This is probably not exactly related to this thread but I thought I would add my experience. I have a stock 49 half ton with 4" wide rims. When my Cooper 650-16 needed replacing I bought a set of 215-85R16 Uniroyals. When I got the truck to the tire dealer he did not want to install them on the narrow rims. His spec book needed a 6.5" rim width and he also said my rims did not have a safety bead.
This whole story is covered quite extensively in another post many months ago so I won't dwell on it here. Rather than trying to find a correct set of rims, ones which would also take my stock hub caps, I decided to buy Firestone 650-16 bias-ply tires. I have had them on now for over 6 months and I love them. Yes they sometimes track funny if you get in a rut but they are smooth running. Even when sitting for a few days they do not have that cold tire thump. I also like the way they look versus radials.
I do not drive freeways or often above 40 mph and I do about 2000 miles a year. Steering is lighter than radials (I had 15" radials on my 53 so I can compare). I am not saying they are better than radials, merely that I was very pleasantly surprised by everything with them and would not hesitate to use that type of tire on any old vehicle I owned.
