Re: correct tire size for clipper custom

Posted by Jim On 2009/1/20 19:08:08

I am not 100% sure the 3 3/8 whitewalls are not correct for your car. If you find they are supposed to be 4 inch for sure, I thought I saw 4 inch firestones in the Coker catalog. I find the actual catalog a little bit more user friendly because you can see all the different tires with a flip of the page. I am hoping someone else here can confirm this for you.

My personal experience with tires is this: Radials work great, but age out after about 4 years. At that point, they are as likely to throw the tread right off the casing and or, blow out. Bi-plys do not seem to do this at the ripe young age of 4 years old. Radials do not look correct, the aspect ratio makes them disproportionate. The Diamond Back radials have a fairly good aspect ratio, but are essentially light truck tires. They are industrial strength, but may not ride quite right. They are also significantly more expensive than the original mold bi-plys.

Another interesting little situation I have seen with radials is they can flex the wheel so much that the wheel will habitually throw wheel covers. I have seen this more on slotted wheels than with full ledge wheels.

Between myself, and friends with old cars, we probably have close to 100,000 miles on BFG Silvertown tires. I took a month vacation on a set, traveling through 4 states. Another friend basically went coast to coast on a set on a month long trip. No reported trouble.

Here is the catch, radials will mask a worn out mis-aligned front end. Radials also resist grabbing the grooves in the highway. On a properly maintained front end bi-plys work adequately.

I really respect your thoughts on wanting the full experience of the car the day it was built. I share that feeling, and as a result, my collector vehicles have correct tires. They are a bit more money, but look fantastic. I also understand why folks run radials, and respect that choice.

Jim