Suggestions, Finally have money to buy tires for the Dart !

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Brooks James

Brooks James

VET, CPT, Huey Medevac Pilot
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70 Dart, slant 6 k frame, 360 Magnum
1.08 PST Torsion bars
KYB gas shocks
16:1 ratio manual steering box
Moog 7103 offset upper control bushings
Factory Kelsey Hayes front disks
Pirate Jack rear disc kit
Factory 340 front sway bar

Tires?
I have run BFG TA radials in the past, pretty good tire but hard to get sticky
With the offset bushings I can run up to 225 60 R 14, on the front. I think I can get 245 60 R 14 on the rear (stock leafs 8 3/4 axle )

My plan is to do some road racing (course set up with cones), and some rally track racing, AND stoplight to stoplight street racing.

I'm looking for tires that will get sticky on a burnout, but not too hard of a compound, handle well, reasonably priced.

SUGGESTIONS PLEASE
up to a 225:70 R
 
oof.

in 14" that's gonna be a tall order.... BFG might be the only thing that'll meet those parameters. maybe firestone or hankook...
 
I'm looking for tires that will get sticky on a burnout, but not too hard of a compound, handle well, reasonably priced.
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Pick two, that’s all you’re gonna get under reasonably priced.
Remove reasonably priced and you can have 2 out of 3.
 
basically it looks like sizing wise you're down to bfg ta or cooper cobras if you want to keep it affordable. anything "performance" from yokohama, hankook or falken is really short like, 25" and under. there's some "grand touring" stuff that's kinda sort of the right size-ish but the treadware rating is all about 500+ and creeping into the BFG/Cooper price point.
 
I'm not sure a 225 will fit the front. In any event, you'll want to watch the tire size on the front with a 16:1 gear box.
 
TA's are a terrible, overpriced tire. With that said, there really isn't much in a 14" that will fit the bill. Cooper Cobras are about the same as TA's, performance-wise, but are probably a better tire and less expensive. I've gone through this with shopping for tires for our GTS convertible, but running the 14" sport wheel covers limits my ability to go to bigger wheels. In your case I would upgrade to, at least, 15" wheels, perhaps 16's. We have 15's on my son's Dart and my Barracuda.
 
RustyRatRod said:
I'm not sure a 225 will fit the front. In any event, you'll want to watch the tire size on the front with a 16:1 gear box.
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nah, just overinflate them for a smaller contact patch!

all kidding aside, it'll be super close, but should fit. i know 215/60-15's are about the limit you can run on a barracuda with a cop wheel and even then you can't go too low
 
Jim Lusk said:
TA's are a terrible, overpriced tire. With that said, there really isn't much in a 14" that will fit the bill. Cooper Cobras are about the same as TA's, performance-wise, but are probably a better tire and less expensive. I've gone through this with shopping for tires for our GTS convertible, but running the 14" sport wheel covers limits my ability to go to bigger wheels. In your case I would upgrade to, at least, 15" wheels, perhaps 16's. We have 15's on my son's Dart and my Barracuda.
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i agree on all accounts. 15" opens up so many more possibilities. 16" is kind of the same, so if you're going there you might as well jump to 17 where there's a ton more options in tires and wheels.
 
The Galaxy Vitour R1 is a nice tire. That's what I have on Vixen and they ride great and are wearing great. They are available in the size you want.

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I’m all in favor of 17s if it’s being used for any sort of auto cross usage.
 
You'd be better off buying a car to fit the tire.
70 Dodge Dart rally/road racing? lol :lol:
 
Hate to tell you but spinning the tires may make certain tires sticky at first but then they turn hard… very hard. Only soft tires made for that like M/T street slicks will allow for you to spin and get hot and sticky. Sadly they don’t last long.
 
Syleng1 said:
Hate to tell you but spinning the tires may make certain tires sticky at first but then they turn hard… very hard. Only soft tires made for that like M/T street slicks will allow for you to spin and get hot and sticky. Sadly they don’t last long.
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Yeah, they get like almost a hard plastic when they've been over heated too much.
 
Jim Lusk said:
You'd be surprised what some of these cars are used for...

and on 15s, too...

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That's about the size and type of tire I was thinking. Something with a little meat to keep it glued in the corners.
 
Performance tires in 14 inches are virtually non existent. M&H makes a bias drag radial type tire,with tread, in a 235/60x14, Hoosier makes a quick time pro (in reality, a cheater slick with a dot) in 26x9.5-14. Thats it. Heck, there's more 13" performance tires than 14s. Autocross tires with any kind of height for 15" rims are almost non existent too. If you are remotely serious about autocross, buy coopers for your street use, and some junkyard 17" wheels for autocross specific use. (Also, 16s are obsolete too, cannot find much at all for the sixteens on camaros and mustangs from the 90s)
 
RustyRatRod said:
I'm not sure a 225 will fit the front. In any event, you'll want to watch the tire size on the front with a 16:1 gear box.
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I have 225 on the front of my scamp and it rubs the rear fender bolt. Am going to move to a 215 soon.
 
I ran 225/60/15's on my Duster without any issues. It was close and I made some minor adjustments to the fender brace but it didn't take any cutting. And that was with the BBP 73+ brakes up front, which have a wider track than the KH's.

img_3620-jpg.jpg


As for a DOT legal street performance tire for a 14" rim, nope, not gonna happen. BFG TA's and Cooper Cobra's are about all you'll find in the right sizes, and those are all-season hockey pucks, not performance tires.

RustyRatRod said:
I'm not sure a 225 will fit the front. In any event, you'll want to watch the tire size on the front with a 16:1 gear box.
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225's are close up front with the kind of backspacing you find on 14" and 15" rims, but it can definitely be done. Some cars may have more issues than others, but that's factory tolerances for you.

I run 275/35/18's up front with 16:1 manual steering. It's not a big deal.

img_2528-copy-jpeg.jpg
 
72bluNblu said:
I ran 225/60/15's on my Duster without any issues. It was close and I made some minor adjustments to the fender brace but it didn't take any cutting. And that was with the BBP 73+ brakes up front, which have a wider track than the KH's.

View attachment 1716055369

As for a DOT legal street performance tire for a 14" rim, nope, not gonna happen. BFG TA's and Cooper Cobra's are about all you'll find in the right sizes, and those are all-season hockey pucks, not performance tires.



225's are close up front with the kind of backspacing you find on 14" and 15" rims, but it can definitely be done. Some cars may have more issues than others, but that's factory tolerances for you.

I run 275/35/18's up front with 16:1 manual steering. It's not a big deal.

View attachment 1716055370
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I remember you saying yours wasn't too bad with your tires and 16:1 but I couldn't remember the size tires.
 
I was able to fit 225mm tires on my '66 Dart on the front. It took some subtle fender rolling to clear everything.

As others have noted, 14" is a hard size to shop for these days, particularly for serious performance tires. Even 15" opens up a lot more options. Hoosier's 46115 is a DOT legal and rain rated (though officially not for street use) tire in 205/55R14.

Vredestein offers a few tires in 14", but they're more along the lines of the BF Goodrich Radial T/A than full race tires. They tend to make tires for older European sports cars, but some of their range overlaps with things that fit an A-Body.
 
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