The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop '50 Chevy 3100 stock rims and tires

I need help. I am told that the old stock rims are 4" and as such I cannot find radial tires for them. I presently have 6.50x16 and want to add radials. My stock rims are painted to match the rest of the truck, so I would prefer to reuse them. Also, they are tubed tires and I wonder if that will present any concerns with a new raidal tubless tire.

I am not sure I fully understand your problem Jeff , I think it sounds like you have been talking to someone about your tyre needs , but they really didn't know either .
Yes you can fit radials to your original rims and use tubes with them . It is best if you fit radial tubes ,, but the originals will work ok for a long time .
Check out another tyre supplier.
I have the 15" rims on my '40 , which are 5 1/2 " wide , and I have 700R15 light truck radials fitted ,these perform well.
The tyres I have are Dunlop Steelmaster , these come in a range of sizes . There are other makes , like Hankook who also do the light truck range .
Check the link to my truck pic to see how tall they are .

I have some friends who take their 'off roading' seriously , you should see the weird and oversize tyres they fit onto skinny rims , they work really well , stay on and don't overload the rims . eg , 33 x 12 x 15 on a 7" rim . It does work .

So what I'm saying is ,, if you find a 700R16 tyre , it ought to work ok on your 4"rim , but fit it up and have a look see ,, then see what you think . Test drive it around the block if your tyre shop is friendly .

Dusty is right about finding another tire retailer. I have my best luck staying away from the national chains and go to one where they do a lot of sales for big trucks along with cars and pickups. As for 7.00R16's, I haven't heard of any. 7.50R16's are available, though.

The store I went to is a local shop that specializes in racing tires. The other concern seems to be the turning of the tires in the wheel pocket. They seem to think that the tires might contact the fenders while turning tight. I do a lot of off roading with a Jeep, and I know my backspacing comes into play some what, but the adjustments on my Jeep have eliminated the problem. I think you guys might be right, I will keep looking for other tire shops and see what they will do. Thanks. I will post pictures at a later date.

Guys, I run Bridgestone Dueler A/T's on my stock 16 inch wheels. With NO tubes. They ride great, dont rub and look quite 'truckish'.
They are 215/70/16