Radial tires for early Ford
 

I have stock 600X16 tires on my 46 Ford wagon. Would like to change to a ww radial tire but dont see anything offered in 16in. Do I have to change to 15in rims/tires?? I expect to go a little wider but dont want anything radical,this is a complete stock auto,just want a more comfortable ride, Any suggestions would be helpful,thank you

Re: Radial tires for early Ford
 

Diamond Back Tires (888-992-1642) sold me 600R16 www radials for my 38 Ford. I run a pressure of 40lbs. No tubes

Re: Radial tires for early Ford
 

I put Coker 16" "looks like bias ply but really radials" on my '39 Merc,...love 'em!.

Re: Radial tires for early Ford
 

Thanks! I tried Diamond Back several times today,no answer. Will look into coker tomorrow. Any other advice welcome though

Re: Radial tires for early Ford
 

I have Diamond Backs on my '36, they are great. Worth the wait. Keep after them.

Re: Radial tires for early Ford
 

I have Diamond Backs on my '37.....F F

Re: Radial tires for early Ford
 

I have Coker Classic 600Rx16 3" WW tubeless tires on my '36, they look like bias ply, great tires, usually run 35# in them. I have radial tubes in the '36 wheel, a concern about the age of the wheels, I had them checked for true-ness and had them powder-coated satin black.
I have ran radial tires on all of my cars/trucks for over twenty-five years, currently have radial on my '37 GMC, '36 Ford, '39 Plym, '56 T-Bird, '53 Olds 88 and '59 F100 4x, not to mention my every day vehicles.

Re: Radial tires for early Ford
 

Stay with DiamondBack. You sure you have the right number? 888 922 1642

Re: Radial tires for early Ford
 

Pic at left shows 600-16 DiamondBack Auburn (radial with bias look & pie-crust side wall).

Re: Radial tires for early Ford
 

Don't get anything les then Diamondbacks. I and two friends have tried Cokers and we will NEVER waste money on them again. We gave the brand new set that came on the 41 away because I wouldn't take money for a tire that drove that bad. They are called square tires for a reason. I run Diamondbacks on my 41 ford pickup and my 46 Cadillac. They look good ride nice and drive sooo smooth.

Re: Radial tires for early Ford
 

Diamond Back has a web site and the ph # I have is 888-922-1642. You can google it.

Re: Radial tires for early Ford
 

not only smooth but they don't wonder if you live in a state with cruddy roads like mine with truck routes that make sunken pavement. I run coker wide whites on my 34, they have been great. Ken

Re: Radial tires for early Ford
 

Thanks guys,been dialing wrong number!! Called today,looks like Ill be buying a set in week or so. I forgot to ask them if tires have Firestone, Goodyear ,etc... brands or if theyre actually Diamondback brand. Also,my front end is aligned but still wanders a bit on highway,will the radials correct this.
Thanks!!

Re: Radial tires for early Ford
 

You should visit their web site and learn more about DB. The vintage tires they sell are their own Auburn series; Deluxe bias looking, and Premium early style radials. All of their tires are tubeless radials, and their white walls are the best available.

Re: Radial tires for early Ford
 

Thanks again,will go to website!

Re: Radial tires for early Ford
 

Great thread!


Didn't know about diamondback and the availability of tubeless radials in the original size.


Seems like the advantages of tubeless significantly out-weigh the disadvantages.


Question though, how difficult is it to get a good seal with tubeless tires using 80 year old original wheels?

Re: Radial tires for early Ford
 

Yes, switching to radials will help the wandering. As long as things are in good shape, steering/suspension …… it’ll seem like a new car….. my ‘50 did, with the old junk radials I used just to try it. I then put on new ones….. Mark

Re: Radial tires for early Ford
 

You may need a bank loan.

Re: Radial tires for early Ford
 

I was worried about that too. How clean are my original wheel rims? The DiamondBack's sales guy said that can be a problem, suggested using their "radial tubes". Only $10 per tube at that time, so that's what I did. No regrets; five years without a flat.

But I have read many posts from others saying tubeless worked just fine on their vintage wheels.

Oh yeah, these tires are expensive! Then you have to pay for local mounting & balancing.

Re: Radial tires for early Ford
 

My installer used a rotary wire brush to clean the rim, applied sealant and installed the tires after wedging the beads apart overnight to facilitate installation. He balanced them using a wide 5 adapter. No tubes. I will know how well the tires hold air when I see them in late April.