12 year old Coker tires, still ok?

[V8COOPMAN]

Originally Posted by big job

not being wise, but most are driving these as toys. Try day in and day a class 8 new tires half worn tires and we had all rear tires 8) 11-24.5s one blew off ripped my mirror off the door so there ya go, may have had 200 miles on it at 65 mph lucky didn't hit any one. so you guys buy new tires every year with no miles? I don't get it, Like Michilens get cracks in one year. dealer says thats normal. Oh well. Oh do you all buy a toaster every two months or a vacuum cleaner that I bought 1 Month done...

Me too.....I don't have the first clue as to what he's TRYING to say here! DD

[Cecil/WV]

My Coker radials are 11 yrs old and haven't blown out yet, but I have bounced across the US 2 times with them. 48 states and Cal. twice from WV in my '50 Ford. Can't be balanced. Never again! I did what Coker said to do to try to balance, also!

[30-9]

Your life, passengers or your car worth less than $500-$600 bucks? Run them.

[Tom's36coupe]

Thanks to all for the tips and suggestions, new tires are going on when the weather warms up here in Michigan. The car is very important to me, my father and I went to a Kruse auction in 1976, bought it then drove it home 355 miles from Cincinnati ! Our guardian Angel was with us the whole way for sure, we knew very little about the cars real condtion other than dad driving it around the parking lot. lol...He knew my mother was not happy about the car purchase and thought, lets name it after her, she will like that. Well Mom was a good sport about it and grew to love her namesake . Sally Ann has been a part of our family ever since and she would be upset with me if I was not being safe!

[Tom's36coupe]

Here she is at the auction

[30-9]

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Originally Posted by Tom's36coupe

Here she is at the auction

Love the story and the car. Wishing you all the best and you (in MHO) made the right decision.

[Mart]

If you ask are tyres safe people can only give one answer. Get new ones. Saying to use the old ones could leave one open to liability.

So really, it is up to you. You are responsible for your own safety. You should be able to weigh up whether the tyres are safe for your intended usage. You can factor in things like they will be closely monitored and inspected. They will always be maintained at the recommended pressure. Then car will be stored out of the sunlight. You state you will drive around town at moderate speeds.

Would I be happy to make decisions about whether MY tyres are safe to use in my intended usage? Yes.

Would I expect other people to recommend whether MY tyres are safe to drive on, I would say NO.

Would I recommend you to drive on your tyres? NO.

But it is the responsibility of the owner to maintain their vehicle in roadworthy condition, including the condition of the tyres, and make informed decisions they are happy with.

I like the story of getting the car, by the way. The devil on my shoulder is asking did your dad get 4 new tyres fitted before he drove home?

Mart.

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by Tom's36coupe

Here she is at the auction

[Tom's36coupe]

Mart, He was not very mechanical when it came to cars, he knew what style he liked and that was about it. The other cool thing about the car....His father had one just like it and he learned to drive in a Ford! Like I said , God and many angels were riding with us that day! Two years later the motor took a dump, cracked block and all. I then met my good friend Norm who knows a bunch about our beloved Flatheads, taught me so much and we have been great friends since 1978. Good news, the old motor had merc crank, Johnson adjustible lifters so when he found us another good clean block it got transferred over. Many years later when dad gave me the car I went to the dark side....Edlebrock heads, Motor City 3/4 race cam, Hexagon tool intake , headers, dual ehaust and 12volt conversion. Car has had two sets of tires since the motor rebuild, now it will have a third soon! Like said before the car is special, my mother would not have it any other way!

[petehoovie]

"Like said before the car is special, my mother would not have it any other way!"

[flatmotor40]

How are Diamond backs and it takes 4-5 weeks I read to get them.Which ones does anyone get

[Frank Miller]

I drove my 12 year old diamondbacacks cross country in 2017. The only problem I had was wear but that was close to 40,000 so I was not disappointed. They did not fail me though.

[flatmotor40]

I looked I bought my Cokers in 2008.But 1 of them I never could get it balanced had it done 4-5 times had a shake sometime and not other times.That is why I wonder about Diamondbacks.Thanks

[uncle buck]

Originally Posted by 47Monarch

Just wondering what is wrong with coker tires. I thought they were one of the better tires

I don't know about them being "one of the better tires", but they are definitely the best advertiser of classic car tires. Balancing them and out of round are the common complaints I here about.

[blucar]

I will never quite understand car builders/restorers, One of the first things they do when they start a restoration is go out and buy a nice set of tires/wheels. The tires and wheels are usually followed by a $3,000. sound system that sits in a box for ten years or more.
I always start out with a set of used tires in the size I intend to run on the vehicle, I mount the tires on used wheels that are also the size that I intend to use when the car is done. The sound system is usually the last thing to be installed.
As a general rule I discard better tires than what most people run on...

Your life and the life of the occupants, depends on the quality of the tires.

[joe 1950]

Great looking car and your wheels are perfect for black wall tires that always is the hardest thing to do is get the right wheel look and you nailed it just my opinion though once i had radials i’d never go back to bias ply

[Tom's36coupe]

joe 1950, Thanks, have seen several cars online with black wall tires and they sure look sharp. DB tires have , Auburn deluxe radial that look like bias ply and they are available in black wall style. Should look nice with the 550s up front and 700s in back. Will see how long to order and price. No great rush here though, 8 inches of blowing snow here in Michigan! lol

[Tony, NY]

I bought 4 DB Auburn Premium about a year ago. Took a couple weeks to get them. I was surprised the tires were "Made in Thailand".

[J Franklin]

Originally Posted by Tony, NY

I bought 4 DB Auburn Premium about a year ago. Took a couple weeks to get them. I was surprised the tires were "Made in Thailand".

A lot of Seafood in the stores are from Thailand too! or worse, china.

[39portlander]

Originally Posted by J Franklin

A lot of Seafood in the stores are from Thailand too! or worse, china.

Oh you poor souls on the left coast have to put up with 2nd rate seafood, we are very spoiled with our Maine Lobster and local fresh seafood here

Good subject as I need to replace the Sears All states on the T this spring