The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk 1952 Carryall "Carrie" - 16 inch riveted rims and Tires?

So, the tires on this old rig date from the 1960s and need to be replaced.... i am told that they are 4" rims, and riveted...so don't know which tires to choose - because i want to keep this vehicle as original as possible, yet quite serviceable, i am wondering which tires would be best.

So some guidelines: I think i want radials, not bias ply. I want to be able to drive this vehicle at 60 mph on local freeways.

Any comments? I bow to your collective expertise!

If you have original 1952 16" wheels, they would 16" x 4.5" rims
http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/chevyresto/52154.html

I use LT 215/85 R16 tires (blackwall) - about $150 ($100-$200, depending on brand)

On one truck (54 Suburban) the wheels/tires use/need radial inner tubes.
On better wheels on another truck, they are tubeless.

Will you be using the original 4.11 rear end gears?
With these tires at 60mph your engine would be at around 2,700 RPM

Have you checked your brakes and front-end and suspension parts?

Cooker Tires may have a viable option for you.
They make a radial that looks just like a bias ply too.

https://www.cokertire.com/tires/brands/coker-classic-tires.html

Post some pictures?

I don't know if he's referring to Coker or Cooper. Coker is a specialty tire manufacturer for antique vehicles. They are way overpriced in my opinion. I have not heard any reports on how they hold up at highway speeds.

I am running 215/85 R16LT B F Goodrich T/A Commercials on my '54 Suburban and have put over 20,000 miles at speeds sometimes over 75. They are holding up nicely.

The Coker radial is much more expensive that many black radial LT 215/85 R16 tires.

The profile of the Coker radial is narrower at the tread surface and wider in the body (and smaller rolling diameter) than the LT tires I have (Cooper & Goodyear sets on two trucks).

I only have 10,000 miles on my oldest LT radials, and they are about 12 years old.