ksr

Same with me. I don't see tires as being an "originality" issue, even if you are concerned with maintaining originality. You expect to replace tires, not so different than replacing gas, oil, other fluids, batteries, and wiper blades. And tire technology improves over time so, IMO, you're better off with whatever is out there now to purchase.

OrangeBird

iTrader: (1)

Hi ksr. I guess people looking for originality above all else will of course want every last detail right, and I can't blame them for that. In my case, Orangebird has been my daily driver since 2008, it's only days off are when there is snow & salt on the roads. My car is a 1989, my taillights are 1984, my radio is 1994, and so on, so it's only real "value" is the fun factor in driving it, and not what it would be worth if it was bone stock low miles pristine perfect. For me, I could never own one of these cars as an investment, simply because they are just SO darn fun to drive !

DynoDave43

iTrader: (11)

Does that mean that Gartorbacks ARE the snakeskin boots of the tire world? I might change my vote if that's the case.

chazman

iTrader: (4)

Excellent! Now that you say that.........

dmccain

iTrader: (2)

I will keep running whatever $80 tire I can find on Amazon and spend that extra $$ I saved on something more important than a logo on the side of a tire.

ksr

I tell people that my car is "all original" and it is. No, there's no Gatorbacks. No Delco Freedom battery and no repo Delco stick atop the Interstate battery that's in there now. I drive it regularly, but living where I do, on an island, the miles don't add up that quickly. I've put about 2,200 miles a year on it. Still only has 42K total, but I don't care how much I add to that or what it does to the value. It's mine. It's unlikely it will ever be for sale. I drive it for fun. Those 2,200 miles are never really going anywhere, just cruising around. I've always loved the handling, the driving position. Even now pushing 60, I still think it's the best wheel to be behind. And there may some motivation from it to stay thin, because I see some pretty embarrassing incidents of arthritic and overweight old guys very ungracefully trying to get in and out of low cars like this.

DynoDave43

iTrader: (11)

That would be me!

ksr

Guilty here too. I'm lean, in decent shape. But there's a lot of miles on the knees and back and there's still times I stumble out of my car looking like I'm 100 years old. And I'll look around, trying not to be obvious that I'm looking around, hoping that no one saw that.

DynoDave43

iTrader: (11)

I make it worse the way I get out. I hate to drag myself over that original seat fabric, so I push down with my left hand/wrist at the plastic rocker trim panel, which helps lift me of the seat a little, then I sort of roll out. Sounds more acrobatic than it is. The real issue is that plastic trim groans and creaks in a very unhappy manner when I do that.

I don't recall having this problem with my then-new '91 Camaro RS, back when I was 26 years old.

chazman

iTrader: (4)

Totally agree. The deposit is not the issue for me. I don't even mind paying in advance for a set , as long as I KNEW they were coming in a reasonable time frame. Kelsey Tire has been yanking our chain on this for over a decade. I spoke to Rusty in 2011 and he asked if Kelsey could have my original Gatorback 245/50/ZR16 tires off my 1989 IROC as a model for the mold. I said sure, but I want them back. I never sent them. I guess they still have Stuart's.

What this thread tells me is no surprise.

Repro Gatorbacks aren't for everyone. Just like the Mustang sized Gatorbacks aren't for everyone. But they are for the guys who want to complete the look of their cars.

And there are a bunch of us out there who feel like that.

dagwood

iTrader: (5)

I am the guy that would DEFINITELY buy them for the right car. My vote was YES

chazman

iTrader: (4)

Hmmmm. What the hell is this?

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/GDY-4851

chazman

iTrader: (4)

Comes in 15", 17" and 18".

dagwood

iTrader: (5)

Wow.....looks like a modern Gatorback. And of course, no 245 50 16

chazman

iTrader: (4)

It sure does.......

86blackiroc

iTrader: (12)

Hey cool! I'm not the only weirdo that exits his car that way!

Looks like the old Eagle HP tread pattern in conjunction with the old Eagle RS-A sidewall design. Except for the yellow logos, of course. And a new "RS-R" name.

