Tires, a quick mounting question

[hangarb7]

Greetings, I've owned my model A for almost 9 years, and the last time I mounted two tires, I found out later that there is a mark on the tires that relates to position on the rim, or at least that is what someone told me after the fact.

So I am mounting two new Firestone tires today and the only mark I can find is a tiny piece of white tape on the edge of the rim of the rubber.

There are no paint spots that I can see to denote anything. So if this tape is a marking (and it clearly is put on both tires for some purpose) does this line up WITH the tube stem or opposite the tube stem adjacent to it? or 180 degrees to the stem?

Thanks,

JackD

[C26Pinelake]

Line it up with the valve stem. Wayne

[C26Pinelake]

you might also look up the thread concerning mounting the tire useing a garbage bag and baby or talcum powder. It will make the job a breeze, Wayne

[J Franklin]

I doubt the tape has much significance but you could ask the supplier you got them from. I like to mount the tires so the valve stem and tire name are centered, hub cap too!

[goodoldvic]

If you think the tape is there on purpose, I would mount the valve stems aligned with the tape. Good luck

[C26Pinelake]

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Originally Posted by J Franklin

I doubt the tape has much significance but you could ask the supplier you got them from. I like to mount the tires so the valve stem and tire name are centered, hub cap too!

Rest assured the manufacturer does not go to the effort to mark that spot unless there was a reason or some significance. You decide, do you want pretty or better performance. Wayne

[SeaSlugs]

http://www.tirebusiness.com/article/...rkings-serve-a

i would align it - BUT remember - are your rims balanced or has more rust built up in other parts so now its all outa whack?

[modelAtony]

Originally Posted by hangarb7

Greetings, I've owned my model A for almost 9 years, and the last time I mounted two tires, I found out later that there is a mark on the tires that relates to position on the rim, or at least that is what someone told me after the fact.

So I am mounting two new Firestone tires today and the only mark I can find is a tiny piece of white tape on the edge of the rim of the rubber.

There are no paint spots that I can see to denote anything. So if this tape is a marking (and it clearly is put on both tires for some purpose) does this line up WITH the tube stem or opposite the tube stem adjacent to it? or 180 degrees to the stem?

Thanks,

JackD

Jack. The dot colors on tires are for quality control only. This was told to me by Kelsey tires and corky coker. Have never seen or seen anything about strip of white tape. Have fun modelAtony tony white Lafayette, LA

[C26Pinelake]

Originally Posted by modelAtony

Jack. The dot colors on tires are for quality control only. This was told to me by Kelsey tires and corky coker. Have never seen or seen anything about strip of white tape. Have fun modelAtony tony white Lafayette, LA

Coker should get their stories straight. They told me it was for the best balance on the tire and should align with the valve stein and that was this summer! Wayne

[Mitch//pa]

So does the tape or dot face In or out. ??

It doesn't matter just put em on and don't worry about indexing them to any markings...

Same goes with modern tires

[J Franklin]

Put the best side out!

[C26Pinelake]

Originally Posted by J Franklin

Put the best side out!

Easier still, put the white side out ! Wayne.

[fordcragar]

The only time I worry about something like that is when I fix a flat. Then you'll want to mark the tire and rim, so you can put it back on in the same place to hopefully save the balance; which might be off a little if you had to add a patch.

[brokenspoke]

I align the "S" in Firestone to the valve stem.....just my preference

[RonC]

Original Model A tires it did matter where the dot was placed for balancing. Im not familiar with Firestone remakes. I have been using Goodyear tires made exclusivly by Kelsey Tire that have "dots" on them. A call to Kelsey and I was told the dot is meaningless to balance and is a production shift indicator only.

[Dick Steinkamp]

Originally Posted by Mitch//pa

So does the tape or dot face In or out. ??

It doesn't matter just put em on and don't worry about indexing them to any markings...

Same goes with modern tires

I agree that for tires on our A's, it really doesn't matter. Not so on modern cars...

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...jsp?techid=17&

"Original Equipment (OE) tire suppliers are required to mark the tire's "high point" while OE wheel manufacturers mark the wheel's "low point." This helps the vehicle manufacturer match mount combinations that maximize new car ride quality while reducing the amount of balancing weight."

[Mitch//pa]

{{{QUOTE=Dick Steinkamp;]. I agree that for tires on our A's, it really doesn't matter. Not so on modern cars...

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...jsp?techid=17&

"Original Equipment (OE) tire suppliers are required to mark the tire's "high point" while OE wheel manufacturers mark the wheel's "low point." This helps the vehicle manufacturer match mount combinations that maximize new car ride quality while reducing the amount of balancing weight."[/QUOTE]}}}

Keep reading your article::::::


There was a time when the valve stem hole on standard wheels indicated the optimum place to which the tire should be match mounted. However, with the advent of styled, steel wheels and aluminum alloy wheels, the stem position evolved into an aesthetic issue rather than being a uniformity indicator. Add to this the probability of wheels retaining their original runout after thousands of miles of use and you can understand that simply mounting the tire so the colored dot is at the valve stem is no longer required practice.

We have found that the only way to accurately match mount replacement tires on used original or new aftermarket wheels is to use Hunter tire balancers which have the ability to measure wheel runout and tire force variations under load before the tire and wheel are installed on the vehicle. Using these machines, a colored dot might be positioned anywhere on the wheel relative to each wheel's runout measurement. In the end, the markers have little, if any, relevance when replacement tires are installed.

My hunter machines:::

[CT Jack]

Now I am looking at an authentic Henry Ford approach to the initial question posted. The assembly line producing Model "A's" was probably running somewhere around a car every 2-3 minutes (180seconds). If your job was a tire mounter this would be the amount of time you had to mount a tube, tire, and inflate it. I guarantee they didn't pay attention to orientation of the tire. Henry Ford was in business to make money.

[C26Pinelake]

Originally Posted by CT Jack

Now I am looking at an authentic Henry Ford approach to the initial question posted. The assembly line producing Model "A's" was probably running somewhere around a car every 2-3 minutes (180seconds). If your job was a tire mounter this would be the amount of time you had to mount a tube, tire, and inflate it. I guarantee they didn't pay attention to orientation of the tire. Henry Ford was in business to make money.

And I guarantee he did to save balance problems later on! He was not a man to create problems for himself. Think about it . Wayne

[Kevin in NJ]

I looked the color dots up on the internet.

Found they could all kinds o meanings.

So I did the best in the garage.

I mounted a spindle and front drum using light oil in the bearings.

Put the tire on and saw how fast it found the low point.
I moved the tire to a different point on the rim using the dot as a reference and tried again.
When I found the slowest spin to the bottom that is where I put the dot.

I also sighted along the tread to make sure it was round. I have goodyears and they were spot on. I have heard some lower price tires may not be so round.

Keep in mine balance is less critical on the A. With the real heavy axles they are more tolerant of imbalance conditions. I also put the more out of balance wheels on the rear of the car. If I have a problem I will put in the balance beads.