Radial Avanti!

[mfg]

Radial tires were made standard equipment for new Avanti ll's in model year.......?.......

[mfg]

No opinions on this one?

[mfg]

All through here?

[NHcamper]

1975

[scottgriggs]

1973

[mfg]

Sorry no, the years weren't 1973 or 1975

Any other thoughts here?

[StudeNorm]

Michelin's were available when Studebaker was still making cars so I would like to think Avanti motors offered them early. Lets say 1969...

[Gunslinger]

I have some Avanti Motors sales material...in 1975 they were still listing bias/belted tires as standard and by 1980 radial tires were standard.  So...the change to radial tires happened between those years.  I'll take a SWAG and say it was 1976...most American carmakers had started equipping their cars with radials tires by 1975 and Avanti Motors often followed the industry by about a year.  1976 was also a year of many detail changes in the Avanti as well...different interior parts as original Studebaker parts ran out...the change to the parking brake between the seats and some others.  It makes some sense that consumers were becoming educated in the advantages of radial tires and Avanti Motors would jump on that bandwagon.

[mfg]

8 hours ago, StudeNorm said:

Michelin's were available when Studebaker was still making cars so I would like to think Avanti motors offered them early. Lets say 1969...

You're quite close as to when radials became OPTIONAL on Avanti ll's, however, we're looking for when they became standard equipment..

[mfg]

6 hours ago, Gunslinger said:

I have some Avanti Motors sales material...in 1975 they were still listing bias/belted tires as standard and by 1980 radial tires were standard.  So...the change to radial tires happened between those years.  I'll take a SWAG and say it was 1976...most American carmakers had started equipping their cars with radials tires by 1975 and Avanti Motors often followed the industry by about a year.  1976 was also a year of many detail changes in the Avanti as well...different interior parts as original Studebaker parts ran out...the change to the parking brake between the seats and some others.  It makes some sense that consumers were becoming educated in the advantages of radial tires and Avanti Motors would jump on that bandwagon.

Good thoughts, but 1976 was not the year of the radial!