1979 Rolls Royce Tire Fitment Guide

1979 Rolls Royce vehicles use two tire sizes across three models. The Camargue and Corniche use 235/70R15, while the Silver Shadow uses HR70-15. Both sizes fit 15-inch wheels, and the 235/70R15 products fit rim widths ranging from 6.0 to 8.5 inches depending on the tire. Every size used here is radial, but the sizing language differs between the metric-marked Camargue and Corniche fitment and the alphanumeric Silver Shadow fitment.

That means year and make alone are not enough to pick a tire for a 1979 Rolls Royce. Start by confirming whether your car is a Camargue, Corniche, or Silver Shadow, then verify the tire marking on the car or in the handbook before ordering. If your car has replacement wheels, confirm both the 15-inch diameter and the actual wheel width so the tire matches the wheel as well as the model.

On a 1979 Rolls Royce, 235/70R15 is a modern metric radial size. The 235 is the nominal section width in millimeters, 70 is the aspect ratio, the R identifies radial construction, and 15 is the wheel diameter in inches. This size belongs to the Camargue and Corniche. Within this size, sidewall appearance varies from blackwall to redline and raised white letters, and speed rating can vary by product as well.

That combination makes 235/70R15 familiar to modern tire buyers, but the appearance of the tire can still change the personality of the car considerably. A blackwall tends to suit a restrained luxury presentation, while redline or RWL options create a more period-custom or sporting visual effect. Confirm the sidewall marking you want before making a final choice, especially on a prominent body style such as the Corniche or Camargue.

On a 1979 Rolls Royce, HR70-15 is an alphanumeric radial size used on the Silver Shadow. The H-size class identifies the tire’s general section category, 70 indicates the profile series, and 15 is the wheel diameter in inches. Unlike a metric size such as 235/70R15, HR70-15 follows an older sizing convention that remained common during the transition into later metric-marked radials.

That matters because two tires can both be 15-inch radials without being the same size in section width or profile intent. Silver Shadow owners should begin with the original size designation and compare any alternative markings carefully rather than assuming all 15-inch radial markings are interchangeable. If your car has been changed over the years, the safest route is to verify the wheel and existing tire markings against the correct Silver Shadow fitment.

1979 Rolls Royce tires in 235/70R15 are available with blackwall, redline, and raised white letter sidewall treatments. Blackwall choices come from Avon and Michelin, BFGoodrich offers a redline version, and Cooper offers a raised white letter style. The Silver Shadow’s HR70-15 fitment follows a more traditional luxury-sedan sizing path, so sidewall appearance should be chosen with the car’s original character and present use in mind.

For most Rolls-Royce restorations and formal presentations, blackwall is usually the most conservative visual choice. Redline or RWL treatments can still appeal to owners who want a stronger period accessory look, especially on cars that are driven casually rather than prepared for originality-focused judging. If appearance matters as much as fitment, decide on sidewall style early, because it can narrow the field just as quickly as brand preference.

Four brands cover 1979 Rolls Royce fitments here: Cooper, Avon, BFGoodrich, and Michelin. All four appear in the 235/70R15 size used by the Camargue and Corniche, and each approaches the fitment a little differently in sidewall styling and product character. Avon and Michelin align naturally with a refined touring presentation, while BFGoodrich and Cooper add more overtly styled sidewall options.

Brand choice on a late-1970s Rolls-Royce often comes down to how you want the car to look as much as how you want it to drive. A formal coupe, convertible, or saloon can wear a blackwall very differently than it wears a redline or raised white letters. Once the model and size are confirmed, compare the sidewall treatment first, then look at load and speed markings that match your intended road use.

For a 1979 Rolls Royce in 235/70R15, the Michelin XVS and Avon Turbosteel are both blackwall radials on 15-inch rims, but their markings differ in ways a buyer should notice. The Michelin carries a 235/70HR15 101H TL marking, giving it an H speed rating to 130 mph and an explicit tubeless designation, while the Avon carries a 235/70R15 101V marking with a V speed rating to 149 mph. The Michelin fits rim widths from 6.00 to 8.50 inches, and the Avon is a 28-pound tire with a 1,819-pound maximum load figure.

