1963 Plymouth Tire Fitment Guide

1963 Plymouth vehicles use four sizes: 700-14 and 750-14 for the full-size Plymouth and Plymouth Wagon, plus 650-13 and 700-13 for the Plymouth Valiant. The two full-size sizes mount on 14-inch rims, while the Valiant sizes mount on 13-inch rims. Rim-width guidance also differs by size: 700-14 and 750-14 work with 5.00 to 5.50 inch rims, 650-13 fits 4.50 to 5.00 inch rims, and 700-13 fits 4.00 to 5.00 inch rims.

That means the first fitment question is not sidewall style or brand, but which Plymouth you own. A full-size Plymouth or Wagon cannot simply use a Valiant tire because the rim diameter is different, and the same is true in reverse. Once the model and wheel diameter are confirmed, you can narrow the choice further by deciding how you want the car to look, whether you prefer blackwall, whitewall, or redline styling, and how closely you want the finished car to reflect an early-1960s appearance.

On a 1963 Plymouth, 700-14 is a numeric bias-ply size. The 700 portion refers to the tire’s nominal section-width class, and the 14 indicates a 14-inch rim diameter. It is a traditional American sizing format from the era before modern metric radial designations became common, and on 1963 Plymouth applications it belongs to the full-size Plymouth and Plymouth Wagon rather than the Valiant.

Understanding that code helps prevent one of the most common ordering mistakes on early-1960s cars: matching a period-looking tire to the wrong wheel diameter. If your Plymouth has 14-inch wheels and falls within the full-size range, 700-14 is one of the correct paths. You would then compare the available blackwall and narrow whitewall versions, and verify that your wheel falls within the 5.00 to 5.50 inch rim-width range before settling on a specific product.

No. 1963 Plymouth models divide into two distinct fitment groups. The full-size Plymouth and Plymouth Wagon use 700-14 or 750-14 on 14-inch wheels, while the Plymouth Valiant uses 650-13 or 700-13 on 13-inch wheels. Every size in the range is bias-ply, but the wheel diameter and rim-width requirements change with the model group.

That distinction matters because many buyers know the year and make but not yet the exact model group, especially when working with a newly acquired car. On a 1963 Plymouth, confirming whether the car is a Valiant or a full-size Plymouth-based model comes before any conversation about whitewall width or brand preference. A quick check of the car’s model identity and actual wheel diameter will narrow the field immediately and keep the fitment search on the right track.

For a 1963 Plymouth full-size car or Wagon, both 700-14 and 750-14 are correct bias-ply choices, but they are not the same size. Both mount on 14-inch rims and share the same 5.00 to 5.50 inch rim-width range, yet the 750-14 generally gives a fuller visual presence and a broader range of sidewall treatments. The 700-14 range is more limited, with BFGoodrich offerings in blackwall and narrow whitewall.

The practical choice usually comes down to the look you want on the car and how closely you are trying to match a particular restoration direction. If you want the greatest sidewall-style variety, 750-14 opens up narrow whitewall, wide whitewall, redline, and blackwall options. If your goal is a cleaner, simpler factory-era presentation, 700-14 may be the more natural fit. Before choosing, compare the tire currently on the car and confirm the wheel still falls within the correct rim-width range.

1963 Plymouth tires are available in several period-style sidewall treatments, depending on size. The 700-14 size comes in blackwall and narrow whitewall, 750-14 adds blackwall, narrow whitewall, wide whitewall, and redline, 650-13 comes in narrow and wide whitewall, and 700-13 is available as a wide whitewall. Those choices fit the early-1960s market well, when Plymouth buyers could still favor either modest whitewalls or more expressive trim-oriented looks.

Sidewall style has a strong effect on the car’s finished character even when the size stays the same. A blackwall tends to make a full-size 1963 Plymouth look more restrained, while a wider whitewall can emphasize the car’s brightwork and era-correct presentation. On a Valiant, whitewall width can change the visual balance of the smaller 13-inch wheel noticeably. If authenticity matters, compare your target look against period photos, surviving original cars, and event-specific judging guidance.

1963 Plymouth tires are available from BFGoodrich, US Royal, Coker Classic, and Firestone, depending on size. BFGoodrich covers 700-14 and appears in 750-14, US Royal appears in 750-14 and 650-13, Coker Classic appears in 750-14 and 650-13, and Firestone appears in 700-13. Every one of those offerings is a bias-ply tire, which suits the period of the car and keeps the overall look in line with early-1960s American fitment expectations.

