"big letter" goodyear eagle tires

[razerwire]

Going by my failing memory I should of said I bought them about 6 years ago. I bought them through Finishline Motorsports Las Vegas. The wheels came in Halibrand boxes, who made them for Hilibrand would be a guess on my part. When they were made would be a guess on my part also. Which foundry made wheels for Hilibrand in the 1960s I don't know. I learn things on this site all the time and I'm enriched by it.

[eagle4444]

I purchased a goodyear eagle stencil kit and paint. Does anyone know if you could purchase a good radial tire[ preferably goodyear, and with a side of the tire smooth enough to paint the large logo on it? Seems to me, this would be the best of both worlds. If anyone has any input, please let me know- Jeff.

[elmariachi]

Originally Posted by eagle4444

I purchased a goodyear eagle stencil kit and paint. Does anyone know if you could purchase a good radial tire[ preferably goodyear, and with a side of the tire smooth enough to paint the large logo on it? Seems to me, this would be the best of both worlds. If anyone has any input, please let me know- Jeff.

Its hard to imagine how the results of this effort would be befitting of the car. There are only a couple of tire brands (Yokohama and Mickey Thompson) that make the right size P metric tire and I am not sure they will give you what you are looking for. To my knowledge Good Year does not make a performance tire to fit our cars properly.

[Silverback51]

In my opinion the best overall 15 inch radial tire in the Cobra sizes is the Avon. It's just a shame they are prices so high that it drives some buyers away.

[elmariachi]

Yeah I intentionally left that one off because I figured he wouldn't pay that and then stencil them when he could just buy the BB.

John, how would you compare the Avon to the GY in terms of they rock-throwing abilities?

Jim



.

[Silverback51]

The Avons still throw stones, but not near what you get with the BB's.

[Earl J]

You guys may want to revisit the Roger Krause site for the Hoosier Vintage DOT rated tires. I believe they come in sizes appropriate for Cobras. They are half the price of the Avons. Tire life and wear longevity may still be a issue. The DOT makes them street legal to a degree and they have a nice tread pattern kind of a vintage chain-link design.

Best,
Earl J

[Bernica]

Originally Posted by elmariachi

Not sure what you mean by a "real billboard tire." The tires come from Good Year with the white lettering spray painted on. The GY workers don't always stay between the lines when they paint and when some of them show up the lettering is already chaffed off. On this last set I bought, the lettering was pretty scuffed up from shipping and one tire was missing the paint altogether on the word "Eagle." I suspect these are made in the same Akron, Ohio plant where the NASCAR tires are made and realizing they are manufacturing vintage racing tires, not much attention is paid to such cosmetic details. You can remove the GY white lettering with one of several solvents, or you can go the other way with Ranger Tire Paint and make them look prefect.

The tires are a very soft compound. They're sticky, they throw rocks, they flat-spot in 15 minutes and as was already noted, they follow the grooves in the road. They are quite unmannered and are a departure from the smooth ride and easy handling you'll find with normal 15" street radials. But there is no substitute for the look and they are very predictable in the way they handle when you are pushing the car.

Everything Elmariachi said...They are a ***** when you roll out until you heat them up and sort out the flat spots. Then they are sticky, predictable and somewhat like flypaper for rocks. The rocks will tend to add "patina" to your fenders which, for me anyways, you will have come to peace with. They do hunt on our freeways, they are not DOT, and they have the "hack-job" paint job on the lettering, which I am also at peace with and actually think is cool. I bought the Ranger Tire Paint, and several CC members have done the nice "Color inside the lines" thing, but I actually like the look just the way they sent them so I never did it. Also, Krause was great. Just talk to the son (Brandon Krause?). He was awesome and took good care of me. Followed up to make sure I was satisfied etc...

[Clayboy]

John,
On an earlier post didn't you say you were going back to BB after having Avons or was I mistaken? If that is the case what is your reasoning?
Bob

[Silverback51]

Originally Posted by Clayboy

John,
On an earlier post didn't you say you were going back to BB after having Avons or was I mistaken? If that is the case what is your reasoning?
Bob

You are correct.

The main reason is the BB's reduce the unsprung weight by 50 pounds, which is a bunch.

I also like the looks of the BB's better and I can live with the flat spots and the other quirks they have.

[gsharapa]

I like the BBs also. Just think the look with the sloppy paint job looks so vintage. I rotate mine in the garage every few weeks when the car is idle and it only takes a couple miles to heat them up and then they drive great unless you are on a crappy road they will wonder a bit. You do need to check tire pressure as they will slowly lose air over time but that's just good maintenance that you should do with all tires on a performance car. The great news is they bite good as I'm not affraid to put my foot in it when they are heated up.....

[Silverback51]

Originally Posted by gsharapa

I like the BBs also. Just think the look with the sloppy paint job looks so vintage. I rotate mine in the garage every few weeks when the car is idle and it only takes a couple miles to heat them up and then they drive great unless you are on a crappy road they will wonder a bit. You do need to check tire pressure as they will slowly lose air over time but that's just good maintenance that you should do with all tires on a performance car. The great news is they bite good as I'm not affraid to put my foot in it when they are heated up.....

Looks nice.

The BB's are also very predictable and give lots of warning when approaching the limit.

[Voyager]

I like the look of the BBs and will probably get a set.

Not to hijack the tread, but…let me make sure I understand the rock throwing issue…

Do the rocks hit the underside of the wheel wells and that underneath impact leads to exterior paint damage?

Or are the rocks coming up and hitting the exterior of the car and chipping the paint?

If it is an underneath issue, didn’t Superformance eventually strengthen the wheel well undercoating to mitigate that issue?

[elmariachi]

The rocks hit everything in sight; inside wheel openings, headers, fender lips, wheel arches, cars behind you. I even get pebbles up on my intake manifold. Over time paint will get chipped and I suppose the glass could be affected underneath. Some manufacturers use a foam liner in the wheel wells to prevent any damage to the glass. My car is Rhino-lined in the wheel wells so I haven't seen any issues. I do have road rash behind the front wheels, on the leading edges/outer curves of my side pipes and in front of my rear wheels. If your car is a beauty queen and not a driver, these may not be for you.

But I am with Gary....the vintage look is unbeatable.


Jim.

[SuperHart]

NO matter how many times you ask the question about Billboards there will always be dialogue. Last year I tried a set of Billboards. As previously stated, the paint is sprayed on by employees who don't give a damn about where the letters are sprayed on the tire and are usually significantly scuffed up from shipping. The compound is real sticky and soft so they throw anything and everything from a grain of sand up to a small pebble all over the paint finish of your beautiful car. They wander terribly on uneven pavement and their lifespan is very short on the road due to the soft compound. They drive terrible and many times require tweaking the suspension and alignment to get them to behave properly on the street. They are not DOT so if a trooper stops you and wants to be a real nitpicker he can and will ticket you for having non-approved parts on your vehicle. All that said, they still look WAY cool. If your car is a trailer queen, go for it. If your car is a driver, think twice. Although I wouldn't do it, the stencil set could be a good alternative especially if you have already chosen a nice set of Goodyear radial tires for your ride. Myself, I chose a set of Cooper Cobra radial tires not only because I knew they ride and handle well but I liked the name COBRA already on them and the cost was more than reasonable. Just my $.02 worth.