Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

Most agree Diamond Back tires are best. 3" whitewall correct size for year, what I need advice on is the Tread Width. Sizes range from 3.7 to 6, with what reason is this? On the 54 conv the tire size is 235/75-15 is 6 tread width correct? on one tire quote height of tire as 29, section width 9, rim width
5 1/2 to 8 is this tire ok for 54 conv? Diamond Back 11 firestone $199 each

Secondly, The wheel cover in this picture is just amazing. Real Salty. Can you get very good used ones like this, or best buy new, and who has best selection?

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Will let the tire experts go there but just remember if going radial, get something as close as possible diameter wise to what was on your car -- otherwise you will need to find a proper speedo drive gear for anything really different.

Hard to tell if a gap but if that is the wire wheel cover which it kind of looks like around the wheel weight, then rare and fairly expensive to find today--although some have been fortunate on ebay.

If that is a real wire wheel and the small wire hubcap that accompanies it, you can buy a set of repro wire wheels and hubcaps from Kanter. If you already have wires, repro hubcaps only can be found from Kanter and other vendors...although I don't know if true, but have heard there might be a slight size mismatch trying to put original caps on new wires and vice versa.

Unless you already have a set of wires in excellent shape, IMHO it would be less expensive to go repro than to try and find an original set then pay the cost of repairing, straightening, replacing spokes, rechroming and whatever else is needed to assure the old wheels are roadworthy.

I'm a little too lazy to count spokes, but that looks to me like one of the "generic" wire wheels offered for Packard but that are not a duplicate of the originals.

If I recall correctly the very first Kanter repro chrome wire spoke wheels did not accept the OEM hub cap but were supplied with their own which were slightly different in diameter. Their subsequent production of these wheels are (I'm told) an exact replica to the point that they accept the original hub caps.

According to Coker's site, whitewall width of around 2 1/2" was correct for 54. 3" probably wouldn't look out of place though.

Coker has this
Wheel size 15x6 price $360 each
Will this size fit 54 car tire size 235/75-15 ?
56 Spokes
Available in 5x5 bolt pattern only
Center laced design
Made in the USA
3 year structural warranty
Tubless
shown with optional accessories (Would that be the cap in center of wheel)? selling I think at $50 each

also available in sizes 16x6, 17x4 1/2 , 17x7

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Here in the UK, the tire places here in Cambridge are asking customers weather they would like there tires inflated with Nitrogen. They say it improves comfort, improves safety, increased fuel savings, improves life of tire. The rubber tire is like a membrane, which oxygen permeates three times faster than Nitrogen. The result being that oxygen slowly leaks out through the rubber Walls and under-inflation leads to higher tire wear. Do you have Nitrogen filled tires In America? And is it true what these tire fitters say ?

Nitrogen, is a standard thing here in the Detroit area and there are benefits. The Air Force has used nitrogen in their aircraft tires for as long as I can remember. I just bought a new Ford Edge and my dealer only uses nitrogen. They put green caps on the valve stems so everyone knows what to fill the tire with.

ok. So what do i do if i walk out to the car, at nite, on a wednesday nite before a 4 day holiday and find that i have a low tire that needs infalting?????

What do i do???? just plug in my handy dandy nitrogen compressor and fill the tire????? What does a handy dandy nitrogen compressor or reserve tank cost????? Or maybe just call the Air Force????? Have to call a qualified, sanctified, christened and confirmed auto club proffessional to come out and fill my tire???? I mean what the F!!!

The tire functions the same at a given pressure. It has no idea what gas is in it. The benefit of nitrogen is less tendency to lose pressure through diffusion. So if the tire is low, pump it up as usual.

The biggie for using nitrogen is that it's dry -no water vapor. In very cold weather the water vapor may condense and your tire pressure will drop til the tires warm up. To me it's more of a sales gimmick than anything else.