P195 75 R15 Tires

[259man]

Hi, everyone.

I am looking to replace the tires on my '60 Lark. I've looked numerous places on the internet and with tire dealers and can't find P195 75 R15s anywhere, other than Coker, which is very expensive! The only other 15-inch 195s I've seen were for light trucks.

I currently have P195s on the Lark and I am pleased with them, but they are aging.

Has anyone out there purchased P195s in the last year or two? If so, did you have to special order and pay an arm and a leg for them?

Is there any other radial size that will work for the 4.5" Stude wheels?

Thanks for any help or insight you can offer. Tom

Tom

[CHAMP]

Welcome to the forum 259. I had to use 205/75/15's on my 48 Champion. The only problem I've had is slight tire rub on full lock right turns. Has not really been a problem as it is ever so slight and rare that it happens. I might look for 195's for front later if I can find any reasonably priced. Maybe someone else can tell you more about what will work on your car.

GARY H 2DR.SEDAN 48 STUDEBAKER CHAMPION NORTHEAST MD.

[Alan]

You can buy them at Wal-Mart for $39 Goodyear Stars.

[klifton1]

I used 205s on a 60 Lark with std. wheels. Worked OK and didn't rub.
Klif

55 Speedster
42 Champ Coupe

[Mike Van Veghten]

What's wrong with light truck tires??

That's what I ended up with on my Conestoga!
As with any other tire...just pick and choose the brand and sidewall design.

I've got General LT 195's (70 x 15).
Personally...I didn't want a tire with a Japanese name on the side wall. Don't much care where it's built...just no advertizing in the side walls.

Mike

[Guest]

Are you looking for whitewalls or just plain blackwall radials.

I run Diamondback radial whitewalls on two cars.

[55studeman]

55Commander, how's the quality of the Diamondback tires? The whiteness of the white? Does it age well or does it turn yellow quickly? Overall how's the ride on those tires?

I researched the radial WWW tires looking for a tire that would match the circumference the best with the original tall and narrow bias plys. Matching the circumference is desired to get an accurate speedometer reading. Unfortunatley, all radials run wider and shorter than bias plys producing a shorter circumference. Right now my 215's are slightly smaller in circum' and so my speedo runs 6-10% fast. In my comparision I found the radial Diamond WWW's to be closer to the bias originals than the radial WWW's offered by Coker, but I was concerned about the quality of the white rubber and how it would age.

Any opinion you have is appreciated, Thanks



E. West
"The Speedster Kid"
Sunny Northern California
Where the roads don't freeze over and the heat doesn't kill you.
And an open road is yours to have -only during non-commute rush hours 9am-4pm and 7pm to 7am (Ha, ha, ha)

[Dan White]

I just got a set of Diamond Backs for my '50 Hudson. It is an interesting company. They take modern standard radials (for the WWW they use Dean made by Cooper, or Firestones) and vulcanize the whitewall on to it. They stand behind their work and so far they look really nice. I talked to some others and they were very happy with the quality and the white staying white. The tread is really nice as well. I ordered mine through Hudson Dave: DaveC@FatWhiteWalls.com and he did a great job of answering questions and getting my order to me fast.

Dan White
64 R1 GT
64 R2 GT

[gecoe]

I've had Diamond Back 205-75-15 WWW's on my 50 Champion for 2 years and couldn't be happier with both performance and looks (yes, the white stays white!). Beyond the tire itself, I found the people at Diamond Back to be great to work with. I highly recommend them.

Gerry
NE Colorado

[CHAMP]

Hey Dan is that Hudson Stude. powered

GARY H 2DR.SEDAN 48 STUDEBAKER CHAMPION NORTHEAST MD.

[hank63]

Radials don't automatically produce a smaller circumference than a x-ply. It depends on the height ratio. A 205/55 has a much smaller Dia than a 205/75. I run 205/85 steel radials on a brand X car I have. Those tires are quite large in dia and circumference, in fact they are 3% larger than the original x-ply ones.
/H

[Dan White]

No the Hudson is Hudson Straight 8 powered. Next to Studes Hudson made great engines. The Hornet 6 is still one of my favorites. Hope to take the Hudson to its first show in Elkton this weekend, and give the Hawk a rest.

Dan White
64 R1 GT
64 R2 GT

[CHAMP]

Sounds good maybe we could meet at McDonalds on the corner of Rt.40 and 213? You name a time and I'll be there. I'll even bring the Stude. Make a nice pair of unusual cars parked together![8D]

GARY H 2DR.SEDAN 48 STUDEBAKER CHAMPION NORTHEAST MD.

[55studeman]

Thanks for the Diamondback WWW feedback, from the responses it seems they produce a fine tire.

In my first reply, I said something to the effect that radials are "smaller." That's not an accurate way of describing the issue, I was writing the email quick while at work, so I didn't want to go into width by height ratios which is the problem. Our common ratios now days on radials are for wider and shorter height wheels, hence the "smaller" effect. I do believe part of this is because the sidewall of radials do not have very good weight holding power, truckers use bias for that exact reason, check out a big rig tire, how tall it is with very flat side wall. So it is in the interest of tire makers and users to use the ratios found now days....but that doesn't match up well with our old cars and speedometers.


E. West
"The Speedster Kid"
Sunny Northern California
Where the roads don't freeze over and the heat doesn't kill you.
And an open road is yours to have -only during non-commute rush hours 9am-4pm and 7pm to 7am (Ha, ha, ha)

[sbca96]

Looks like a 195 is too wide for a 4.5 inch rim - according to Coker.

Tom

P195/75R15 COKER CLASSIC 2 1/4 INCH WHITEWALL TIRE #17640
Size: P195/75R15
Construction: Poly/Steel
UTQG Rating: 400-B-B
Overall Diameter: 26.15
Cross Section: 8.00
Tread Width: 5.68
Load Capacity: 1477 @ 35 psi
Tubeless
Rim Width: 5 to 7 inches
Note: It is recommended that Coker Classic Radial tires be run at a maximum inflation of 35 psi at all times. Never mix tires of different constructions (bias and radial) on the same vehicle.
Details
SKU 568750
Weight 31.00 lbs
Size Full P195/75R15
Price: $ 152.00