Brand choice on a collector car often comes down to appearance details as much as name recognition. One size may offer only one brand, while another gives you several brands and multiple sidewall treatments to work with. That means the best brand for a 1963 Plymouth is often the one that serves your exact size and appearance target rather than the one that has the strongest general reputation. Start with the correct size, then compare the available sidewall style and brand heritage within that size.

Rim width depends on the size used on your 1963 Plymouth. The 700-14 and 750-14 sizes fit 5.00 to 5.50 inch rims. The 650-13 fits 4.50 to 5.00 inch rims, while the 700-13 fits 4.00 to 5.00 inch rims. Those ranges are important because a tire can mount on the correct rim diameter but still be a poor match if the wheel is too narrow or too wide.

That is especially relevant on older cars that may have had wheels swapped over the decades. Before choosing a tire, verify the wheel on the car rather than assuming it remains factory-correct. A full-size Plymouth with 14-inch wheels still needs the proper wheel width for 700-14 or 750-14, and a Valiant on 13-inch wheels needs the right width range for 650-13 or 700-13. Treat the wheel itself as part of the fitment check, not just the car’s model badge.

Within each 1963 Plymouth model group, the answer is often yes on rim diameter, but you still need to confirm rim width. The full-size Plymouth and Wagon use two 14-inch sizes, 700-14 and 750-14, and both share a 5.00 to 5.50 inch rim-width range. The Valiant uses two 13-inch sizes, 650-13 and 700-13, but their rim-width ranges are not identical, with 650-13 at 4.50 to 5.00 inches and 700-13 at 4.00 to 5.00 inches.

In practice, that means original wheels can often support both sizes within the same model family if the wheel width falls inside the overlap. The overlap on the Valiant side is narrower than on the full-size side, so measuring the wheel becomes more important if you are moving between 650-13 and 700-13. This is a good place to be careful rather than assume, particularly on a car with a long ownership history, replacement wheels, or an older restoration of uncertain specification.

A 1963 Plymouth should be stored out of direct sunlight and away from electric motors, battery chargers, welders, furnaces, and other ozone sources that can age sidewalls. Keep the floor area dry, maintain proper inflation, and move the car periodically so one section of the bias-ply tire does not carry the same load for months at a time. Bias-ply construction is especially prone to temporary flat-spotting after long static periods.

If the car will sit for an extended season, many owners either roll it occasionally or support it in a way that reduces constant load on the tires, while still following safe support practices. A breathable indoor cover helps the car overall, but tire care still depends on cool, dark, clean storage conditions. Collector cars often age their tires by environment and inactivity more than mileage, so storage habits play a larger role than many owners expect.

On a 1963 Plymouth, tire life is usually governed more by age than by miles driven. A sound rule for collector vehicles is to begin evaluating tires closely once they reach the five- to seven-year range, and to treat ten years as a point where replacement deserves serious consideration regardless of tread depth. The DOT date code on the tire is a key reference, because an older bias-ply tire can look acceptable from a distance while still aging internally.

That matters even more on cars that spend much of their time indoors, at shows, or on occasional weekend drives. A tire with plenty of tread can still be past its comfortable service life if age, storage conditions, or sidewall cracking say otherwise. When judging whether to keep or replace tires on a 1963 Plymouth, combine the date code with a visual inspection, the car’s use pattern, and the confidence you want before taking the car on anything longer than a short local outing.

Tires on a 1963 Plymouth should be inspected before every drive and again before any longer outing. Look for sidewall cracking, cuts, bulges, irregular tread wear, and air loss between uses. Because these are bias-ply sizes on a collector-era car, it is also wise to check that the tires are sitting evenly after storage and that the valves are in good condition. Frequent low-use driving can hide aging problems until the car is finally asked to go farther.

A quick walkaround before a short drive is good practice, but a longer trip deserves a more deliberate inspection, including pressure verification and a look at the spare. If the car has been parked for weeks or months, give the tires time to round back out after rolling before you judge how they feel. On a vintage Plymouth, small tire issues rarely stay small once highway heat and speed are added, so regular checks are one of the simplest forms of preventative care.

A 1963 Plymouth Plymouth would originally have been fitted with bias-ply tires, because bias-ply construction was still standard American passenger-car practice in that period. Within the 1963 Plymouth range, the full-size Plymouth uses 700-14 or 750-14, both on 14-inch rims. The exact original size could vary by model configuration and market expectations, so the safest path is to verify against surviving factory literature, the car’s original paperwork when present, and marque-specific reference sources.

