Several members of this site followed along during the summer as I went through the process of purchasing a second low mileage Trans AM. Now I am trying to figure out the best tire options.

My first choice was a pristine 83 WS6 or WS7 T-top car with all of the bells and whistles. A functioning Cross Fire would have been nice, however my search did not yield any low mileage 83's in my area or in my price range.

The 83 appeals to me due to the functioning air induction in the ironing board hood scoop, even available with the LG4. The second point on the 83's were the 15 inch turbo fin wheels with the small wheel caps, and most of all the 700R4 transmission is far superior to that 200C metric thing in the 82's.

This 82 allmost fell in my lap. It is a sweet little car, totally original with only 24K actual miles. I bought it from the original owner who provided all documentation on the car. He gave me a big box to stuff, from the original buyers agreement, all service and repair records, build sheet, and original window sticker. The only thing not OE is the aftermarket stereo, however the original owner provided the OE radio and tape unit from the car carefully packed in a box. Nothing was cut or modified, so returning the OE Delco system is plug and play.

The car has the original 30 year-old Goodyear Eagle GT's still on the ground. They don't look weather checked, but ride like bricks. Under the hood is not much better as the OE GM hoses and belts are still on the car. As for the under hood stuff, OE parts are not going to be a problem. Our local Chevy dealer, Smoky Mountain Chevy in Macon County can get everything and the prices are not bad.

I plan to show the car, however would also like to have it good enough condition to drive some on the weekends. Breakdowns ruin one's whole day! It will never be a daily driver, and will probably get driven between 150 and 750 miles each year like we do with the 86WS6. I have one of the last Crown Vic's built that I beat the s*** out of as a DD.

As for the tires I have some decisions to make:

1) Replace the OE tires with aftermarket, remove the original bowling ball caps for driving, and replace them when we show the car. Since they have a reputation of falling off, I don't want to take a chance of loosing one of those caps on the highway. I may buy a set of aftermarket bowling ball caps to run on the daily basis, and keep the OE's in a box? One of the Knightrider vendors make a reporduction cap that attaches with three of the wheel lugs, and will not fall off like the originals will.

2) Install a set of tires on a set of nice 16 x 8 Cross Laced (GTA style) wheels, and run them on the car. Save the original tires and wheels for the shows.

Maybe at some point I will have the money to pruchase the NOS Goodyear Eagle GT's from Kelly Tire, however at this time the price is beyond my budget.

Thanks in advance,
Charles

 

Charles,

Both ideas are sound.

There is an improvement in handling by going up to 245-50-16 sized tires, but summer tire options in that size are very limited.

 

No need for a winter tire. I don't drive the TA's if it looks like it is going to rain, and will never drive them off of our property in the winter. We live in the mountains, and it snows a lot. We average 70 inches of snow each year, and have nightly ice forming. The county keeps the roads salted heavy here all winter.

I have a winter AWD truck that is my sacrifice to the rust gods. We have to snow plow our driveway to get off of the mountain the winter, and nothing short of a AWD or a 4WD will make it down or back up the mountain. RWD cars are useless in the winter here. Even the Ford CV does not see winter driving. The snow is usually higher then the bumper.

The TA's sit snuggly in a heated garage all winter, started weekly, and driven around the horse pasture on warmer days. On bad days, I drive them out of the garage, run them about 45 minutes, then park them back in the garage. The TA's would not last long in the winter environment up here.

These cars are mostly trailer queens that see some weekend summer cruising.

I forgot to mention, I already own a spare set of GTA wheels, center caps, lug nuts, and caps. They are in like new condition.

 

It almost seems like the best plan may be to bite the bullet, and purchase the NOS Goodyear Eagle GT tires from Kelsey Tire's. With that option the car will have the correct NOS Goodyear Eagle GT's. The tires are 340.00 each. If I install a set of the reproduction bowling ball caps then the car will look 100% original and I won't have to worry about the the repo bowling ball staying on the car. I can pack the original bowling ball caps up, as those things are getting more scarce and more valuable all of the time.

http://www.kelseytire.com/pages/preformancetires3.html

 

On my '83 I have the 14" wheels with the bowling ball caps. To keep them on I use zip ties, and wire ties to keep them on the wheel. It has worked perfect for years. Just drill minor holes in the cap back and mount them to the wheel. Never lost one yet.

 

The zip tie mod is an option. None of the caps have fallen off of my car. The tires have been rotated one time, and the caps have only been off of the car once that we know of. The caps still fit tightly on the wheels. As I understand it, the wheel covers get loose over time as the tabs wear. Once they wear and become loose, it does not take much force to pop them off.

 

I zip tied mine (with black / UV resistant) ones... But others have had no problems with silicone... Keeping those wheels clean can be a chore... the only thing I found that works like magic is Eagle One Aluminum Mag wheel cleaner... Grey bottle, with blue label.... heavy duty stuff, clean in well ventilated area...

I had my wheels media blasted, edges polished and clear powdercoated...
So they look wet (not stock) but they clean easily and do look nice...

Actually, there were some of these wheels that had a painted clear coat (not powser coated)...

A pic of my wheel...



Raf

 

Your wheels look great! Good Idea. Better then stock.

 

The PO did this on my car, only issue is myself being new to 3rd gens, broke the tab that was zip tied because i didnt realize they were zip tied. Cut the rest off and shelved my bowling ball hub caps for my DT500.

 

As with most people my budget plays a role in the decisions of the items that I purchase.

The Kelsey reproduction Goodyear Eagle GT's in 215/65/15 retail for $340.00 each tire, plus tax, and shipping. It would be great to have these tires, however I cann't afford that amount at this time.

Since we participate in the 100 point shows, not the 1000 point shows, the accuracy and brand of tire on one's car is not counted for or against one in the show. The only criteria is that the tires are the same size as, or very close to the size as the original tires.

This General Altimax RT tire is made in the size that fits my car, has good reviews, and is inexpensive. It is probably a better tire then the OE Goodyears were in 1982. It is certaily better then any 30 year-old tires.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....utoModel=Trans Am&autoModClar=

This General Altimax HP tire is the flagship of the General line and is a decent tire. It also has good reviews. I have a set of these on my DD, a 2007 Crown Victoria with the police package on it. The tires handle better then the OE Michelins did, wear even, wear slowly, have great traction, and have good road manners for a low priced tire. The only problem with this tire is that they do not come in 215/65/15. They do come in a 215/60/15, and are 25.2 inches tall, versus 26 inches for a 215/65/15. the rim dimensions and other dimensions of the two sizes are pretty similiar.

Which one would you choose? Will 0.8 inches in height make a lot of difference in how the car drives. I know that it will probably through the speedometer off by a couple MPH.

I can purchase a set of the General RT's or a set of Altimax's HP for about the same price as one reproduction Goodyear tire.


http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

As for the bowling ball caps, for the time being I am going to remove the caps and store them in the trailer. At shows, I will pop them on the car, and then remove them again when the show is over.

At some point I plan to buy a good set of reproduction bowling ball caps, to keep on the car, and may consider the reproduction Goodyear tires.

Thanks,
Charles