Re: Tire Shopping for a '54 Clipper

Posted by 55PackardGuy On 2015/6/29 10:42:51

The blackwall idea has its merits. Especially as it gives me a chance to try out radials and compare them with the bias tires on there now. This car looks particularly good with its 3 1/4" wide whites. I don't know if it's as "period correct" as it could be, but it really sets it off. Some people opted for the snazzy look even on the less highbrow cars, and liked it back then, too.

As far as wheel covers, I like the dog dish hubcaps a lot. Simple and understated. They'd look even better if the wheels were painted better. Looks like they were an afterthought, and show both original and new paint. One reason the white walls are set off so nicely is the white part of the wide white ends right next to the wheel.

Blackwalls will make this baby look quite like a police car, as I said earlier. I don't mind that a bit. If I find a set of radials with raised white letters, I'll really have fun. An instant hot rod that I can change back to the conservative period look easily.

The consensus on radial size is that the 235 75 is the closest to the L78. This size is probably more appropriate to the wider senior wheels, but I think it looks good, and like I said, I can live with the speedometer misread. The math isn't too hard. 5 MPH slow at 30 means about 10 MPH off at 60 and about 15 MPH off at 90, which is about as fast as I'll ever want to go. None of the speed limits are over 75-- yet-- and I try to avoid freeways.

I'll probably get a set of radials before a trip I am planning to take in July. About 120 miles each way.