That makes the comparison less about appearance and more about how closely you want to follow the tire’s construction details and service markings. Buyers who care about speed-symbol labeling, tubeless marking, or wheel-width range may lean one way before they ever compare brand heritage. On a luxury car such as a Camargue or Corniche, those small technical differences can matter as much as the sidewall look.

For 1979 Rolls Royce vehicles using 235/70R15, approved rim-width ranges run from 6.0 to 8.5 inches depending on the tire. Cooper’s 235/70R15 fits 6.0 to 8.0 inches, while BFGoodrich and Michelin versions fit 6.00 to 8.50 inches. All of those products mount on a 15-inch wheel. The Silver Shadow’s HR70-15 fitment also uses a 15-inch wheel, so wheel diameter is consistent across the year even though the tire sizes differ by model.

Wheel width is worth checking on any 1979 Rolls Royce that has changed hands several times, especially if aftermarket wheels were added decades ago. A tire can share the correct 15-inch diameter and still be a poor match if the wheel is too narrow or too wide for that specific product. Measure the wheel or confirm its stamped size before selecting the final tire, especially when choosing among different brands within 235/70R15.

Inner-tube requirements can vary on 1979 Rolls Royce tires, so the answer depends on the exact product rather than the year alone. Within 235/70R15, Michelin’s XVS carries a TL marking, which identifies it as tubeless, while other products in the same size do not all state tube status the same way. That means 1979 Rolls Royce tube requirements are not uniform across every tire in the size.

The practical step is to confirm both the tire marking and the wheel type before finalizing your choice. Some vintage wheels and some reproduction tires call for a different setup than a later tubeless wheel and tire pairing. If your Rolls-Royce still wears its original wheels, inspect the wheel condition and valve area carefully and match the tire’s tube or tubeless marking to the wheel’s intended service.

A 1979 Rolls Royce uses 15-inch wheels across the Camargue, Corniche, and Silver Shadow, so both fitment paths share the same wheel diameter. That said, the cars do not all use the same tire size: Camargue and Corniche use 235/70R15, while Silver Shadow uses HR70-15. Shared wheel diameter should not be treated as proof that every tire is interchangeable across all three models.

Original wheels can often remain part of the plan, but model identification comes first and wheel width comes second. If your car has its factory wheels, confirm the exact model and inspect the wheel size before trying to cross-shop between metric and alphanumeric radials. If the car has replacement wheels, verify both diameter and width so the tire choice stays true to the wheel as well as the chassis.

A 1979 Rolls Royce should be stored on clean, properly inflated tires in a cool, dry, dark space away from sunlight, heaters, welders, electric motors, and other ozone sources. Radial tires tolerate storage better than old bias-ply designs, but they still age from time, environment, and static load. Long-wheelbase luxury cars also place sustained weight on the same footprint if they sit for months without movement.

Move the car periodically or rest it on stands if it will be parked for an extended season, while keeping just enough support strategy to avoid stressing the suspension. Clean the tires with mild soap and water rather than dressings that can leave residues on the sidewall. If your Rolls-Royce is driven only occasionally, careful storage habits usually do more to preserve the tires than low annual mileage does.

On a 1979 Rolls Royce, tire age is usually a more important replacement factor than tread wear. Collector-car tires should be evaluated closely once they are around five to seven years old, and many owners treat ten years from the DOT date code as the outer edge for continued service regardless of remaining tread. Luxury cars that are used sparingly can still age out a set of tires long before they wear them out.

Check the date code on every tire, including the spare, and consider the car’s actual use pattern rather than relying on appearance alone. Sidewalls can harden, crack, or lose resilience while the tread still looks serviceable. If your Rolls-Royce sees touring use, replacing older tires before a major trip is often wiser than trying to stretch service life simply because the mileage remains low.

Tires on a 1979 Rolls Royce should be inspected before every drive and again before any longer outing. Check inflation, sidewall cracking, tread wear, cuts, bulges, and any signs that the car has been sitting long enough to develop flat spotting or air loss. If your chosen tire setup involves a tube or a tube-related fitment question, pay extra attention to valve stems and any gradual pressure drop between drives.

A short walk-around is especially important on a heavy luxury car because small issues become much more noticeable at speed. Make the spare part of the routine as well, since a period-correct spare that has never been used may still be too old for dependable road service. Frequent inspection turns a collector-car tire problem into a garage fix instead of a roadside problem.

