I am new at this, so please forgive a newbie question. I have a 76 Camaro I bought a couple years ago. One of the front tires was damaged recently and I have had a hell of a time getting a replacement. It has BF Goodrich Radial T/As with the raised white lettering. They’re pretty common. However, they apparently no longer make the size I need to match the front tires with the raised white letters. OK, I’ll get them without. But they also do not make the size I have on my rear wheels without the RWL. So I can get my front tires only without the RWL and the rear tires only WITH the RLW.

I want to keep my rims and my wheels. My front tires are 185/70/14. I know I need to match the diameter (14) to keep the same rims. Do I have to match both the width and the aspect ratio to still be able to use the same wheels? What, if any, flexibility do I have?
thanks

 

You have some flexibility. Your front tires are about 24.2" tall, with a section width (outer sidewall to sidewall) of 7.3". If you're wanting to stay close to the 185's, a 215/60R14 is the same height, with a wider section width of 8.7". Those would work fine on your wheels & car. You also could upsize the tires to 225/60R14: 24.7" diameter, 8.1" section. Or 225/70R14: 26.5" height, 9" section. All these sizes recommend using anywhere from a 6"-8" wide wheel. Taller tires lower your overall engine rpm's on the highway, but take away from bottom end performance.

 

just call a tire shop and they can give you all the possible combos....then decide, then order.

 

Get new front tires, and have the rear dismounted and the RWL turned inside. Problem fixed.