Opinions on Tires

[Paul from Maine]

Originally Posted by mshmodela

What is your opinion on tires for a Model A in terms of safety? Ones to avoid, etc.

Thank you,

Mike
Cleveland, Ohio

My 21" Universals wore out and I was going to New Hampshire for a week last summer and needed tires in a hurry for my '29 Town Sedan. I had two 19" rims and two brand new Lester's in the loft that went on the front. 15 inch Jeep rims will fit the rear hubs perfectly and safely (not so the front), so I went to Walmart and had two 235/70-15 Wranglers mounted and balanced for about $160 on my old Jeep rims and then put them on the rear temporarily until I could afford 4 new 21" tires. Surprisingly, the combination didn't look too bad. Well, the ride and handling improved so much with the two rear Wranglers, that I ordered new cast iron drums for the front, quarter inch wheel spacers and longer hub bolts so I can put Wranglers on the front! I'm young (53) and strong so if it steers harder all the better! Plus the speedometer error now makes me feel like I am traveling much faster than I really am! Everything else on the car is stock (except my oil filter and sealed beam headlights), so I don't feel too bad. Probably not for most of the folks on the barn, but just two radials on the rear improved the ride and handling so much, I will never go back to those skinny tires on the Town Sedan. If I ever get a light weight roadster, I'll put the skinny tires on that!