Coker Tire celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Firestone Wide Oval tire at the 2016 SEMA Show with the introduction of the new Firestone Wide Oval Radial tire.
Muscle car expert Steve Magnante hosted the company’s press event at the Coker Tire booth (# 22775), which highlighted the features of the new tire and displayed Firestone Wide Oval Radial tires on Coker Tire President Wade Kawasaki’s own restored 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge.
The original Firestone Wide Oval tire released in 1967 was the tire of choice for many car manufacturers in the 1970s. Coker Tire later started reproducing the Firestone Wide Oval bias-ply tires and will continue to offer the original bias-ply style in addition to its new radial tire.
Designed in the U.S. for muscle car enthusiasts, the Firestone Wide Oval Radial offers the classic look of a bias-ply tire with the modern performance, comfort, safety and tread wear of a modern radial tire, Coker Tire said.
The new radial offering still includes the wide sidewall look of the original bias, and features minimized siping to keep the authentic look of an American muscle car. Coker Tire CEO Corky Coker adds that the minimized siping also helps the tire “squeal like it’s supposed to.”
“For muscle cars, it is the product to have,” Coker said.
Firestone Wide Oval Radial tires will be available in January 2017 in six popular sizes to fit 14- and 15-inch wheels on muscle cars from 1967-1974. Sizes include ER70-14, FR70-14, GR70-14, FR70-15, GR70-15 and FR60-15, and the tires can retrofitted to earlier cars from the muscle car era.
Additionally, all sizes except the FR60-15 will be available with raised white letters in original script or 3/8-inch redline sidewall. The FR60-15 will only be available with raised white letters to match the F60-15 tires that fitted 1970 Camaro Z/28, Corvettes, and Mustangs.
The Firestone Wide Oval Radial tire was also in the top three finalists for SEMA’s 2017 New Products Showcase Awards.
