Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

Hi all, its summer again here so its time to dust off the old girl and bug the life out of you learned types!

First off is the ol' favorite of replacement tires, I am sick of replacing the Lesters (they just don't seem to like Irish roads), with (deep intake of breath) radials, if possible.

I called Diamond Back Tires, they only do a 750x17 full ww radial, they tell me its 33 1/2 inches tall, there is no way it will fit in the wheel arches.

So back to the drawing board; any suggestions please?

Sl?n Go Foill,

Pat.

Attach file:

---

  (113.42 KB)

quote:
" called Diamond Back Tires, they only do a 750x17 full ww radial, they tell me its 33 1/2 inches tall, there is no way it will fit in the wheel arches."

Thus far we only know what u don't like.
Specifically, what size are u looking for????? WWW tyres or black walls or maybe green walls or orange walls or what kind of wall????

Hi Pat!

Was just thinking the other day we hadn't seen you here in a while. Neat picture! Love the Chicago Typewriter!

I too have had mixed results with Lesters. I say mixed because my experience with a particular design of 7.00 X 16's on my '39 was terribly poor. The car wandered and had awful road manners. This was solved with the installation of a set of original WW Firestone's from Coker Tire. Conversely, there is a set of 6.50 X 16's on my '40 that are a bit aged, show no signs of cracking, and handle perfectly. Perhaps, the newer Lesters are not the quality of the older ones? I don't know.

You might go to the Coker Tire website and have a look around.

Jim

I'm not aware of any 7:00x17 radials that match size with the original 6-ply tires, or the current 6-ply repro tires.

Options in bias ply other than Lester are Bedford Cord and Firestone. Bedford Cords have a great of-the-era appearance and are favored by many, especially the Concours crowd, though the touring crowd seems to mostly go on Lesters and problems seen few and far between. I've had two sets of Lesters on my 34 over the course of the last 40 years; tread wear or tire failure never an issue, it's mostly just my concern about the age of the tires. I've averaged about 20,000 miles out of a set before I think about replacement, though again it's age, not wear. What inflation pressures have you been using? I use 34 psi cold.

With the current ones now almost 20 years old, I'm leaning toward Bedford Cord mostly for a more authentic appearance. And I'm thinking about blackwalls.

PS - using the Twelve size (7:50x17x6 ply) on an Eight or Super Eight rim is probably a bad idea for more than just the fender clearance, etc. The Twelve wheel had a double-rolled bead for extra strength which your wheels don't have. and the spoking is more robust; there are some horror stories of folks who have tried that.

Road manners are of course a combination of a lot more than tires, but I'm curious about your Irish roads - I've driven on them in rentals and seem to recall they were pretty damn good.

The Bedford tire is a very nice looking tire for that age of car. I like the looks much, much better than the Lesters, both in black and in white. We put Michelins on the speedster, but I don't think they have a reputation for being a long-lasting tire, although they handle wonderfully.

Quote:

We touched on this the other day and I did a bit of "photoshopping" on my car to see what blackwalls would look like and, like you, I'm getting to like the idea a bit. Someone said last week that whitewalls on a car thats supposed to be a sports car is like putting ballet shoes on a football player and that got me thinking.

Mine have plenty of life in them yet so it will be a while before I change them. I've spent 3 weekends removing 10 coats of white paint from my sidewalls and applying a new smooth coat so they look a bit better.

Irishpackard,

Dia dhuit! Sorry for hijacking your post. I'm planning a trip to the emerald later this year to see where my great granny came from (Athlone). Would be great to meet you for the craic and have a shufty at your car!

Quote:
"I am sick of replacing the Lesters (they just don't seem to like Irish roads),.."

Specifically what happens???? Do the current tires rupture, blow out, tear, fly off of the rims, cause shimmy or unenven wear, car wanders all over the road, can't keep them balanced or won't ballance, uneven wear patterns or what????

Thank you for your replies, ? will try to address all the questions raised, forgive me if I miss some.

The problem I have with Lester Tyres is firstly that the car 'white lines' (i.e. just like a motorcycle, it gets caught on raised road markings and any irregularities on the roads surface, sometimes to a dangerous degree. In fact in one particular instance, the wheels got caught on a small lip that joined the roadway to the hard shoulder and the car was spun almost completely around. It's almost deadly to drive on freshly wet roads if there is any chance of greasy or oily residue on the surface. And yes, to brakes are pulling evenly all around.

The second problem is quality of the tyres themselves. Apart from the 6 that were on the car when I got it, I am on my second replacement set in 5 years and around 16,000 miles in that time. Currently, there are 2 tyres on the car where the black rubber section is separating from the white sidewall. (Where the tyres specs are stamped). Other tyres have developed bulges where the ply appears to have separated in the tyre wall. While it could be said these are the result of potholes or kerb damage, I can assure you it is not. They just appeared shortly after fitting them. I don't have the same problems with the Bedford tyres fitted to my Buick or Dodge. Returning the tyres to the supplier for warranty or inspection is not feasible as the cost of re-exporting them would be prohibitive.

So that's my honest opinion and experience of Lester Tyres, I wish it was not the case but it's the truth.

PS. In reply to a posted question, I am looking for 4 700x17 full white walls.

PPS, KTS, email me nearer the time of your visit, we will try to arrange something.

Regards,

Pat.

Now THAT is a terrible tire experience. When I had a complaint with a collector tire I bought from Kelsey's Tire, they offered to reimburse me for the expenses to dismount one and ship it back to them for examination, and ultimately made good on the entire set. Lester should do no less! Shame on them if they don't!!

Hi,

Attached are some images showing tyre crown seperation from the carcass and a white line that appeared on the edge of another tyre not long after it was fitted.

The tyres are always properly inflated and as the car is used weekly, the seperation is not due to flat spots while sitting.

Its just too expensive to return the tyres!

Regards,

Pat.

Attach file:

---

  (73.30 KB)


  (48.29 KB)


  (61.25 KB)