indeed another supplier. I know they were used from 69 to at least 72, however the small raised script was unique for each year. Let me know what the script states such as  "Rayon Dynacor" or Rayon Dynacor Nylon " or Dynacor Rayon Fiberglass". Attached is a link to my survivor car with the original Uniroyal tires, scroll down the thread and you'll see where I attached a pic of the tires. 
http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/128375/an/0/page/10#128375


[Quote problem fixed by Kurt]

[KurtS]

I thought I had heard that the tires were changed at the race.
Giving both tire manufactires equal time.
Or, maybe the 2 prepared track Cars used different tires.

Something like that
I know that both Goodyear, and Firestone were represented that day.

All my "official" track photos show the Goodyear Wide track.

The latter one. From http://www.camaros.org/69pacer.shtml:
"One car was equipped with Firestone tires and the other with Goodyear tires to give both companies equal promotional time."

[BillG]

Paceme,  This spare says Dynacor Rayon on the white letter side and Dynacor Rayon Tubeless on the black side.  Date code is YAO143, but I don't know how to read it.