Re: [Chrysler300] Coker Classic Radials and American Classics Radials -

I called Bill Chapman at DB today and told him the 300 Club was pretty much giving up hope that the large 14s would ever be a reality, and that we are now discussing all remaining best options. That seemed to hit him in the gut a bit. He really wishes he had them to sell. So we talked some more about these other tires and their deficiencies as safe highway tires. BTW - in the course of our conversation he said all these collector car tires, whether branded as Coker or American Classic, are made at the same Pennsylvania facility. So any difference in failure rates between Coker and American remains unexplained.

Bill said he took 6 phone calls yesterday asking about big 14" tires before he heard from me. He still has hopes, he says, of coming through on this project to provide safe "balloon" tires. He said he has an expert colleague heading to Thailand in early June to see if the project can be jump-started, and he will let me know how that turns out.

Nothing concrete is promised for us in big 14s, and we have tire needs that need to be met sooner. But I thought you all might like to hear where DB seems to be at right now. Hopes and dreams only as yet. I'll keep you posted as I hear further news - either good or bad.

Keith

On Wed, May 9, 2018 at 9:52 PM, Carl cbilter@xxxxxxxxx [Chrysler300] <Chrysler300-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

We have seen a lot of posts over the years about what wide whitewall radial tires we should get for our letter cars, with as many answers as posts it seems, and lots of anecdotes about Coker tires being poor in quality. So I have attempted, again, to scan the internet in search of facts on the subject because I sense a lot of confusion here (or maybe just my own confusion). Not surprisingly, I found a lot of anecdotal data and contradictions, but some conclusions can be drawn.

Fact: Diamond Back does not currently have a 235/75R14 radial. Opinion: They have lots of other tires, and they have a great reputation, and they are expensive.

Facts: Coker tire still sells “Coker Classic” radial tires but they do not list 235/75/R14. However, they do list 225/75R14 and other sizes. These “Coker Classic” radial wide whitewall tires are NOT the same tire as Coker “American Classic” tires. Different tread pattern and other stats. Confusing, perhaps, but critically important to compare “apples to apples.” The “Coker Classic” line dates back to 1994. “American Classic” was introduced much later. To add more confusion, American Classic introduced a line of “bias look” radials in 2013. I do not know if Coker owns the American Classic brand. Some say yes and some say no. The only 235/75R14 radial wide whitewall currently available that I can find is the American Classics brand, available in two whitewall widths.

Facts: We have determined via DOT codes that American Classic tires are made in Indiana, PA USA. Not Mexico, not Asia etc. As near as I can determine, American Classics tires are made by Specialty Tires Of America which is based in Indiana, PA, USA. They are not sold retail to the public. They are sold by several tire resellers not affiliated with Coker, as well as Coker. They are produced from “new” molds, not old discontinued molds. It has been stated in the past that American Classics tires are produced by Coker. The Coker website certainly leads one to that conclusion, or at least at a minimum, that Coker has exclusive control over their manufacture. It just is not clear from the internet how the ownership/production is managed.

I just wanted to share what I found, which I researched mostly trying to understand a little more about these different tires.

Disclaimer: I am not an expert on tires and the internet is not a reliable source of truth (imagine that) but we have to start somewhere..

Carl B.
300J running DiamondBack 235/75R15 radials with custom 1&1/8” whitewalls
’57 New Yorker coupe running American Classics 235/75R14 radials with 2&1/2” whitewalls
’63 Imperial LeBaron running American Classics 235/75R15 radials with 1.6” whitewalls

Re: [Chrysler300] Coker Classic Radials and American Classics Radials - what my research has found