Radial tires on 21" wheels?

B

Bigmil79

New member
Just got my first model A (Early 29' Tudor) so I'm learning a lot and I imagine I will have a lot more questions as I go but the first one will at least get me on the road.

I need new tires, I plan on driving this car a lot and at higher speeds so I'm willing to pay for the good stuff. So far from what I've read is get the radials. The only radials I have found for my 21" wheels are the Coker Excelsior Stahl Sport Radial 550/600R21 but when I look at the recommended rim width, they recommend a 4-5" rim while my original wheels are 2 3/4" from what my research shows me.

What do you guys recommend? Is it ok to run these tires on my wheels? I want to stay pretty stock looking and want to keep the original wheels but I want the best tire I can get because I plan to drive this car a lot and at the higher speeds once I get things tuned up.

Thanks for the help!
 
Not sure what you expect...but at above 70 ...air gets under the fenders and the car drifts in the wind...makes some scary driving... lhe tires you are looking at are for European sports cars and they indeed would look funny on your wheels......Goodyears or Firestones will easily run at those speeds ....far faster than your sedan will go...(if you want to keep your bearings)
 
Yes, you can run those tires on the 21 inch wheels. I have a set on my sedan and have been very happy with them and the last Model A club event I drove to the tires got a lot of attention and questions from other club members about my satisfaction. I was very unhappy with the wear on the previous set of Firestones I bought so decided to make the switch. With nearly 7000 miles on the tires now, I can offer the following: The wear and stability are a major improvement from the Firestones. With the Mitchell overdrive, we can really get going in these old cars so, greater stability is certainly something that should be improved upon if available. These tires are Mud + Snow rated. I was not happy with the long valve stems on the radial tubes but understand that you can get Coker to install shorter metal valve stems now, if desired. I expect to get 70K miles if not more on these tires, we'll see.......
 
I would do a little more research before I bought those 550\600R21 tires. I have 550R19 on my 19 inch wheels..That is about the widest I would want on standard Model A 19 inch wheels. They also make a 500R19 which is 1/2 inch narrower. I do not know what size options you will have for the 21 in wheels. If they make a 500 or a 475 width I would think they would be better. There are some here on the FB that have radial tires on the 21 inch wheels. I would wait for a response from some that have the radials on the 21 in rims. Good luck. You will be very happy with the radials. Just make sure you have made an informed decision. Lots of money to find that you are not satisfied.
 
Coker only lists the 550/600 in the 21" tires.

They have a 500, 550, 600 & 650 in the 19" tires.

They recommend 4-5" rims for all of the above.

I know quite a few (me included) that are using these tires on stock Model A (19") rims with no problems at all.
 
Heck, heaps of cars before 1931 must have had 4 to 5 inch wheels?

Now let's see ... where did I put them ...
 
I really wanted to stay with the 21" wheels as I like the stock look. Not sure if anybody makes modified 3-4" wide 21" Model A wheels (I would be interested).

Or, Run the wider tires on the skinny rims like Norcal

Or, just buy some Goodyears (or equivalents) and say screw it.

I was just trying to plan ahead because I may (and I know this is blasphemy:eek:) modify the suspension/brakes to allow for a safer ride at interstate speeds. And I want a tire that can handle my future options.
 
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