LAFireboyd

iTrader: (3)

Center rib is different than the classic Gatorback, but the rest of the tread pattern resembles the Gatorback.

Here it is on the Goodyear Race Tires website, listed in the "Sports Car and Vintage" section, under the "Eagle Rain" and "Eagle Radial Rain" tabs:
Goodyear Race Tires || Sports Car (racegoodyear.com)

Download/open the yellow tire guide link, and four sizes are listed as "Gatorback" on the first page of the guide. Prices too. Summit lists some at higher prices and one month to get them.

There's a size for 3rdgens with 18x9.5 wheels, which a lot of us have, including me. And there's a size for 18x11 wheels, which some people have and would probably fit the new 18x10 Firehawk wheel too. So the 18" crowd is covered--for a mere $2,000/set. That will most likely be Kelsey's price too.

Edit: Carroll Shelby Enterprises in northeast Las Vegas is the Western Region distributor for Goodyear racing tires. That's probably who Summit gets them through, but Summit's price on this 18" 3rdgen size for an 18x9.5 wheel is $80/each more than purchasing them directly from Shelby.
D4847 P275 / 35 – 18 RCWT – Carroll Shelby Enterprises

So it looks like Goodyear really does offer these. But even if it were to add a 245/50-16 to the list, it would likely be this modern version and wouldn't have the vintage sidewall.

Is this "all-or-nothing" for people? A 245/50-16 added to Goodyear's list for this modern version, which will provide the tread pattern but not the vintage sidewall? Or spend another decade begging Kelsey to produce an exact replica? Neither option is likely, but the odds would seem to favor Goodyear, since it's already offering this tire.

Of course, the image of this modern version could be just clickbait. You know, "image might not be an actual representation." It looks like an image of a real tire, but nobody will know for sure until somebody sees one, for real. Or perhaps Shelby can verify this? Maybe I'll have to go for a drive...

TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

Getting closer??? Maybe?

sonjaab

I had them Gatorbacks on a couple new T/As I bought new.
Sucked in the rain, rode hard and noisy and were wore out in 20k miles.
Back then you didnt have much of a choice for those 16 sizes
other than buying a new set of Gators that were a shocking $200 each
way back in the late 80s.

Sure glad I have plain old 15 inch $100 each BFG Radia T/Ason my 84 Z-28.

ksr

They weren't cheap back in the early 1990s. In those days, 245 was a big tire and you paid for it. But there were a lot of brand choices. I replaced my 1990 Formula tires in 1992 with Dunlop. At that time, they were cheaper than Goodyear. But BF Goodrich, Firestone, Yokohama, Michelin, Bridgestone, General, Cooper, and Kelly were all options. I've bought that size for different Firebirds in BFG, Cooper, Firestone, and Kelly.

I got 55,000 on the original Gatorbacks. It was nearly all highway miles. Drove a ton in those days.

sonjaab

YET again around 87 and with the t/a having 2 diff. sizes on it and NO choices.
NOW? Diff. story.........
Betcha wallyworld sells a Douglas made in USA tire to fit under $200.

Me..........Never thought Gators then or now !
Maybe for the "garage queen" folks the re-pop gators are worth it.

blackgloves

People in the site should consider using actual names instead of nicknames. I had no idea what you were talking about until I read through the post

LeonardS

Are you talking about Gatorback? I’ve never heard them called anything else.

chazman

iTrader: (4)

Me neither....

DynoDave43

iTrader: (11)

It would appear, from a quick review of advertising from that era, that Eagle VR and Eagle ZR are the official tire names, while "Gatorback" accompanies them as more of a colloquial name. I had forgotten this, as everyone I knew back in the day just used the name Gatorback.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/12471681429...Bk9SR-DMxMXxYA


https://www.ebay.com/itm/26574541679...Bk9SR_LMxMXxYA

chazman

iTrader: (4)

Man! What a badass looking tire!

QwkTrip

iTrader: (22)

Looks like he's visualizing a downhill skiing accident. Or scared of a bee.

