Tire Cracking
Marmon-Herrington Man
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 11,986
Likes: 446
From: Central Illinois
Josh made the best recent score getting these NOS Courser 19.5s off Reno CL. The second pic is the set of 19.5" recaps I sent to the GMC Napco guy in MS. I also rescued a used set of 17" Coursers a couple years ago at a yard in KY, iirc. They have cracks but I saved them just in case. Stu
Senior User
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 465
Likes: 2
From: Moorhead MN
My dad said that during WWII, gasoline was rationed in the U.S., not really because there was a shortage of gasoline so much as there WAS a shortage of rubber (Malaya cut off) and tires. THOSE were hard to get. There was even a 35 mph national speed limit. Tires were stolen, (or swapped, no doubt) and lots of older cars that could otherwise be driven could not because of tires.
There was an old joke that wouldn't make sense today, but did at the time. A couple is traveling in their car in the backwoods of Maine about 1943. They get lost and turned around and getting low on fuel. Finally, luckily, a service station comes into view.
The man comes out and they hand him their ration booklet. "What's this?" "You know.. our ration booklet." "Ration book?" "Yes.. you know. for gasoline.. Hitler. The War!??"
"Who!?"
"Never mind that, give us 4 new tires and fill 'er up!"
There was an old joke that wouldn't make sense today, but did at the time. A couple is traveling in their car in the backwoods of Maine about 1943. They get lost and turned around and getting low on fuel. Finally, luckily, a service station comes into view.
The man comes out and they hand him their ration booklet. "What's this?" "You know.. our ration booklet." "Ration book?" "Yes.. you know. for gasoline.. Hitler. The War!??"
"Who!?"
"Never mind that, give us 4 new tires and fill 'er up!"
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 19,311
Likes: 97
From: Waterloo, Iowa
My dad mentioned something about gramps or somebody had a car up on jacks, good tires, to avoid flat spots, mainly because of the fuel issue. And how they then later completely failed right away. Tough to say, though my impression was what really happened somebody probably had performed a little midnite substitution. Tires in the 20s and 30s were not very good (neither were the roads) and flats were a regular occurrence, by the 40s they weren't as bad? Dunno.
Lead Driver
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 6,104
Likes: 138
From: Orcas Island Wa.
Here's an interesting matched set of 7.00 x 17s. They have found a temporary home on one of my trailers. Note the lack of cracks after many years of service. I never liked or ran the 7.00s. I figure if you're gonna have a hard to find 17" tire it might as well be 34" tall. And no, I didn't spackle in the cracks (this time) with sikaflex.....
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 19,311
Likes: 97
From: Waterloo, Iowa
They all look like tires to me. Had no idea there were so many different types, and many are obsolete today. What seems strange, if you guys have trouble, what are the Model T guys driving around on?
Cargo Master
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 2,927
Likes: 135
From: Houston
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Marmon-Herrington Man
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 11,986
Likes: 446
From: Central Illinois
Thanks Ross, missed it.
There are tube type traction tires being reproduced in 16" and smaller sizes, and in the 20" big truck widths. There are tubeless traction tires being reproduced in the 16.5" and 17.5" sizes. There was (can still be found but I've heard no longer produced) the 7.50 x 17" Tornel traction but it looks much different than traditional old designs. There are no bias ply tubeless 8-19.5s being reproduced - period - in either road or traction tread.
I can maybe understand the lack of 17s because many of the original 17" single wheel designs had widow maker RH-5° outer rims. Us F-2/3 M-H guys use dually style 17" wheels that are not WMs, but we are way too few in numbers to matter. It's the guys needing the 8-19.5s used by F-250s, Dodge Power Giants, factory and Napco Chevies/GMCs, IHCs, and Studebakers that are S.O.L.
There are plenty of the obsurdly tall/fat rock crawler off road designs but none of them will fit the narrow original rims, and none that look like the old originals.
I think the market is out there based on emails I get from guys looking for old original tires. I'll be writing Coker a letter about it, and might do a letter to Vintage Truck. Stu
The Model T guys have reproduction tires to use. The vintage off road crowd are the folks left out in the cold when it comes to new tires. Take a look at Coker Tires website and you can see they only offer a few vintage off road tire treads. Most of the offerings looks nothing like the tires shown on this thread: https://www.cokertire.com/tires/shop...&%20Truck.html
I can maybe understand the lack of 17s because many of the original 17" single wheel designs had widow maker RH-5° outer rims. Us F-2/3 M-H guys use dually style 17" wheels that are not WMs, but we are way too few in numbers to matter. It's the guys needing the 8-19.5s used by F-250s, Dodge Power Giants, factory and Napco Chevies/GMCs, IHCs, and Studebakers that are S.O.L.
There are plenty of the obsurdly tall/fat rock crawler off road designs but none of them will fit the narrow original rims, and none that look like the old originals.
I think the market is out there based on emails I get from guys looking for old original tires. I'll be writing Coker a letter about it, and might do a letter to Vintage Truck. Stu
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