I love the look my '52 F-1 has with the stock wheels, but the front bias plys and rear cleats give it a pretty rough ride sometimes. I want to switch to radials but need a little advice, I don't want to get a new set of wheels as it will take the stock appearance away.

What have you guys done to continue using the stock wheels? What size/brand of radials have you put on?

Thanks
-Kevin

 

I run 215-85-16LT's blackwall out. Looks similar in profile to stock tire and drives much better.

 

On my 49 F1 I'm running 235-75-15. Relatively cheap, easy to find, ride great and also the same size as my newer truck (1967). There was not a single original 16" rim on my truck when I got it so going 15" was not that hard a decision. It had one stock(not 49) 15" smoothie so that's where I started. Now I have two 15" x 5" and two 15" x 5 ½" rims. Eventually, maybe they will all be the same size.

 

This forum made me go away from my plan to run tube type 7.00x15s on 5x15 wheels (especially with the no speed limit on our Autobahn). I now have 205/75-15s on 5.5x15" in front and 235/75-15s on 6x15" in rear on my 54. All on black stock wheels. No hub caps. No trim rings. I also mounted the white lettering facing inside for the stock look. By the way, one reason for having the big'n'little combo is that I needed the extra load rating. The 235/75-15s is the widest tire you can mount on 6" wide wheels (as per the datasheet of the tire manufacturers).

Greetings from Germany !

 

I have been running 225/75 R16 Monarch Trailmaster tires on my '55 on stock 16" rims. We matched the diameter to an inflated but scary looking original bias ply. Speedo reads accurately, and it really calmed down the revs on the 312 that had been stuck with F70/15s and the stock 3.92 rear.
The trailmaster tread is an M&S but not wildly knobby, rides pretty quiet, and adds just enough meat of width to modernize the look a notch. (those stocker bias plys really made a 'shopping cart' out of the Bignose)


:P


Midnite Cruiser

 

255/75X15 BFG Radial T/A's on after-market half-moons on my '59. Ride is fine (I'd just like to reduce the amount of play in the steering wheel)!
DS

 

Lets run this around again

 

There appears to be only one 7x15 tire still on the market, everything is moved towards 16" since this thread was started. Yokohama makes it and not many places sell it. I ain't springing for any of the Coker vintage-style tires.

 

I bought a set of Mexican 16" bias ply tires, mounted on stock rims, from restoringmy46 last year. My panel came with some cheap 15" radials on steel mag rims. I could notice the difference when I changed them, it improved the ride considerably. I was surprised, from what I've read I thought radials were suppose to be a lot better than bias ply. Maybe, I just had a bad set of radials.

 

This is a REALLY old thread!!!

I wouldn't drive any of these trucks without radial tires so I have 9.00-20 radials on the F-600!!

 

I'd be interested to hear whether you guys have experienced any rim cracking after putting radials on stock drop center rims. I was looking through the Coker catalog today for the other thread on this subject and right there is a disclaimer about the risks of doing this combo. Have any of you had trouble doing it? Stu

 

I'm running Pirelli on mine and I like the way they handle the road. I'll get you the tech on the tyre's later.

 

Here's the spec's on the pirelli's LT235/75R 15 Norseman. I thought I had 16, must of been thinking about my bike.

 

I've known that the mass makers are moving towards 16" tires. However I believe most still make 15", though really nothing narrower than what's provided for a 6" rim....which would be for 235/75/R15's. Looking at my '62 M.Y. cars, finding a 15" wheel will be spendy at best, I think. Finding tires to match will be even spendier compared to 5 years ago. (15" needed to clear disc brakes) Even with the 16" wheels on my trucks, I can't imagine we'll be able to just go to the nearest store to buy a set of tires.