Need Help Selecting Tires for 1935 Ford Wheels

[shew01]

We drive our Model A a lot to events (20,000+ miles in 6 years), and I’m getting tired of dealing with flats.

I purchased five 1935 wheels that I plan to have powder coated, and I would like to purchase radial tires that will skew the speedometer reading as little as possible.

These 1935 wheels came with very old Firestone 6.00-16 tires mounted.

I’d like to mount Portawalls on whatever tires I purchase.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07T1TVLYM?tag=atomicindus08-20

A fellow club member runs Hankook 195/75R16C tires on his car, and I am strongly considering buying a set for our car.

Are these tires likely to skew the speedometer reading very much? Can anyone share their experience about running 1935 wheels on their Model A? Is there a better size or brand of tire that not skew the speedometer or that might be a better tire in terms of endurance or performance?


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[The Master Cylinder]

I can't answer you on the tires but I wonder how well Port-a-walls will work with radial tires. Radial sidewalls flex a lot more than bias ply tires, which I believe they were originally designed for.

 

[cadillac512]

195/75's will be approx 27.5" tall. How tall are the tires you've been using? That will tell us how much speedo difference there will be.

 

[JayJay]

Shew - looking at the pics you posted, I can't imagine why you wouldn't want to use those as is...

Seriously, I have some 16" wheels but haven't thought about putting tires on them yet. So this is a timely discussion for me too. Thanks.

The Coker Tire website lists overall diameter for the tires it sells. The overall diameter of (for example) a 475/500 x 19 Firestone is 29.80", and for a 440/450 x 21 Firestone is 30.79". So compare possible 16" tires against that.

 

[Ruth]

We drive our Model A a lot to events (20,000+ miles in 6 years), and I’m getting tired of dealing with flats.

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I don't know what kind of tires you have now but why would bigger tire keep you from getting flats?

 

[shew01]

I don't know what kind of tires you have now but why would bigger tire keep you from getting flats?

Huh? They wouldn’t.

I’d like to get away from my Coker “persistent flat tubes.” I don’t get any joy wrestling with tubes anymore.

I’m told the 1935 wheels can run tubeless. So, I plan to try them. Hopefully, the new tires will be steel belted radials, which should be more “flat free” than what I am currently experiencing.


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[shew01]

195/75's will be approx 27.5" tall. How tall are the tires you've been using? That will tell us how much speedo difference there will be.

About 29” tall, assuming I am measuring correctly.

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[shew01]

The Coker Tire website lists overall diameter for the tires it sells. The overall diameter of (for example) a 475/500 x 19 Firestone is 29.80", and for a 440/450 x 21 Firestone is 30.79". So compare possible 16" tires against that.

Thanks for the idea.

I have a 1931; so, the current tires are 19”.

Mr. Google says:

Does that mean that the speedometer is going to run faster? (I obviously know very little about tires, which is why I’m asking for help.)


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[ModelA29]

Our Coupe came with 16" Kelsey Hayes wheels and new 6.50 radials.
https://cokertire.com/tires/650r16-excelsior-stahl-sport-radial.html
I'm going to replace the 32 year old tires and wobbly wheels on our Tudor.
That may end up with steel 16" wheels and late model radials like the Hankooks just because they are so much cheaper.
Anybody ever try CJ2 Jeep wheels on an A? 16" with correct bolt patern - I'm not sure if any hubcap besides a Moon disc would work.

 

[shew01]

Hankook 225/75R16 is around 29.3”, but that seems like it would be a huge tire for a Model A.

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[shew01]

Our Coupe came with 16" Kelsey Hayes wheels and new 6.50 radials.
https://cokertire.com/tires/650r16-excelsior-stahl-sport-radial.html
I'm going to replace the 32 year old tires and wobbly wheels on our Tudor.
That may end up with steel 16" wheels and late model radials like the Hankooks just because they are so much cheaper.
Anybody ever try CJ2 Jeep wheels on an A? 16" with correct bolt patern - I'm not sure if any hubcap besides a Moon disc would work.

Wow. Thanks for the Coker link. $462 per tire for blackwalls. Coker doesn’t leave any money on the table. Another $25 per tire to have them mounted and balanced, plus tax, plus shipping. I could probably get a set of 5 for around $2300. That does look like an era correct tire though.


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[Ruth]

Wow. Thanks for the Coker link. $462 per tire for blackwalls. Coker doesn’t leave any money on the table. Another $25 per tire to have them mounted and balanced, plus tax, plus shipping. I could probably get a set of 5 for around $2300. That does look like an era correct tire though.

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And it states they are "Tube Type".

 

[shew01]

And it states they are "Tube Type".

No shipping, but there would be tax.

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[ronn]

WHY NOT ASK THE hamb? LOOK LIKE HOT ROD TIRES TO ME.


LOL

 

[nkaminar]

On a recent tour there was a car with light truck 16-inch tires. They were larger overall diameter and the owner reported that they were inexpensive. I don't have any info on the size other than they were 16-inch.

 

[The Master Cylinder]

WHY NOT ASK THE hamb? LOOK LIKE HOT ROD TIRES TO ME.


LOL

You joke but you are probably correct.

 

[nkaminar]

Here is a tubeless, radial, light truck tire for $71. It is Vantage LT HD LT245/75R16 E/10PLY BSW

By the way, most of the 16-inch tires are meant for heaver cars and trucks. So you could get by with less air pressure. It will take some experimenting to come up with the correct pressure.

 

[JayJay]

Our Coupe came with 16" Kelsey Hayes wheels and new 6.50 radials.
https://cokertire.com/tires/650r16-excelsior-stahl-sport-radial.html
I'm going to replace the 32 year old tires and wobbly wheels on our Tudor.
That may end up with steel 16" wheels and late model radials like the Hankooks just because they are so much cheaper.
Anybody ever try CJ2 Jeep wheels on an A? 16" with correct bolt patern - I'm not sure if any hubcap besides a Moon disc would work.

One of our club members is running the Stahl Sport Radials on his 19” wheels ‘30 Phaeton). They look pretty good, not real flat across the tread with sharp corner. He’s very happy with them. I suspect the 16” version would look pretty good as well.

 

[AL in NY]

I put the 16" wheels on and I love the better handling and smoother ride. I went with tubeless 225/75R16 radials and I added Tire Pressure Sensors. The tires have the same diameter as the 19" Model A tires, so there's no speedometer error. And they don't look oversized for the 5" wide rim. Everyone in my club likes the way my truck looks with the new tires. One of the reasons I went to 16" tires was to get rid of the tubes and also get a radial tire. This tire size is hard to find in a passenger car tire, most are for SUV with a stiffer sidewall. I bought the Westlake tire at Walmart's and run the tire pressure at 27 lbs. Another advantage to the wider tires, with more rubber on the road, your brakes are more effective. I have run these tire for four years and 10,000 miles with NO problems.

 

[ModelA29]

Wow. Thanks for the Coker link. That does look like an era correct tire though.

They do look right for the era/car.