The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Modern Tires on Stock 54 wheels

I have looked and looked and get more confused the more I read. I have a stock 1954 Chevy 1/2 ton short bed. I need to swap out the 40+ year old dry rotted bias ply tires out for new radials. What is the best fit for this truck? I just want original as possible look.

Thanks
Matthew

I think I came up with 215-85-R16. Anyone try these?

There are good quality radial tires with tall sidewalls. Big O and Discount have them on hand. Others as well. Some difference with 16 inch wheels or 15 inch wheels but good rubber is out there. For tubeless applications, I seal the rivets that hold the center to the rim with epoxy( yep the glue) warm the rim, get it clean and spread some around and over the head of the rivets. Instant tubeless rims.Chewed up holes for the tube are more work. But with some attention to detail, even those can be fixed and work with modern fill stems. Get the tallest narrow tire you can(close to 31 inch diameter with a 16 inch wheel) and you will be close to freeway speeds. I use 235 75 r on 15 inch on 5.5 inch wide rims. Easy to get and work well.

Thanks for the pointer Steve_H. My neighbor owns a mobile tire business so, I will have him take the tires off and I will seal the rivets with epoxy. Any specific epoxy? I usually just drive the truck around the property at low speeds but I have it licensed and ready to go. Thanks again.

Matthew

The 215/85/16 would be the best fit for the stock wheels, which are right at the low end of the width requirements for that size. The 235/85/16 really needs at least a 6" wheel, and preferably a 7" to get proper sidewall support to avoid handling issues.

I have two 1954 3100 4.5 x 16 sets of original wheels with the 215-85-16 light truck radials.

One set is 12 year old (those wheels needed tubes). No problems in mostly highway driving.

The other set is only two years old and have not been driven. These wheels did not need tubes.

Both sets are black-walls. Both sets look like "natural" truck tires - narrow tall profiles.

All the epoxy does is seal the rivets. Just about any clear epoxy will work. Clean and warm the area. Mix and apply. The warming allows the epoxy to thin and flow. It also speeds the "set" time up. Paint if you would like(not a bad idea). 215-85 on those narrow wheels(4.5) sounds about right. My rims were a bit wider so I could use the 235 on them. And, yes at a full stop they are hard to turn. Truck tires at 65 PSI but as soon as the truck moves(and I do mean as soon as it moves) they turn with one hand on the wheel. So I am happy. The side walls are not pulled in at the rim. Nice tall and straight up. About as big and tall as will fit. 15 inch wheels so I was looking at a bit different combination. So far the combination works well. No leaks and no issues with rubbing or touching under the fenders. There might be an issue with OEM tie rod ends..but I have the smaller replacement type on my truck. Not a lot of room between the bed and the tire, but no rubbing on that spot either. The tire guy did say I might get some road noise from the more aggressive tread on all 4 wheels...I smiled and drove away. Road noise? That is what the radio is for.

Hi, I had 215-85-16 tires installed on stock rims this spring. Not a lot of wear yet but so far so good.

The recommended pressure is 85 psi but the tire guy put in 50 lbs instead for a better ride I suppose. These tires are 10 ply and will likely outlast the truck.

My radial tires are inflated between 40-45 psi. Resulting in a nice balance between smooth/easy steering and good/straight tracking (no wandering) at highway speeds.

Hi everyone,
I'm at the point of buying tires and really struggling with this topic. I have 2 16x4.5 and 2 16x5 rims for my 54 3100, and can't seem to figure out the best tires size. Every site I look at says these rims are too narrow for the 215 tires, instead saying I should have either a 165 or a 185. Is there a trick to making the wider (215) tires fit on these narrow rims?

The 215 tires will work fine with those 4.5/5.0 wheels, with/without tubes (tubes are needed depending on how good/clean your wheels are).

There is no trick - the tires simply will be taller diameter.

I have had that size truck radial on 16x4.5 wheels for over 13 years.