Re: Tires for 1955 400
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Home away from home
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My experience in getting decent whitewalls for my similar 56 hardtop has not been easy or particularly happy. Checking with club members and some personal experience shows that even the premium Diamondback tires, beautifully re-crafted from modern, name-brand tires for the more correct period sidewalls, has had some warranty issues. My personal experience with Coker also had some quality issues go unresolved and I won't be going back.
You get what you pay for has some truth in it. You might want to settle for Runway whitewalls, by Giti Tire, a Chinese manufacturer who claims to be one of the ten largest tire companies in the world. While I'd like to stick with a tire company closer to the USA, whitewalls make that hard to do these days at reasonable prices. Companies like D and C charge a premium price that you may not like. The Chinese and Korean (I have been satisfied with Kumhos on several other whitewall cars, but they don't make one for our Packards that I could find) seem to have the whitewall market increasingly to themselves. When I got one out of four of the current Runways that was out of round, they replaced it with modest hassle. The other issue that I have experienced with these Chinese tires is yellowing of the whitewall. Lots of effort is needed to keep them white. The world would be your oyster if only you did not want properly sized whitewalls. If money wasn't an issue, I'd give Diamondback another look. Supposedly, radials are significant improvements with T-L Packards, and I'd not consider bias ply tires in any car that wouldn't be judged.
Posted on: 2014/6/10 7:10
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Re: Tires for 1955 400
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Quote:
Supposedly, radials are significant improvements with T-L Packards The improvement is several orders of magnitude. Rides much better, tracks much better and seems generally safer.
Posted on: 2014/6/11 22:36
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When two men ride the same horse, one has to be in the back...
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Re: Tires for 1955 400
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Forum Ambassador
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The improvement is several orders of magnitude. Rides much better, tracks much better and seems generally safer.
My experience on my 56 is quite different; the difference is noticeable but quite modest as long as the front end is tight and properly aligned. Certainly not "orders of magnitude" difference; steering is harder at lower speeds, essentially no difference on good pavement but tracking on uneven pavement is definitely superior.
Posted on: 2014/6/11 22:46
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Re: Tires for 1955 400
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Home away from home
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looks like daily drivers will have to get black, then spray on the whitewall,
these are not wide but ,,price not bad,, simple tire is 65 dollars, didn't print
Posted on: 2014/6/11 23:13
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Riki
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Re: Tires for 1955 400
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Just chiming in to say my '55 400 rolls with Michelin radial tires. They were purchased at Discount Tires via special ordering. The Discount Tires company is a well respected tire retailer out here in the western USA. I have been extremely pleased with them except for slow speed turning movements given their larger footprint. I have put close to 8 thousand miles on my 400 since purchasing them. I look at such tires as a form life insurance and peace of mind.
Posted on: 2014/6/12 11:09
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Re: Tires for 1955 400
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Home away from home
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I purchased 4 wide whites from coker for the 750-15s on the clipper custom. I was not assured of the "applied" white wall on the dback description. I am very satisfied with them. Go with radials. Spend the time to examine,clean and prep the rims. I would like to hear the problems others had with the cokers. The only issue I has was they were supposed to be made in USA. I did not order the least expensive. These were the mid level and were quite a few dollars but they look and ride beautifully at low and hwy speeds. I was going to call coker and bring up the made in mexico issue but never did.I can take a pic on the sticker if u want as i still have 1 on the wall of the garage
Posted on: 2014/6/12 12:08
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Re: Tires for 1955 400
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Home away from home
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Quote:
My experience on my 56 is quite different; the difference is noticeable but quite modest as long as the front end is tight and properly aligned. Certainly not "orders of magnitude" difference; steering is harder at lower speeds, essentially no difference on good pavement but tracking on uneven pavement is definitely superior. Apparently we have a different standard of roadmaking. Lots of dubiously patched pavement and potholes of every size and dimension here. Made a huge difference to me coming off old sieberling belteds. Now have cokers which concerned me for a while but they have behaved well for the last 12,000 miles. A well cared for suspension/steering system is mandatory IMHO.
Posted on: 2014/6/12 23:33
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When two men ride the same horse, one has to be in the back...
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Re: Tires for 1955 400
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Home away from home
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I agree. The roads here in NY are a hodge podge of patched holes,if patched at all so, yes the ride and safety is orders of magnitude better. As far as reasonably priced, here in this area 200 a tire is commonplace and tires are not the area to be penny pinching.
Posted on: 2014/6/13 13:16
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