Do I need an exact match..... tube per tire? ie if I have a 6.50 tube can I use it in a 7.00 tire. Coker tire told me that they have stopped making bias ply tubes, bummer.

 

They may have stopped, but there are a few companies that make impliment tubes that just so happen to match. The only difference is they are heavy duty...darn.

Honestly, I would not run a set of tubes if my life depended on it. I don't trust em. Coker stopped making them because bias ply tires are built quite a bit better than they were and fewer people use em. Not to mention they see fewer miles and are better maintained than they once were. Of course, I am sure a few people don't agree with me...thats just my opinion.

 

I wouldn't use tubes either...but, yes, a 6:50 tube will work fine in a 7.00 tire...

 

I run tubeless radials on my stock 16 inch rims. This is a very polarizing debate. Many different opinions out there.

Here's what the folks at Diamond Back Tires say about tubes (copied and pasted right from their website):

"Never run tubes. That’s like stepping back 40 years in technology. If you still insist on bias ply tires, just make sure they’re tubeless. The chance of a tube failing is much greater than a tubeless tire failure. Why? Tubes create heat and friction, and don’t dissipate heat well...and a tire’s worst enemy is heat. Also, over time, tubes “grow” and become too large, and they actually develop creases — and then they split. If a tube is punctured or fails, air loss is immediate, giving you little or no time at all to react. Often, a tubeless tire can be driven for a while with a puncture. "

 

if you have split rim's like I do you havn't got much of a choice....in my opinion what ever get's you on the road...

 

"That’s like stepping back 40 years in technology"

I drive a 56 year old truck and one of my cars is 65 years old so tubes being 40 year backwards is not a huge issue in my life.
Larry

 

One of my cars is 74 years old and still has tubes inside the bias ply tires.