'34 Tire Dilemma

Robert/Texas

Robert/Texas

Well-known member
I picked up a roofing nail which ruined a tire on my ’34 roadster’ so I ordered and received a new tire and tube from Summit Racing (who were prompt in getting them to me).

The five old tires are labeled “Firestone Deluxe Champion 5.25/5.50/17” and the new one is labeled “Excelsior 5.25/5.5/17”.

I decided to mount the new tire on the rear spare mount for appearance reasons but found that this tire is just slightly too big (width or diameter) for the tire cover.

For now, I’ll live without the cover but has anyone else had this problem and how was it solved?

Thanks, Robert
 
DavidG said:
Try deflating the spare tire to near zero p.s.i. to minimize its size.
Click to expand...

Then you can carry a can of "Fix-A-Flat", a battery-powered compressor, or call "Triple-A" or similar.

However, I have a question; how can a roofing nail "ruin" a tire? I would think that such a puncture could be easily repaired with no ill effects (especially given what "Newc" said).
 
Last edited:
Thank you for all the responses.

I did deflate the tire but that didn’t help. Even with the tire deflated it seems to be just a tad too wide, and I think that this is a width, not a diameter problem.

I keep my old Fords in a rural area with miles of gravel roads. I was driving on one and when I reached the paved road the tire disseminated. That’s when I noticed the roofing nail.

I’m the same age as the car and I don’t carry a jack or tire tools in it, but I do have Hagerty towing insurance. I called them and they had a tow truck there in about 45 minutes. I had the man replace the blown tire with the spare so could drive to my barn.

The car looks good with shiny new tire but would rather get the cover back on it.
 
Last edited:
I think that I have my problem solved. I just ordered a new tire from Coker Tire. They say that this tire is made from the original molds $$$. It should be delivered in June.
 
I bought six 21" Excelsiors for my Model A. They were priced way below the name brands and work and look just fine.
 

Attachments

  • 1929 Ford Roadster 1.jpg
    1929 Ford Roadster 1.jpg
    95 KB · Views: 137
kube

I bought the tire from Summit Racing as it was inexpensive, immediately available and I only planned to use it for a spare. Now I have ordered the Firestone tire from Coker Tire which they told me will not be available until some time in June.
 
fourfords

I have a '28 Model A roadster that looks a lot like yours, body color, wheel color and step plates except that the paint looks like a 1970's job where they didn't wash it before they painted it and the interior is cheap looking Naugahyde. The car was Sally Field's second husband's car in the 1994 3-part mini-series A Woman of Independent Means. I taught her husband Jack Thompson, an Australian actor how to drive it.

I will probably use the Excelsior tires for it if/when I feel I need new ones.
 
Excelsior tires, at least those of the 5.25/5.50 - 17 variety are bias ply tires, not radials and are the least expensive of any tire of that size available today ($144 per tire less than the Firestone of the same size and type).
 
tubman said:
Then you can carry a can of "Fix-A-Flat", a battery-powered compressor, or call "Triple-A" or similar.

However, I have a question; how can a roofing nail "ruin" a tire? I would think that such a puncture could be easily repaired with no ill effects (especially given what "Newc" said).
Click to expand...

I like those battery powered 'pressor tv ads! the ones that tout 'just get it, it will do cars, tractors, even big rig tires, too!' ha! ~

i got me one recently. barely will fill my bike tire pronto! keep it or return it, decided to keep it. almost free with Az points! bit noisy though. other day, after a spell of no ride, went for a ride. i like to ride my bike! usually 5-10 miles. i used my hand Bell pump. tires were 35ish and i pumped it to 45/6.

it is not noisy! :p
 
ThirstyThirty said:
I like those battery powered 'pressor tv ads! the ones that tout 'just get it, it will do cars, tractors, even big rig tires, too!' ha! ~

i got me one recently. barely will fill my bike tire pronto! keep it or return it, decided to keep it. almost free with Az points! bit noisy though. other day, after a spell of no ride, went for a ride. i like to ride my bike! usually 5-10 miles. i used my hand Bell pump. tires were 35ish and i pumped it to 45/6.

it is not noisy! :p
Click to expand...

The issue that's not mentioned in any of those ads is the fact that if you have a flat tire on the side of the road, most likely, there's a hole in it. I don't care what compressor you have; it can't fix the hole.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top