A 1979 Rolls Royce Camargue belongs to an era when radial construction was already established on premium luxury cars, and its fitment here is 235/70R15. That makes a radial tire in the correct 15-inch size the right starting point for an owner seeking an era-appropriate replacement path. Original-equipment branding could vary by market and delivery specification, so construction, size, and sidewall appearance matter more than assuming a single universal original brand.

For restoration work, begin with the correct size and then decide how formal or how sporting you want the car to appear. A blackwall usually aligns with the restrained look expected of a Rolls-Royce, while a more expressive sidewall treatment changes the visual tone of the car. If the car is being judged, consult a Rolls-Royce marque club or event rulebook for market-specific authenticity standards.

Correct tire fitment matters on a 1979 Rolls Royce because judges and knowledgeable enthusiasts notice size, construction type, and sidewall treatment very quickly. A Camargue or Corniche wearing the correct 235/70R15 radial but the wrong sidewall style can look less authentic, and a Silver Shadow benefits from preserving its proper HR70-15 fitment path. On a car from this era, visual correctness and period-appropriate tire type are part of the presentation.

That does not mean every show requires the same standard, but it does mean you should choose the tire with your event goals in mind. A touring-focused owner may prioritize a preferred brand or modern service marking, while a concours owner may care more about preserving the original look and size designation. Marque clubs and event judging manuals remain the best source for how strict those standards are.

For a 1979 Rolls Royce using 235/70R15, the Cooper Cobra Radial G/T and BFGoodrich Silvertown Radial share the same basic size, radial construction, 15-inch rim diameter, and a 1,896-pound maximum load at 35 psi. Their visual presentation is different, though: the Cooper uses raised white letters, while the BFGoodrich uses a redline sidewall. The Cooper fits 6.0 to 8.0-inch rims and weighs 28 pounds, while the BFGoodrich fits 6.00 to 8.50-inch rims and weighs 29 pounds.

That makes the choice especially relevant for owners who want the tire to influence the car’s stance and period flavor. Raised white letters create a more assertive late-1970s custom look, while a redline offers a different vintage-performance accent. Either can fit the size requirement for a Camargue or Corniche, but each gives the car a noticeably different visual personality once mounted.

1979 Rolls Royce tires can be suitable for highway driving when the correct size is used, the tires are in sound condition, and the speed rating matches the way the car is driven. Within 235/70R15, H-rated products are rated to 130 mph and V-rated products are rated to 149 mph, which are well above ordinary U.S. highway speeds. The more important safety variables on a late-1970s Rolls-Royce are often tire age, inflation condition, suspension condition, and brake performance rather than raw speed-symbol capability alone.

Highway confidence comes from the full condition of the car, not only from the number on the tire. Before touring, verify that all four tires match appropriately, hold air, and show no signs of cracking or impact damage. A well-maintained Rolls-Royce on fresh, correctly fitted radials is a very different proposition from one running old tires that only look acceptable at a glance.

Inflation pressure for a 1979 Rolls Royce should follow the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendation first, with the tire maker’s service limits used as the tire-side reference. In 235/70R15, load figures include 1,896 pounds at 35 psi on some products, and 1,819 pounds on another product, but those tire figures are not a substitute for the car’s specified operating pressure. Pressure should never be copied from one tire size to another or from one brand to another without checking the exact tire and application.

Use the owner’s manual, door-jamb information if present, and the tire maker’s technical guidance together rather than treating the sidewall as a one-number answer. Collector cars often get overinflated by habit after storage, which can affect ride quality and wear. Set pressures cold, recheck them after the car has sat, and make sure the spare is included in the routine.

Before a longer drive in a 1979 Rolls Royce, inspect the tires for weather cracking, cuts, bulges, irregular wear, and proper cold inflation pressure. Confirm that the tires are the correct size for the model, that the valve stems are sound, and that the spare is serviceable and properly inflated. Because tube status can vary by product in 235/70R15, it is also wise to know exactly what tire setup is on the car before setting out.

Treat the tire check as one part of a broader road-readiness routine that also covers brakes, fluids, belts, cooling system condition, and suspension behavior. Luxury cars of this era are comfortable long-distance machines when sorted, but they reward preparation more than improvisation. A few careful minutes in the garage can prevent the kind of tire-related interruption that turns a grand touring drive into a recovery exercise.