White wall tyres/tires

[kiwi nz]

Hi, I am looking to purchase some tires and it seems that some of the white walls that are for sale have been applied to the tires after they have been manufactured.


Does anyone know if this is the case? and if so are are they any good?


I want them for a 1950 Ford Custom and am thinking 205/75/15 would be about right


Can anyone recommend where to start looking for a good tire? blackwall or whitewall.


Thanks Geoff

[deuce lover]

Diamondback Classics tires had applied WW on their tires.That was the case when I bought some a few yrs ago. They were excellent but pricey. Later on I bought some BFG radial WW from Speedway .They were not applied WW.They were great and the most reasonable. I think shipping to you will be very expensive unless you have a low cost group shipper.Here they are on my former '36 that went to Japan.

[kiwi nz]

Hi deuce lover, thanks, my car is in San Diego waiting to be shipped, it has older bias plys on it at the moment and I can get the tyres shipped inside the car.

I will check out the BFG from Speedway, they are a brand that I run, and trust, on my cars in NZ.

I can get whitewalls applied here, I was just a bit doubful as to how long they stayed looking ok.

Going back quite a few years when I was rebuilding and selling cars i had whitewalls applied to everything that I sold, i never got to see how durable they were.


I am going use this car a lot so any tires will need to handle and last and not just look good.


Thanks

Geoff

[51woodie]

I got my wide white Firestone 6:00-16 bias ply from Universal Tire several years ago and so far, no issues.
https://www.universaltire.com/

[Wmurphy@whmcontractin]

Try Coker tires, their bias ply looking radials will change your ride drastically

[woodiewagon46]

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I have B. F. Goodrich wide whites on my '46 Station wagon and I couldn't be happier with both the ride and wear. From what I read, Diamondback tires are also very good. Stay away from Coker nothing but junk and lousy customer service.

[tubman]

Originally Posted by woodiewagon46

I have B. F. Goodrich wide whites on my '46 Station wagon and I couldn't be happier with both the ride and wear. From what I read, Diamondback tires are also very good. Stay away from Coker nothing but junk and lousy customer service.

"Different Strokes for different folks". I have had a set of "Coker Classics" on my '51 for 12 years with absolutely no problems. The fronts (195r75-15) did not need any weights at all, and the rears (225r75-15) took only minimal weights. I can tell you two things : I like "Big and Littles" and that 225r75-15's are an extremely tight fit on the rear of a '51 Ford and require some trimming of the fender wells.

I will say that since I had no reason to avail myself of their customer service, I will acquiesce to Mr. wagon's opinion.

[Pat/Ohio]

I have had excellent results with Firestones bias ply and Coker American Classic radials over the past 20 years. All purchased from Coker. I haven't purchased any lately from them.

Pat

[KiWinUS]

Wouldn’t you want to mount the new tires on your car before shipping so you don’t pay duty on them. Or disposal fee on old tires in NZ

[ronn]

if the new tires are in the trunk, would it matter regarding duty?

[Bertha]

Originally Posted by Pat/Ohio

I have had excellent results with Firestones bias ply and Coker American Classic radials over the past 20 years. All purchased from Coker. I haven't purchased any lately from them.

Pat

The same here...Bias WW from Coker

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by Bertha

The same here...Bias WW from Coker

[Bertha]

Originally Posted by petehoovie

????

"If life is just a highway…
then my soul is just a car"
Meatloaf

[blucar]

Kiwi nz.. In your original posting you stated that you were considering 205/75/15, which is actually P205/75R15 that is a radial tire in lieu of being a bias ply tire.
I owned a '57 T-bird for 45 years, and a '56 T-Bird for over 35 years I always used radial tires on the cars, generally Bridgestone/Firestone. I sold the '57 in 2019, it went to Australia. The '56 Bird currently has Dunlop P Metric black walls.
Actually I use radials on all of my everyday and vintage vehicles with the exception of my '36 Ford coupe that has Coke Classic 600-R 16 WW..
Your '50 Ford will work very well with modern radial tires, P20575R15, inflate them to 33'34 pounds of air front an rear.

[SoCalCoupe]

Originally Posted by kiwi nz

Can anyone recommend where to start looking for a good tire? blackwall or whitewall.


Thanks Geoff

Geoff,


Just bought a set of Diamondback Auburn radials for my '41 Coupe. They're awesome, very high quality tire, have pie-crust sidewalls and look like bias-ply. Smooth as silk on railroad tracks. Got the blackwalls, not the whitewalls so can't speak to that.


I'm not aware of a better tire, if I was, I'd have bought it.


Highly recommended.

[kiwi nz]

Hi, thanks everyone for the suggestions, it is a great help to have some recommendations. The tyres on it are good and I will keep them on the wheels for shows and display purposes.
I want to give this car a lot of use so value performance and longevity over looks, black walls will be fine if necessary. I have looked at the Cokers but they are probably a bit costly (especially in NZ dollars) for the use that I intend to give them.
I am interest in the P metric Dunlops and what the significance of the metric P designation is.
I have found Hancook for sale in NZ from an on line supplier, I don't know how good they are or if the supplier is reliable. Other than that all the tyres that I have found seem to be intended for heavy duty or commercial type of use.
I was hoping to get the right tyres and save a bit of money getting them shipped in the car from the USA.

Cheers
Geoff

[blucar]

Hancook makes a very good tire, I have used them for many years on several everyday vehicles.
For everyday use I lien towards black wall tires. The majority of my vintage vehicles have black wall tires, I won't mention the make/model of the vehicles because the are not Fords.

[kiwi nz]

Thanks blucar, I have had a look at what is available and this is what I found:


205/75R15 Hankook Kinergy St H735 97T Whitewall Tyre

Any opinions on these tyres would be appreciated.

Lots of tyres in this size are listed as trailer tyres, the other brand that is listed (for SUV's) is Royal Black.

[kiwi nz]

Just bringing this to the top again, hoping someone knows these Hancook tyres and can comment on them for. me.
Thanks

[47Monarch]

I bought cooker radial www for my 47. They wear well but the white wall at the outer edge where it meets the black rubber looks like crap h

[Brian]

Hi Geoff, A few years back I ran 205-16 Hankooks on the back of the 35. The tyre dealer assured me they were very long lasting, and he was true to his word! They lasted many many thousands of miles, in my opinion, they are an excellent brand! you should be able to easily source them here in NZ. Ring a coupla tyre outfits and get them to quote...could possibly be cheaper than importing them from the USA in the trunk.

[kiwi nz]

Thanks Brian, yes they are available here, that description was a cut and paste from a listing for them at NZ$216 each.
I am not sure about this particular tyre, whether it is a nice quiet car tyre or a noisy SUV tyre.

I have purchased a nice 1950, all original including the paint.
In my research I have come across accounts of people claiming to have restored the driveability of their cars by going back to cross/bias ply tyres.
Getting a set of Cokers is more than I want to spend.

I am getting the 1950 shipped with the parts to repair my 1954 included in the boot/trunk.

If anyone has run these particular tyres, feedback would be much appreciated.

Geoff Kiwi