For a restoration, the most important starting point is matching the correct size group, construction type, and general sidewall presentation to the car. Once that foundation is right, details such as blackwall, narrow whitewall, wide whitewall, or redline can be narrowed according to the exact build and the look you are trying to recreate. If the car is being prepared for judged events, check the standards used by the relevant Plymouth or Mopar club rather than assuming one period style suits every full-size 1963 Plymouth.

Yes, correct tire fitment matters on a 1963 Plymouth because tires affect both the car’s stance and its visual authenticity. Judges and knowledgeable enthusiasts often notice whether the car wears the right size family for its model, whether the construction is era-appropriate, and whether the sidewall treatment matches the style expected for the build. A Valiant wearing a full-size 14-inch tire concept, or a full-size Plymouth wearing compact-car proportions, immediately changes the car’s period correctness.

The sidewall is often just as important as the size. A narrow whitewall, wide whitewall, redline, or blackwall can each tell a different story about the car’s intended presentation, and some events are stricter than others about that difference. If your goal is concours-level presentation, use club judging manuals, period advertising, and marque experts to refine the exact look. If your goal is a tasteful driver-quality restoration, staying within the correct size and construction family usually delivers the biggest visual win.

For a 1963 Plymouth in 750-14, BFGoodrich and US Royal both offer bias-ply options on 14-inch rims with the same 5.00 to 5.50 inch rim-width range, but they differ in sidewall choices and load figures. BFGoodrich appears in narrow whitewall and carries a 1580-pound maximum load at 32 psi, while US Royal appears in narrow whitewall and redline with a 1500-pound maximum load at 32 psi. Both remain period-appropriate bias-ply choices for a full-size Plymouth or Wagon.

That means the deciding factor may be style more than basic compatibility. If you want a redline in 750-14, US Royal is the path within this size. If you want a narrow whitewall and prefer the higher posted load figure within the available 750-14 choices, BFGoodrich offers that route. Neither choice changes the fact that you are staying within an era-correct bias-ply format, so the final decision often comes down to appearance and how closely you want the tire to echo your restoration vision.

The 1963 Plymouth tire options here are all bias-ply products, and no speed rating letters appear on these sizes. That means highway use should be approached with the mindset appropriate to a vintage car rather than a modern high-speed touring sedan. A properly fitted, correctly inflated bias-ply tire in good condition can be used on the road, but the car’s age, suspension condition, alignment, braking system, and overall mechanical state matter just as much as the tire itself.

In practical terms, a 1963 Plymouth should be driven within the comfort zone of both the tire and the vehicle as a whole. Bias-ply tires track and respond differently than modern radials, so steering feel and road-following behavior may be more pronounced, especially on grooved pavement or in crosswinds. Before a highway trip, make sure the tires are age-appropriate, free of visible defects, and matched to the correct rims. Treat tire safety as part of a complete vintage-vehicle readiness check, not an isolated question.

The available 1963 Plymouth tire products carry maximum load figures at 32 psi: 700-14 at 1360 pounds, 750-14 at 1500 to 1580 pounds, 650-13 at 1150 pounds, and 700-13 at 1270 pounds. Those numbers are tire ratings, not automatic recommended running pressures for every car. The correct everyday inflation setting should still be guided by the original vehicle literature and then checked against the tire maker’s recommendations for the exact reproduction tire being used.

That distinction matters because a full-size Plymouth, a Wagon, and a Valiant do not place the same demands on their tires even when the pressure number printed on the tire is identical at maximum load. Use the proper size first, then consult the owner’s manual or factory tire placard information for the vehicle itself. After that, monitor tread wear and handling feel to confirm the setup is sensible. Never assume a pressure figure from one 1963 Plymouth size automatically transfers to another.

Before a longer drive in a 1963 Plymouth, inspect each tire for sidewall cracking, tread separation signs, punctures, bulges, uneven wear, and proper inflation. Confirm that the spare is usable and that the valve stems are in sound condition. Also verify that the tire size on the car matches the model group: 13-inch Valiant sizes belong on the Valiant, while 14-inch sizes belong on the full-size Plymouth and Wagon. On an older car, correct fitment is part of roadworthiness, not just appearance.

A longer trip also justifies a broader mechanical check. Vintage Plymouths benefit from a look at wheel bearing condition, brake function, suspension looseness, and alignment if the car has shown wandering or uneven wear. Because these cars often spend long periods between outings, the first few miles can reveal storage-related issues that a parked inspection misses. Build a habit of driving gently at first, listening for vibration or pull, and rechecking the tires once the car has warmed up from use.