I have driven on reproduction original type tires for twenty years in concours driven division. I got 18,000 miles from a set of 6.95-14 silvertowns on my 66 coupe without any problems. The replacement set from Coker have 4000 miles on them now. They are smoother riding tires than the previous set, and they balanced with much less weight.
My 68 fastback runs f-70-14 whitewall tires. My first set I bought used and still got 11,000 miles from them. The new set from coker are an improvement. Just like my 66, they are smoother and balanced better too. I have about 2000 miles on them.
The downside to these type tires are mostly traction issues. They squeel on curves and off ramps at normal speeds. They are a little slippery when wet. You just have to account for this when driving.
I know radials are allowed in concours division now, BUT, I just like the original look of these type tires on the first generation show cars. At some point I may give in to trailers or radials, but not yet. As you can see from the mileage I have driven these tires to many shows and many miles on the highways. You just have to account for the different feel and traction difference from radials. Bill.
