Tires?????????

I have been looking for tires that closely approximate the Goodyear Suburbanites that were original equiptment on my '68 Cj5. I finally setteled on Hercules HDT Bias Lug tires. I have 15 inch wheels but I'm not sure of the tire width. The tires that are currently on it are GR 78-15. What ever that means? The only size that the Hercules tires come in are 7.00-15. When I tried to order them, the salesman told me that these tires were very narrow and talked me out of ordering them. Are the 7.00-15 tires the correct size for a 1968 CJ5? Are there any other suggestions as to what make and model of tire I should use to get the "original " look?

 

I have 7.00x15NDTs on my 15" rim CJ2A, theyre narrow but they were stock.

 

I run 7.00 * 15 bias ply on my 55 and they are just fine, The section width depending on manufacture is generally at or just under 8 inches ( mine measure 7 3/4 ).
The 7.00 * 15 will be between 29.5 and 30 inches tall, Most G78 *15 tires are around 28.5 or so and have about the same section width as the 7.00 * 15.
Glen is right about the 8.55 * 15 being the tire of the day, That would fall somewhere between the G78 * 15 and the 7.00 * 15.
The G is tire size/load range and the 78 is the series or aspect ratio of tire section width to height........the tire is 78% of the section width in height.
They will run just fine and look good on a stock rig, They are only narrow by comparison to what is considered standard today. Its my personal opinion that a 7.00 * 15 is about the tallest tire you can run on a stock rig without running into gear ratio / loss of power issues with the F-Head if that is what you have.
Dont be afraid to run 7.00 * 15 tires, They are plenty wide enough tread wise for the weight of the stock jeep.

I just went out and measured mine, The tread width from outside face of lug to outside face of lug is 6-7/8 inches.

 

I'm looking at using 215/75 R15 Coker Classics on my 1970. They seem to be closest to my original spare. Spare would be 1" wider at the tread. Would one of the tires you folks have suggested be a better fit?

 

I put 225-75-15 radials on my '66 but if I were trying for a more stock Suburbanite look I would consider:
http://www.stausaonline.com/bias-ply-passenger/traxion-70-tires.html

I have STA tires on a military and they are a good quality shoe.

Tom

 

This is the tire I was thinking of using:

http://store.coker.com/p215-75r15-coker-classic-3-8-redline.html