NC01TA

I just bought a set of Firehawk Indy 500 white lettered tires for my Aerocoupe this month mainly because Tire Rack said they were manufactured in the USA. The BFG are made in Mexico. Since there wasn't much of a choice in a 15" white lettered tire I chose the Firestone. I checked the sidewall when I received them and stamped on them was 'Made in Mexico'
I want to keep the Aerocoupe as original as possible so I don't want a larger size tire. Is this the end of 15" white lettered tires made in the USA? I checked and re-checked and just nothing appears besides the aftermarket 'show' tires which are basically horribly made. Unfortunately Goodyear stopped making these quite awhile ago. They were the original manufacturer. If anyone has knowledge of USA made 15" white lettered tires I'd sure appreciate a 'heads-up'. I'm sure these Mexican Firestones will be OK but it isn't my preference.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

No, there is still Cooper Cobras. I don't know if every size they make is still USA produced, but I believe that there entire 15" line is. Recently, my brother bought them in a 245/60/15 size for his Cuda, and they were made in USA. Cooper makes the Cobra in 215/65/15 (I think that's the correct size for your Monte Carlo?) and also 235/60/15 (which is nearly identicle in height as the 215/65). But I believe that your original tires would have been Eagle GT+4, correct? And those were outlined white letters if I remember correctly. The Cobra is only made as a solid white letter tire, not sure if that's going to be an issue for you.

Do you mean the stuff from Coker? These are actually fine tires, and made in USA. It looks like Coker is now carrying most of the old BFG Radial T/A line that used to be made in mexico....not sure if they are just selling these tires for BFG as a dealer, or if they are actually reproducing them now. I too was sad to see that the Radial T/A had left US production when I ordered the most recent set for my Nova back in 2009.

NC01TA

Thank you very much! I'll check into the Cooper line and ask specifically what the sidewall states. The Goodyear 'outline letter' was correct as well. The originals came with the car and I set them aside. Just too old to drive on.
Yeah, I didn't want to mention the company's name (you guessed right though) but my neighbor (serious car collector with 12 cars) has had numerous issues with them, especially being 'out of round'. He swore them off several years ago.
Since you appreciate what I am talking about, here is a pic of the SS. Found it in Hemmings and travelled back to NC from Pittsburgh with it. A true #2 car, all original.
Attachment 346478

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

I just took a look at Cooper's website to see if they list the country of origin for the Cobra, but I can't seem to find anything there. But again, I can tell you that as recently as 2010 (or maybe it was '09) the 245/60/15 set was stamped as made in USA.....so there's a good chance that this will still be the case.

I'm surprised and sorry to hear about the issues with Coker. I know several people in my area that have used them on everything from old Model A Fords to '60s Cadillacs and muscle cars, and I've never heard anyone complain about them. I guess if you search enough you can find someone who has had issues with any product though.

Your Aerocoupe looks beautiful, what a great find! One of the guys at my local Sunday cruise spot has a standard roof version in that same color, with just about the same miles (13k on his I think). Was it possibile to get an Aerocoupe with T-tops? I can't remember if I've ever seen that combo before, seems like the few I've seen were hardtops like yours.

NC01TA

Thanks for the kind words. Yes, the Aerocoupes came with either T-tops or hardtops. I wasn't being picky when I was looking but did hear about many 'leaking problems' (what else is new?) so I preferred the hardtop plus I have two verts already so no big deal with the top either way.
I'm going to check around this week about the Coopers. Apparently Firestone just switched very recently as Tire Rack still showed the tire being 'made in USA' last week. I'm sure they try to be accurate.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Nothing wrong with a hardtop at all. I was just curious since I've only seen a couple of these in person over the years, and from what I remember they were all hardtops. I like to store as much knowledge in my head as possibile in regards to GM A/G, F, X, and Y bodies.

Please report back whatever you find out about the Coopers. I'm hoping they are still USA produced. Good luck!

NC01TA

I've requested the info from two businesses and no response yet. 1) Either they don't care to make sales or 2) the Cooper tires are not made in the USA and they just would rather not answer. I'm thinking the latter. That's OK, these Firestones will be fine, just not my first choice. If I hear back I'll post.

thunderstruck507

iTrader: (18)

From my understanding, Coker is reproducing the BFG from the molds for collectors since BFG had constant problems with supply of the radial t/a in hot rod sizes.

For instance the 295/50r15 would be available for as few as 3 months out of the year and backordered the rest of the time.