Translate vintage tire designations to modern equivalents for your classic vehicle
Finding the right tires for your classic or antique vehicle can be challenging due to the different sizing systems used throughout automotive history. Our comprehensive conversion guide helps you translate vintage tire designations to modern equivalents, ensuring proper fitment and preserving your vehicle's authentic handling characteristics.
Example: G78-15
Example: 7.50-16
Example: 225/75R15
Use our specialized calculator to find the ideal modern tire size for your classic vehicle.
This comprehensive conversion table helps you match vintage tire sizes to their closest modern equivalents. Remember that modern radial tires may have slightly different handling characteristics than original bias-ply tires.
| Original Antique Size | Original Type | Modern Equivalent | Overall Diameter | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A78-13 | Bias/Bias-Belted | P165/80R13 | 24.2" | Economy car size |
| B78-13 | Bias/Bias-Belted | P175/80R13 | 24.7" | Common on 1970s compacts |
| C78-14 | Bias/Bias-Belted | P185/75R14 | 26.0" | Early intermediate cars |
| E78-14 | Bias/Bias-Belted | P195/75R14 | 26.6" | Popular mid-size car size |
| F78-14 | Bias/Bias-Belted | P205/75R14 | 27.1" | Common on full-size cars |
| G78-14 | Bias/Bias-Belted | P215/75R14 | 27.7" | Full-size and luxury models |
| G78-15 | Bias/Bias-Belted | P215/75R15 | 28.9" | Common on 1960s-70s American cars |
| H78-15 | Bias/Bias-Belted | P225/75R15 | 29.4" | Larger American cars, muscle cars |
| J78-15 | Bias/Bias-Belted | P235/75R15 | 30.0" | Performance and luxury cars |
| L78-15 | Bias/Bias-Belted | P255/75R15 | 31.1" | High-performance applications |
| 6.00-16 | Bias | P185/85R16 | 29.0" | Common on 1930s-50s cars |
| 6.50-16 | Bias | P195/85R16 | 29.8" | Vintage trucks and larger cars |
| 7.00-15 | Bias | P205/80R15 | 28.7" | Classic American cars 1940s-50s |
| 7.50-16 | Bias | P225/80R16 | 31.3" | Vintage trucks and heavy cars |
| 7.60-15 | Bias | P235/75R15 | 29.4" | Luxury and performance cars 1950s |
| 8.20-15 | Bias | P255/75R15 | 30.4" | Premium vehicles 1950s-60s |
| 145R10 | Radial | 145/80R10 | 20.4" | Mini, Fiat 500, small European cars |
| 155R15 | Radial | 155/80R15 | 26.0" | VW Beetle, classic Porsche |
| 165R15 | Radial | 165/80R15 | 26.5" | Vintage European sports cars |
| 185R15 | Radial | 185/75R15 | 27.1" | Mercedes, BMW vintage models |
Note: This conversion table provides close modern equivalents to vintage sizes. For collector vehicles or concours-level restorations, specialty reproduction tires in original specifications may be preferred. Contact our vintage tire specialists for expert guidance on your specific application.
When replacing tires on a classic vehicle, understanding the difference between original bias-ply and modern radial tires is crucial:
For vehicles that see regular road use, modern radial tires in a size equivalent to the original typically provide the best balance of safety, performance, and convenience. For show cars or concours restorations, reproduction bias-ply tires may be preferred for authenticity.
The market for classic vehicle tires has expanded significantly, offering several options for enthusiasts:
Exact replicas of original equipment tires, often including period-correct tread patterns and sidewall markings. These tires combine vintage appearance with improved materials for better safety and longevity.
Contemporary radial tires with classic styling cues like whitewall or redline designs, providing modern performance with period-appropriate aesthetics.
These specialized tires feature radial construction internally but are designed to exhibit the classic sidewall bulge and appearance of bias-ply tires.
For vehicles entered in concours or judged events, the manufacturing date of your tires may be scrutinized. Many reproduction tire manufacturers offer tires without modern date codes or with period-correct markings specifically for show vehicles.
Yes, modern radial tires can be used on most classic vehicles, often with significant improvements in safety, handling, and tread life. Many experts recommend radials for classics that are driven regularly. However, be aware that radials handle differently than bias-ply tires, so you may notice changes in your vehicle's steering and suspension characteristics. For some vintage vehicles with period-correct suspensions, minor adjustments may be needed to optimize handling with radial tires.
Maintaining the original tire diameter within 3% of the factory specification is crucial for preserving proper speedometer accuracy, ground clearance, and gear ratios. Significant changes to overall diameter can affect handling, braking distances, and engine RPM at highway speeds. Our conversion chart prioritizes diameter equivalence to ensure your classic vehicle maintains its designed driving characteristics.
Several specialty manufacturers produce reproduction tires for classic vehicles, including Coker Tire, Diamond Back Classic Tires, and Universal Vintage Tire. These companies offer period-correct bias-ply tires with authentic tread patterns and sidewall markings. For rare or unusual sizes, custom-built tires may be available. Our vintage tire specialists can help source the right reproduction tires for your specific vehicle and restoration goals.
In most cases, modern equivalent tires are designed to fit the original wheels. However, some very early wheel designs (pre-1940s) may have different bead seat configurations that aren't compatible with modern tires. Additionally, the wider tread of some modern equivalents might require wheels with appropriate width. Our experts can verify compatibility based on your specific vehicle's wheel specifications and recommend appropriate combinations.
Beyond size designations, vintage tires often featured other markings indicating load range, speed rating, or special characteristics. For example, many 1960s-70s tires used letters like "B" (4-ply rating) or "D" (8-ply rating) to indicate load capacity. Some European tires used numerical speed ratings. If you need help decoding specific markings on your original tires, our vintage tire specialists can provide detailed information based on manufacturer and era.
Yes, many modern equivalent sizes are available with whitewalls, redlines, or gold lines to match the period-correct appearance of your classic vehicle. These specialized styling options are available in both radial and bias-ply construction from select manufacturers. The width and style of these decorative elements can vary, so it's important to specify the exact look you're trying to achieve when ordering.