GETGONE

I'd love a set for originality appearance sake. But I'm not going to spend more than $600 on a set since I can get a well performing General GMax tire that I've used and loved on my Dodge Magnum R/T and bought a 2nd set because I liked them so much. I'm trying to keep my IROC as original as I can, but I'm finding I'm having to make sacrifices for parts because they're not available as replacements anymore.

ksr

Yeah I think "Gatorback" was always just a nickname. They were Eagles.

ksr

I think you're wrong. There were a lot of 245/50-16s back then. GM was cranking out a lot of f-bodies that used them, plus Corvettes.

You might find some cheapos. But most of the major brands don't carry that size anymore. 16" wheels are now considered small and are more rare. You won't find 245/50-16s from Goodyear, Firestone, Bridgestone, Michelin, or Continental. I bought BF Goodrich in 2020. The other big name brand choice was General. There were a couple of others, I think Kumho and Hankook, maybe Toyo.

chazman

iTrader: (4)

I do like the General GMax tires.

chazman

iTrader: (4)

A little birdie told me today....

255/50/16 prototypes are on cars being tested right now...........

BizJetTech

iTrader: (3)

Hmmmmm.....why 255 and not 245 ??

BizJetTech

iTrader: (3)

Wow, those 50 inch diameter tires are going to be something

chazman

iTrader: (4)

LOL Limited applications!

chazman

iTrader: (4)

They must feel that C4 owners have deeper pockets. I think they are wrong.

TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

255s may even look better on all four corners of our cars.

GETGONE

I always wanted to upgrade to 255/50/16's I had a pair on a set of GTA wheels I had on an 86 S10 with that size Gatorback on it.

Aaron R.

I love this thread. Just read through it and it provided me much needed entertainment this morning while bored at work.
I think I might start a thread with poll to gauge interest in an exact replica of whatever engine oil originally came in our cars. For those who have a weird fetish with originality....

chazman

iTrader: (4)

You should do that. I'm sure it would get a lot of interest. Personally, I switched to Mobil 1 5W30 synthetic at my first oil change. And.....all while I had my Gatorbacks.

Big&BadGTA

iTrader: (1)

At that price, I am out. Don't care enough to run a mediocre tire, paying that much. Sorry.

Big&BadGTA

iTrader: (1)

255/50 is not a great looking tire. Tall sidewalls.

I knew a guy who ran 255/50/16 on his TTA. Looked goofy.

BizJetTech

iTrader: (3)

Maybe talk to these guys about making tire that looks like a Gatorback..........https://dbtires.com/product/diamond-...L5QtLmNBFTc1Iw

chazman

iTrader: (4)

i agree

chazman

iTrader: (4)

Let’s be honest. No tire in our size is a tier 1 performance tire. Tier 2, 3, 4, 5 at best.

If Michelin started making Pilots in our size for the same price as a reproduction Gatorback, I’d really be hard pressed to decide. But that won’t ever happen. The performance tire market has left our size behind decades ago.

What we have now are strictly mediocre to lower performance offerings.

A repro Gatorback with a modern compound might actually beat everything else out there.

GETGONE

Really? 2 tenths of an inch makes that much difference???

GETGONE

Apparently you don't pay attention to any other true collector cars out there. 1st gens and early 2nd gens are super valuable when restored to concourse conditions which include original type tires. Check out any Hemi Mopars that are restored to that degree and tell me originality doesn't matter.

Big&BadGTA

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, it did. As while the math may say it's only 2/10ths, it seemed much more and looked goofy. Gatorback to Gatorback.

Big&BadGTA

iTrader: (1)

I hear ya, but at that price point, it's a non-starter for me. I paid well under a grand, mounted and balanced, for my 4 tires from BFG. They seem better than the Gatorbacks of 30 years ago.
I have Corvette-sized Gatorbacks in my shop, in stacks, but they will never go back on the car. Maybe I should sell them to an NCRS guru?

F-body-fan

I would be in for one set initially. Would they all end up VR's do you think? (hypothetically)
Most likely buy a second set down the road after getting a chance to see how they turn out.