cars
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May 13, 2016So you bought an old car? Maybe you got the one youve always wanted or maybe so-and-sos uncle had this one sitting in his backyard for years and finally decided to move it out. Now youve got it and here it sits in all its dusty, unknown-condition glory. So now what? Well these days the path is as unclear as its ever been. Few of us can afford to simply tear it down to labeled ziplock bags of nuts and bolts and begin a full restoration with a ridiculous 2 day deadline, like you see on the television shows. Quite the opposite, most of us just want to get it running and driving and get an idea of what were working with. Were not usually short of big ideas for a grand restoration project, but first things first. What exactly have we gotten ourselves into here? First steps are usually to check the vitals, and make every attempt to get it into a condition for a safe start up. Defining safe
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September 25, 2014Click here to check out videos from past Coker Tire Challenge Events and also subscribe to our YouTube Channel while you're at it!
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August 17, 2013[caption id="attachment_3876" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Known simply as "the Quail"[/caption] After two days strolling through the dream-scape that is Monterey weekend. Corky Coker and Wade Kawasaki know two things already, wear good shoes and stay prepared to be amazed. This is the world renowned week of priceless classic vehicles, historic races and stacks of top-shelf car auctions that culminates with the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
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August 16, 2013Well, they're not exactly on speaking terms with ole Ralph, but maybe the controversial "Unsafe at Any Speed" writer inadvertently made these cars even more popular in the long run? The cult-like following of Corvair owners across the United States are as dedicated to their favorite cars (and vans) as any group out there. One such club, filled the Coker Tire Company parking lot today as the Choo Choo Corvair Club toured the Chattanooga, Tennessee headquarters.
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April 23, 2013Members from Hot Rod Magazine, Chattanooga Visitor Bureau, Family Events and Coker Tire Company were on hand in downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee today to announce Chattanooga as a stop on the upcoming 2013 Hot Rod Power Tour. The massive car tour visited Chattanooga in 2010 bringing thousands of cars, people and revenue to the city. The 2010 visit made a good enough impression to get the encore opportunity in 2013. The event projects over 3,000 participants rolling onto the campus of Chattanooga State throughout the day, with the event hours scheduled from 12:00pm to 7:00pm. The Chattanooga festivities won't stop at 7:00pm, as there's an after-party planned at the headquarters of Coker Tire Company in downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee
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August 07, 2012Among our fondest memories and during the most impressionable time of any gearhead's life are the teen years when cars were the coolest and the mysteries of hot rodding were just beginning to reveal themselves. Many of us had a shop class in school and piddled the hours away imagining how fast that Camaro would be if we could just afford a new set of aluminum heads all while learning to change the spark plugs in the assistant principle's Camry.
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July 30, 2012
Coker Tire Offers A New 185/55R15 Whitewall Tire Suited for Compact Cars
Chattanooga, TN Throughout automotive history, the whitewall tire has been one of the most popular choices on everything from luxurious sedans to muscle cars. These days, whitewalls are still available for classic cars, but adding this vintage style to a new car leaves enthusiasts with very few options. Coker Tire Company, the worlds leading supplier of collector car tires and wheels, decided to fill this void by producing a modern radial tire with a wide whitewall, designed to fit the new Fiat 500 and other compact cars. -
June 28, 2012Tuesday evening in Kanata, Ontario marked the finish of Stage Four of the 2012 Hemmings Motor News Great Race presented by Hagerty. What a reception we received from the hometown of our own Brian Goudge aka Motormouth in Kanata/Ottowa, Ontario!When our PA system malfunctioned and could not play the Canadian National anthem, "Oh Canada" I asked if there was anyone who could lead us in singing it. Our new best friend "Page" jumped right up and led the crowd with a beautiful rendition of the Canadian favorite. Thank you again Page! There were several thousand passionate old car fans and several hundred cruise in cars on display. Kanata did it up right too with a wonderful roasted chicken meal for all the Great Racers.
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June 19, 2012If you're new to the old car hobby then you may not have heard of a guy by the name of Henry J. Kaiser. He was quite the engineer and he certainly developed some of the most unique cars of the late '40s and early '50s. Kaiser, Frazer and Henry J were the big three offerings, and each car had its own set of models, with various trim levels and configurations. The company didn't last very long, but it left behind a great legacy that results in a dedicated group of owners. The Kaiser-Frazer Owners Club has a national meet once per year, and the 2012 event is just up the road from us in Sweetwater, Tennessee.
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March 30, 2012"Corvette guys" have a reputation for being overly picky about their cars, but when it comes to the high class restorations these cars undergo, we don't blame them for babying the cars. We love to see a great restoration with all the right bits and pieces to make it truly authentic, but we also like to see real survivor--a car that has never been restored, but still has all the right stuff. Last week, we encountered a 1959 Corvette survivor here at the shop, and couldn't help but give it a thorough inspection. The car is currently owned by Scott Hamrick of Jefferson, Georgia, who recently purchased it from the
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January 27, 2012As car guys, we surround ourselves with like-minded folks, and we often find that the car guy bond puts everyone on the same page. From regular Joe's to celebrities, car guys are on a level playing field. Take Jay Leno for example: he's a big-time celebrity, but the moment you start talking cars, he's just one of the guys. Granted, "just one of the guys" probably doesn't have a Duesenberg in his collection, but you get the idea. Corky and Jay have been buds for quite some time, and many of Jay's precious machines roll on a set of Coker Tire, so the guys at Jay's Garage got them together and shot a very cool (and very informative) segment on tires for vintage cars. The video is a comprehensive look at Jay's Duesenberg, which received a set of our new Excelsior Stahl Sport Radial tires, which are sized appropriately for vintage cars and have the looks of an old bias ply tire. The modern performance of radial construction did wonders for Jay's ultra-rare Duesenberg,
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November 18, 2011If you follow our Facebook fan page, then you know we blasted the page with live photos from the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was a great event and we had a blast, as always, so it's time to wrap it up and get ready for the winter season. We met lots of great folks at SEMA, some new to the industry and some old timers like us. We debuted new booth artwork for our indoor booth and a brand new full wrap on our tractor trailer rig, which was positioned outside of the convention center. With new products on display, as well as the completed Marmon Wasp and Honest Charley rat rod truck, our booth(s) were a big hit. Check it out! [caption id="attachment_2277" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Our updated SEMA indoor booth with new counter artwork, and TV\'s!"]
