tires

The Era of The Square Body Racing Comets
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frankstein65
Posts: 26
Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2020 7:20 am

tires

Post by frankstein65 »

Newbie here so go easy.....tires on this 65 caliente I just bought are 195 75 14 ww. does that sound right???? I need to buy new ones.

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Jims65cyclone
Posts: 2754
Joined: Sun Nov 23, 2014 10:29 pm
Location: Lexington, SC

Re: tires

Post by Jims65cyclone »

The standard tire size for the Comet in 65 was 6.95-14 with an optional size of 7.35-14. The 6.95-14 is equivalent to a P185/75R14 and the 7.35-14 is equivalent to a P195/75R14, so your current tires are equivalent to the original optional tire. However, mine had P205/75R14's on it when I bought it, and they worked just fine. Plus they have a bigger footprint than the P195's, being equivalent to a 7.75-14 back in the day. A lot depends on what you plan to do to the car. You're pretty limited with what you can do with 14-inch tires as far as selection and availability. If you go to 15-inch rims it opens up a lot more possibilities. I've got 235/60/15's on the rear of mine and 215/65/15's on the front, though in retrospect, I probably should have put 205/65/15's on the front instead. The 215's are pretty close on clearance with the front fender.

Here's a reference for comparing older tire sizes to the modern sizes.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech ... nchart.jsp

Here's one to compare different tire sizes and profiles to each other and see the impact on dimensions, speedo readings and rpm.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/tirecalc?ti ... -215-65r15

Here's one just for fun so you can see what a fantastic car your 65 Comet really is. :D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blxUM6T ... e=youtu.be

Good luck, and keep us posted on your progress.

Jim
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