Well, folks, I finally got my tire situation straight.
For those of you who missed our previous episode, I bought some
Firestone 721s for my '68 convertible and decided I didn't like them.
The problem then became: how do I get the tire store to take them back?
And what can I put in their place?
As for the first problem, it turned out not to be a problem. If you're
ever in Panama City Beach, Florida, and you need tires, go see Danny at
Big Ten tire. He handled this whole situation exactly the way I would
want it handled: without an argument. He took the old tires back, even
though I'd put about 10 miles on 'em, and got me the tires I wanted. I
also want to thank Donald Taccone of Birmingham for his assistance &
former IML Member of the Month Jeff Carrothers for pointing me in the
right direction.
Okay, now the tires. I'd have to say the report is both good & bad.
Overall, I'm happy I got rid of the Firestones. A lot of people
e-mailed me to say they liked the Firestones and thought they were good
tires. I'm sure they are. Maybe it was just the particular set I
received, or maybe Firestone's quality has slipped, or maybe I'm just
more particular than some . . .
Whatever it is, I am happy with the quality of the Dimension IVs. I
found out they are made in the Yokohama plant in Salem, Virginia, and
the load & speed ratings are comparable to the Firestones, if not better
(I can't recall the exact numbers now). BUT, the Dimensions retail for
about $10 less than the 721s . . . and you may be able to find them even
cheaper in some places.
In my opinion, the quality of manufacture of these tires is much better
than the Firestones I got-- if looking at the outside of a tire is any
guide. I'm not sure it is. But just judging from the standpoint of
the "finish" of the rubber and the way the tire looks, the Dimension IV
is better. My Firestones were discolored. The black didn't appear
uniformly black-- it was almost as if there was a lighter shade of
rubber mixed in there, or maybe they had been stained by something. The
whitewalls had small chips missing where the white had come off, and
also small pieces of rubbery sap or goo-- for lack of a better word--
that I could not clean off, even with Westlie's. And then there was the
stripe, which had faint ridges in it, as if it had been plastered over
the top of a skinnier whitewall. Not to mention the small white flecks
of "overspray" (?) on the black around the whitewall.
The whitewalls on the Dimension IVs do not have overspray. The black is
black, the white is WHITE. There is a crisp line where the 2 meet. The
white also has no debris or junk in it, or chips missing.
Unfortunately, the width of the whitewall, which I had complained about
on the 721, was the same. I said before that the width of the ww on the
Firestone didn't look right for a '68. A few people pointed out to me
that the width of the ww on the original Goodyears that came with the
68s was basically the same as the width of the ww on the 721. So it's
not quite right to say the Firestone is "incorrect" for a '68. However,
the whitewalls on the original tires were broken up into 3 rings, which
I thinks creates a different effect and tones down the white
considerably.
The dealer told me before I bought the tire that the Firestones came
with a 2" whitewall. They do not. As several people on this list said,
they come with a 1 5/8" ww. But even after measuring it & telling the
dealer, he still insisted they were 2", because that's what it said in
his book. I finally had to show him.
>From that I drew the wrong conclusion that maybe tire manufacturers
"round up" their numbers. So when I saw that the Dimension IVs were
advertized as having a 1 1/2" ww, I assumed, not being able to see some
for myself, that they were really a little less-- maybe 1 1/4", which I
think would be perfect. Wrong! They are 1 5/8". So some companies
round up, others round down. Go figger.
ANYWAY, the ride of these tires is great. I'm not %100 satisfied, and
I'll probably end up trying some bias plies someday just to see for
myself, but for now I'm happy.
The Firestones may be fine in general, but for me the Dimension IV is
what I wanted.
Mark M
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