Lucas tires wear report

Bob Johnson

Bob Johnson

Well-known member
A couple of years ago I purchased a set of Lucas tires for my Model A pickup. They cost approx $100 each. After 10,000 miles here are the results (see picture below).

The right rear tire shows extreme wear in the center. No it was not over inflated. It had the same 30-35 pounds of pressure as the other tires. I measured the "crown of the RR tire and it is taller in the center than the others even with the wear. The right front has uneven wear around the circumference of the tire. There are patches of wear maybe due to a tire that was not round when new.

I will not be buying any more Lucas tires.

Bob


lucas-tires02.jpg
 
I just bought a set of Lucas tires this spring....350 miles so far...

Did you rotate them?

If so at what mileage interval?
 
Bob - in the future, it looks like what you need to do . . . . . is buy 4 left front tires . . . .

A lot of what goes on with the tyres, is what / how the chassis mechanicals inter-react with the tyres. If all systems are perfect (rare), then your 10,000 mile tires do indeed tell an interesting story.

I am sure that rotating tyres would help - but who rotates their tires every 2,500 miles (it is a good idea) ? I am sure there are some . . . but few.
 
Wow. At least it looks like the toe-in is on the money, there isn't any chaffing or slippage type wear:eek:

Sad that antique car tires are as pricey as they are but are really kinda poor in quality anymore.................
 
well the right rear wear makes sense to me: the way the car is supported when only a driver is behind the wheel the added weight kind of rolls the body to the left side lifting the right side up due to the arched springs parallel to the axle. this essentially makes the pickup, like all modern pickups, light in the rearend and even lighter on that right side, i bet if you ran 30psi on the right side of your truck and 35 on the left you would have even tire wear. or ran around with 150 lbs of sandbags purely on the right side of your bed it would wear evenly.

if your front right has weird wear, maybe check for a bent rim? that would wear tires out quick and irregular

your left tires still have life left in em.

rough guess but a model A weighs about 2200 lbs, about the same as a newer 2012 mazda Miata. Miata has that weight resting on 4 tires that are 8" wide each while the model a is just about half that at 4.5" wide. Simply put, narrow tires wear out faster as they have to carry more pounds per inch of tread.
 
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Are these Bias Ply tires? You may have found that they weren't round when they were new. In the day there was a machine that would grind the tires and make them round. Yes the new ones!!!

John Poole
 
How many miles would you expect from repro Goodyear's or Firestone, at one and a half times the price?
 
Good evening, Bob,
Sometimes WEIRD things happen, that don't compute. If they were just cheep built tires, you'd think they would ALL have worn out. If you didn't rotate them, I've "heard" that "sometimes" the pavement is poorer @ the R/H side & sometimes causes more wear on the R/H tires???
Have you chatted with Lucas about it? Maybe, send them the Pics. I'm sure they don't want to get some "BAD PRESS".
Bill W.
 
700rpm said:
Many factors contribute to tire wear. I wouldn't be too quick to blame Lucas.
Click to expand...

I agree and had they all worn the same I would point a finger at the tire manufacturer. In this case it would suggest that the vehicle is a good part to blame. Wayne
 
i got 21000 miles out of 19" firestones on my 31 roadster, still had tread but not legal. rotated them every 4000-5000miles. 19" diamond tread goodyears on my 31 pickup have 12000 miles, can hardly notice any wear, also rotate these.
 
FWIW, just a few experiences:

A. On a homemade utility/boat trailer made with a Model A Ford front axle, my Dad installed a pair of used, well worn used tires on a trailer in 1935 which he used often for 32 years until 1967. We even often piggy-backed two (2) boats on this trailer. We dismantled this trailer in 1996, 61 years later, and these tires were still holding air.

B. Because of gravel roads, used tires for trailers were preferred he said because there were no tire crevices that could pick up rocks & throw gravel at the rear of one's vehicle.

C. He explained that "if" large automobile type tires were installed for trailer tires on a well aligned axle, they should last a lifetime -- my 1960 Model A front axle built boat trailer with 1965 Chrysler tires are still good today after 55 years.

D. His prediction for trailer tires lasting so long was that trailer tires:

1. Unlike vehicle front tires, were never redirected in a curve; and,

2. Unlike vehicle rear tires were not rotated with the force of an engine; and,

3. Unlike all four vehicle tires, trailer tires had no brakes which caused a tire to grip the highway.

If one ever thinks that "non-very-carefully-adjusted" mechanical brakes work like the even pressure of hydraulic brakes, try jamming your Model A brake pedal on a wet, "slick" highway while traveling in a Model A at about 45 mph.

Even though some brands of tires last much longer than others, thinking about well aligned trailer tires can shed a bit of light on this subject; and in many cases, if one has mechanical brakes, unknown caster, camber, and toe in, & a frame not checked for front/rear alignment, it can never hurt to investigate same prior to installing new tires.

Hope this helps.
 
Bob you need to go get a set of Garfields or Bedfords, with that butt-ugly zigzag tread pattern.

The stupid things never seem to wear out! I've been trying for years before I can justify buying some new Goodyears, I'm far from it:p
 
BlueSunoco said:
Bob you need to go get a set of Garfields or Bedfords, with that butt-ugly zigzag tread pattern.

The stupid things never seem to wear out! I've been trying for years before I can justify buying some new Goodyears, I'm far from it:p
Click to expand...
Yo, Blue,
Chiefs Goodyears, on his '52 Chev. P.U. were recapped by his friend, with AIRCRAFT RUBBER:eek: He couldn't ever wear them out. When the sidewalls began to look like a DRUNKS' CHECKER BOARD, he finally dumped them. Wonder if anyone can re-cap 16's, 19's & 21's?
Bill W.
 
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