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September 19, 2011The 2011 Coker Tire Challenge, presented by Hemmings Motor News is in the books! We had an awesome time touring the back roads of Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia, but it's time to wind down and get ready for our next rally event....the 2012 Great Race! We're super excited about it, but let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet! The Challenge had 42 participants, driving a WIDE variety of vehicles, from open-wheel classics like a 1917 Peerless Board Track Racer to a modified Jeep hot rod. We had a great time, and welcomed the racers onto Fort Street for the finish of the Challenge. From there, it was chow time, and also time for the awards ceremony! We want to
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September 18, 2011Back on the road Saturday morning, the teams headed to Dunlap to start their day's route. From the starting point, the vehicles headed straight up the mountain on a twisty two-lane road, before ending up on top of Cagle Mountain. From there the route was rather tame, but a few narrow roads made it tough for racers to keep on their strict speed and time schedule. The lunch stop was held in Sparta, Tennessee, then the racers came down off the mountain and into Pikeville, Tennessee, where they would climb once again as they headed into Dayton on Highway 30. On the home stretch, racers headed down Highway 58 before arriving at the Coker Tire headquarters in Chattanooga,
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September 16, 2011We hit the road this morning at 8am and headed toward Alabama with intentions of going to Huntsville for lunch. Lots of beautiful farm land provided some cool pictures and video opportunities for the media crew, and the media crew also stopped in at the Third Base Grill for lunch....WAY better than McD's....just sayin. After lunch, we headed back East through lots of mountainous terrain, and over a few bodies of water along the way. It was a good ride with great weather, but the racers were still happy to crawl out of their cars when they arrived at Mountain Valley Farm...aka Corky's place. General talk about scores and such was common, but when the dinner bell rang, everyone hopped on the bus and headed up the hill.
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September 15, 2011It's that time of year! We're in the final stages of preparation for the Coker Tire Challenge, so it's a fairly busy environment here in Corkyville. The guys over at Honest Charley Garage applied decals and helped David McAllister with technical inspection, while our Coker crew handled all of the registration stuff. We're ready to kick this thing off tomorrow morning at 8:00am and we'll be having dinner at the farm when our day of rallying is over. Let's roll! [caption id="attachment_1999" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Lined up for technical inspection and decal application."][/caption]
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September 08, 2011If you think all police officers hate drag racing, think AGAIN! An organization called Beat the Heat is composed of active and retired police officers who reach out to the public through a very popular hobby.....drag racing. They race in all sorts of cars, all of which have police department-style paint jobs and working lights, just like regular patrol cars. The goal is to teach children and young adults the dangers of street racing, and the fun and excitement that comes from racing at a legal drag strip. It's an awesome way to reach out! Beat the Heat has a World Finals event once a year, and for 2011 it is held right here in Chattanooga, Tennessee. We were proud to have them cruise into Corkyville Thursday evening, so we opened the doors, so the racers could see everything we have to offer, including Honest Charley Speed Shop! Local police officer and drag racing enthusiast, Marty Dunn organized the event, with racers coming from all over the
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August 26, 2011My week of events of Monterey/Pebble Beach include a Friday Foray into everything Italian at Italiano Concorso. I ran across a new friend Eric Sander who asked me to photo up in front of his boss's Ferrari Dino with our Michelin XWX tires on it. Williams owns a company called Kings Electronics (www.4king.com) who makes distributor based ignition system testers. Looks like an interesting product. Thought you guys might like the picture of his Ferrari. The guy with me in the second picture is Eric Sander. I have been thinking about a starting a Concours de Elegance in Chattanooga. Since some smart guy already started the Concours de Lemon which features Gremlins and Pintos and all that sort of stuff, I thought my Concours should focus on my kind of folks..... I think I should call it Concourso Redneckio. Whaddayathink? [caption id="attachment_1948" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
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March 18, 2011Alright, the weather is beginning to straighten out, and it's time to roll the windows down and go for a ride. As you know, we don't really get into the whole "trailer queen" thing--these old cars are meant to be driven! With that in mind, you should always keep an eye on your tread wear characteristics, to make sure you get the most out of your tires. Tread wear depends greatly on your suspension alignment, and if that's off, you'll chew through a set of tires in no time. Of course, our business is selling tires, so we don't mind if you buy a new set of tires every few thousand miles, but it's important to get this stuff sorted out, so you get a little more enjoyment out of your collector car. Vehicles with solid axles, front and rear, are a little tougher to align properly, while vehicles with independent suspension have a lot more wiggle room when it comes to adjusting camber, caster and toe.