About 5 years ago I bought a 1938 Coupe. Car came with original rims and some bias ply Universal Tires that I'm guessing were at least 10 years old then. Car has been painted and is now at the upholstry shop so it now time to get some tires ordered but I have some questions regarding what to do? Car has been converted to 245 Commander 6 and now has overdrive trans but top speeds and use will be likely be limited to 60 or less and no long distance driving is anticipated at this time.
Question 1 - Do I get new wheels or not? Original wheels are 16" x 4 and are in good shape but:
- will need to be sandblasted and powder coated and are of the rivited design
- using existing wheels will mean that I will be tied to bias ply tires and tubes
- getting new wheels would enable use of tubeless tires, widing rim width by 1/2 to 1" and possible change to 15" to allow more tire choices. New rims would also allow the possiblity of radial tires
Question 2 - If I get new wheels shoul I convert to radial? I'm thinking not as low speed steering would be much more difficult & might impose loads on the steering gear it was no designed for.
Question 3 - If I stay with current wheels & bias tires do I pay the extra $25-30 for Firestone tires over the Coker bias ply tires - or is there some other brand/supplier that stands out?
Thanks for your thoughts & experiences
Question 1 - Do I get new wheels or not? Original wheels are 16" x 4 and are in good shape but:
- will need to be sandblasted and powder coated and are of the rivited design
- using existing wheels will mean that I will be tied to bias ply tires and tubes
- getting new wheels would enable use of tubeless tires, widing rim width by 1/2 to 1" and possible change to 15" to allow more tire choices. New rims would also allow the possiblity of radial tires
Question 2 - If I get new wheels shoul I convert to radial? I'm thinking not as low speed steering would be much more difficult & might impose loads on the steering gear it was no designed for.
Question 3 - If I stay with current wheels & bias tires do I pay the extra $25-30 for Firestone tires over the Coker bias ply tires - or is there some other brand/supplier that stands out?
Thanks for your thoughts & experiences
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