Radial Tires

[KenCoupe]

Do any of you use modern tubeless 16" tires on 1935 Ford wire wheels? If you do, what tires are you using and what has been your experience with fit of the tires on the wheels, ride quality, etc? I have a nice set of 16 wheels and have been thinking about going this direction for longer touring. Thanks for any info.

Ken

[Curly]

I had them. Mine came from Coker. They were slow but very soft and straight. I recently switched to 19 inch radials in an effort to look more original.

[DaWizard]

I have the cheapest brand Americas Tire had on the shelf and other than a bit harder to steer, I love them. With a full set of Randy Gross brakes at 45mph I slam on the leg and no skidding, just stopping.

I think they are 205-70x16 and are 10% smaller than stock 21's.

[CM2]

I have coker 6.00-16 Classic Rdial tires on 35 rims on my Tudor. I never notice much increase in steering effort. They ride soft and handle well. The only downside to the cokers is price and you have to run tubes.

I need to replace the 10year old cokers and I am considering 195/80/r16 Bridgstone ecopia tires. They are for electric cars but a lot of A guys use them and like them. A lot cheaper than Coker especially with added cost for radial tubes. 4.8 inch tread width.

Does anyone on the forum use these tires ?

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...omCompare1=yes

John

John posted this in thread I started on the same topic...he is definitely on to something here

[Greynomad]

With a tread width of 4.8", they wouldn't look as out of place as say, 6.00X16 tyres. Rolling diameter is a little over 28" which is only a smidge less than 4.75 X 19 tyres. They sound like a good thing to me!

[KenCoupe]

Thanks for the responses. If anybody has any other recommendations, I would be interested. The Bridgestones look interesting but I am a comparison shopper.

[DaWizard]

Ken, just be sure of one thing. If you decide on radial tires with tubes, buy the radial tubes to go with the tires as a normal tube will fail in a radial tire!

[CM2]

Yeah the Bridgestones are spendy..they are for 'electric' cars,that one word drives up the price

[Tom Wesenberg]

I never heard of this before, so why are electric car tires different than gas powered cars?

[CM2]

you can charge more if you call them electric.

[Mitch]

some electric hoopties used low resistance rolling tires to help fuel economy. That being said they are not for winter use just summer. For the most part the electrics run normal tires. 195/80/16 is a dead size on tires. Nothing is available for selection. For shits and giggles I looked up these same Ecopia tires on my wholesalers site. They are being discontinued and have 4 left in stock @ 78.00 each. Tire rack is hammering ya

[CM2]

lowest i saw them was 138.00...supplies are low,nobody stocks that many

[KenCoupe]

What size radials would you recommend for the 16" wheels? I know the wheels are not as wide as modern wheels, and I don't want to have problems with the tires if I decide to go tubeless.

[Denis4x4]

I switched from 16" Excelsior bias to Excelsior radials on my wire wheels. Very spendy, but worth it in my opinion. I am running tubes.

[bettlesr]

I have Yokohama Avid Touring D P215/70-R16 tires on my car. It handles great and stops quickly. They are set up as tubeless. Tire radius from ground to center of the hub cap is 12.75" The cost was reasonable.

[Mitch]

I have seen bettlesr car a few times. It sits and looks nice
I would certainly consider that size

[KenCoupe]

Those look pretty nice. I'll check them out.
Thanks.

[KenCoupe]

I'm curious, the specs say rim width 5.5 - 7.5 in. The 16" Ford is 4" wide. Have you had any issues with mounting the tires or separation from the rim edge? Thanks.

[KenCoupe]

Thanks to everyone for your recommendations and advice. I'm going tire shopping now.

[bettlesr]

I have had no problems with the tires mounted as tubeless. Just make sure you don't let the tire go soft, then you could have a problem. I keep mine at 35 psi.

[KenCoupe]

Thanks, that is good to know. Those are tires I am definitely looking at.