Radial tires for early Ford

4

46woodie

Senior Member
I have stock 600X16 tires on my 46 Ford wagon. Would like to change to a ww radial tire but dont see anything offered in 16in. Do I have to change to 15in rims/tires?? I expect to go a little wider but dont want anything radical,this is a complete stock auto,just want a more comfortable ride, Any suggestions would be helpful,thank you
 
Diamond Back Tires (888-992-1642) sold me 600R16 www radials for my 38 Ford. I run a pressure of 40lbs. No tubes
 
46woodie said:
I have stock 600X16 tires on my 46 Ford wagon. Would like to change to a ww radial tire but dont see anything offered in 16in. Do I have to change to 15in rims/tires?? I expect to go a little wider but dont want anything radical,this is a complete stock auto,just want a more comfortable ride, Any suggestions would be helpful,thank you
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I put Coker 16" "looks like bias ply but really radials" on my '39 Merc,...love 'em!.
 
Thanks! I tried Diamond Back several times today,no answer. Will look into coker tomorrow. Any other advice welcome though
 
I have Coker Classic 600Rx16 3" WW tubeless tires on my '36, they look like bias ply, great tires, usually run 35# in them. I have radial tubes in the '36 wheel, a concern about the age of the wheels, I had them checked for true-ness and had them powder-coated satin black.
I have ran radial tires on all of my cars/trucks for over twenty-five years, currently have radial on my '37 GMC, '36 Ford, '39 Plym, '56 T-Bird, '53 Olds 88 and '59 F100 4x, not to mention my every day vehicles.
 
Don't get anything les then Diamondbacks. I and two friends have tried Cokers and we will NEVER waste money on them again. We gave the brand new set that came on the 41 away because I wouldn't take money for a tire that drove that bad. They are called square tires for a reason. I run Diamondbacks on my 41 ford pickup and my 46 Cadillac. They look good ride nice and drive sooo smooth.
 
not only smooth but they don't wonder if you live in a state with cruddy roads like mine with truck routes that make sunken pavement. I run coker wide whites on my 34, they have been great. Ken
 
Thanks guys,been dialing wrong number!! Called today,looks like Ill be buying a set in week or so. I forgot to ask them if tires have Firestone, Goodyear ,etc... brands or if theyre actually Diamondback brand. Also,my front end is aligned but still wanders a bit on highway,will the radials correct this.
Thanks!!
 
46woodie said:
Thanks guys,been dialing wrong number!! Called today,looks like Ill be buying a set in week or so. I forgot to ask them if tires have Firestone, Goodyear ,etc... brands or if theyre actually Diamondback brand. Also,my front end is aligned but still wanders a bit on highway,will the radials correct this.
Thanks!!
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You should visit their web site and learn more about DB. The vintage tires they sell are their own Auburn series; Deluxe bias looking, and Premium early style radials. All of their tires are tubeless radials, and their white walls are the best available.
 
Bill OH said:
Diamond Back Tires (888-992-1642) sold me 600R16 www radials for my 38 Ford. I run a pressure of 40lbs. No tubes
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Great thread!


Didn't know about diamondback and the availability of tubeless radials in the original size.


Seems like the advantages of tubeless significantly out-weigh the disadvantages.


Question though, how difficult is it to get a good seal with tubeless tires using 80 year old original wheels?
 
Yes, switching to radials will help the wandering. As long as things are in good shape, steering/suspension …… it’ll seem like a new car….. my ‘50 did, with the old junk radials I used just to try it. I then put on new ones….. Mark
 
SoCalCoupe said:
Question though, how difficult is it to get a good seal with tubeless tires using 80 year old original wheels?
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I was worried about that too. How clean are my original wheel rims? The DiamondBack's sales guy said that can be a problem, suggested using their "radial tubes". Only $10 per tube at that time, so that's what I did. No regrets; five years without a flat.

But I have read many posts from others saying tubeless worked just fine on their vintage wheels.

Oh yeah, these tires are expensive! Then you have to pay for local mounting & balancing.
 
My installer used a rotary wire brush to clean the rim, applied sealant and installed the tires after wedging the beads apart overnight to facilitate installation. He balanced them using a wide 5 adapter. No tubes. I will know how well the tires hold air when I see them in late April.
 
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