Trivia Question 11 - Tires

[Jason Edge]

1.  Name the tire manufactures that provided tires for 1963/64 Cadillacs?  
2.  What was the standard tire for the 1963/64 Cadillacs?
3 . What was the optional tire for the 1963/64 Cadillacs?
4.  For which Cadillacs was the optional tire recommended?

Answer all 4 and you get the Cigar!

[1bt7pektvt387]

How about 8.2 x 15 Bias Ply for #2 and cars with the locking differential for #4?

[29crik3qhrn62]

#4 has to be snow tires?  Seems like this would be the season for that?

My spare was a "Meteor" bias ply 800-15.  I have never seen this brand in the 30 years I have enjoyed the old car hobby.  I know it is off topic but have always wondered if anyone was familiar with them?  Maybe they came from Western Auto, Sears or some third party shop back in the day. Thanks!

[Jason Edge]

No to both Ian and Michael.

[Jason Edge]

Mark, Has nailed the answer for #'s 2 and 3. But we are still looking for #4.
Here  are the answers we have so far:

1.  Name the tire manufactures that provided tires for 1963/64 Cadillacs?
US Royal, Firestone, Goodrich, and Goodyear
  
2.  What was the standard tire for the 1963/64 Cadillacs?

- 8.0 x 15", 4 ply Bias Ply, blackwall 26 psi, standard on 60, 62, deVille series body styles

- 8.2 x 15", 4 Ply Bias Ply, whitewall 24 psi,  standard on Eldorado

- 8.2 x 15", 6 Ply Bias Ply, blackwall, 28 psi, standard on 75 series body styles

- 8.9 x 15", 8 Ply Bias Ply, blackwall 24 psi front & 32 psi rear (26 & 40 psi with heavy duty equipment),  standard on commercial chassis body styles

3 . What was the optional tire for the 1963/64 Cadillacs?

- 8.2 x 15", 4 Ply Bias Ply, whitewall 24 psi, optional on 60, 62, deVille series body styles
                                               
- 8.2 x 15", 6 Ply Bias Ply, whitewall, 28 psi, optional on 75 series body styles

- 8.9 x 15", 8 Ply Bias Ply, whitewall 24 psi front & 32 psi rear (26 & 40 psi with heavy duty equipment),  optional on commercial chassis body styles

 NOTE: Blackwalls are standard on all body styles except the 6367 Eldorado.  however, the majority of 63 & 64 Cadillacs were delivered to the customers with the whitewalls since they were part of the common option groups A, A2, B, B2 in 1963, and 1,2,3,4 in 1964.

4.  For which Cadillacs was the optional tire recommended?
?????? Still looking for the answer.

[Jason Edge]

OK. So we have all the original tire specs. 
To help answer #4, consider that we know that the standard tire was an 8.0 x 15 whitewall tire vs the 8.2 x 15 whitewall (except Eldo, 75, CC).
- The question is For which Cadillacs was the optional tire recommended? 
In other words, when would Cadillac recommend the 8.2 x 15 whitewall over the 8.0 x 15 blackwall.
- I have noted it involves equipment and not a particular body style. Doesn't have to do with option groups, because if your car was part of an particular option group it came with Whitewalls regardless. 
- and do we really think Cadillac would care if your car had whitewall or blackwalls. That's your preference right? So it really boils down to using 8.0 x 15 or 8.2 x 15 tires.

So, what would your 1963/64 Cadillac come with that would make Cadillac specifically recommend in their literature that you should be running 8.2's instead of 8.0's. The optional Controlled Differential was a good guess as it does have something to do with tires, but this deals with another effect of running a different size tire. And, it will lead to my final question once we nail this one.

[1bt7pektvt387]

How about different rear end ratio?

[Jason Edge]

Nope. .. but since diameter of tire would be slightly different between 8.0 and 8.2 tires that was a good guess. It has to do with something else the different tire size affects.
...and this might give it away... but will anyway, the rear end ratio is related to the answer I am looking for.

[Jason Edge]

BINGO!!!
The 1963 Specification Manual (pg 52) and 1964 Specification Manual (pg 30) recommend the 8.20-15 white walls for 60, 62, deVille body series cars with Air Conditioning due to additional weight of air conditioning.

So that means we need to give Cigars to Kevin, Mark and Tony for contributing to the final answer.

I have been revising the "Tire" help page as the answers have been posted and will add this bit of info also.
So fellas, here is your Cigar...but I will have one extra credit Cigar in a bit.

[Jason Edge]

OK, so we have our answers to the 4 Trivia questions, but I have one more extra credit tire related question:
Since the Eldorado comes standard with the 8.2x15 whitewall tire while the series 62, deVilles and Fleetwood 60 Special come standard with the 8.0x15 blackwall tire, what other body style spec would this affect?

In other words .... what non-tire spec would be different on the Eldorado vs the Series 62, de Villes and Fleetwood 60 Special, due to difference in standard tires?

For a double extra cigar, give the exact specs.

[29crik3qhrn62]

Will those of us with the wrong answer be on super double secret probation?

[Jason Edge]

You will get banished to the Lincoln websites!.... just kidding.  Actually the wrong answers are usually what steer us toward the right answers, so those answers get a butt of a cigar!

[Jason Edge]

Nothing to do with the 75 Series. Go back to the question. This is a specific difference of the Eldorado due to the different standard tire. Here is another way of asking the question that I added above:
In other words what non-tire spec would be different on the Eldorado vs the Series 62, de Villes and Fleetwood 60 Special, due to difference in standard tires?