The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk widest tyres that will fit a 49 3100

hi guys my truck is going to live in a new home.

from sunny california to smoggy streets of tokyo and now to the snowy mountains of northern japan

snow being the issue

the white walled firestones have zero grip!

i need to get some bigger more grippy tyres for the snow


can anyone advise what is the widest tyre size front and back i can fit on a stock 49 3100?

unfortunately i cant measure the truck as its already up there.

i need to keep the dia unchanged just wider, can live with offset change as needed

any advice appreciated

cheers
mike

Mike,

What size tire do you now have?
What size wheel do you have?

What is the installed/loaded diameter of your tire?

hi tim

its currently wearing 16" 5 lugs (63 corvette frnt wheels and 73 chevelle rear wheels)


but i can change wheels as well as tyres as ill keep these for summer months

so any size wheel that fits limitation of stock frame/steering is ok

diameter has also got some flexibility due to - https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthread...edometer_-_easy_way_to_.html#Post1200156


really looking to get more grip for safety or ill end up in a ditch on these icy mountain roads. i slipped the other day on a dark narrow tree lined lane and hit a big tree. i thought for sure i had caused a lot of damage based on the sound of the collison yet weirdly i couldnt find a scratch....when i went to refuel later i discovered that i couldnt open the fuel cap...it was actually the cap that hit the tree! it took a bit of effort to get it open- lucky

cheers
mike

mike,

That info should help someone make suggestions for your wheels.

For snow and ice you want the least flotation tires with the most weight possible, think ice skates, so skinny tires, weight in the back of the bed, five hundred pounds would be a start. Four wheel drive would be great. Use the truck momentum to your advantage.

Ed

Ed is right, tall and narrow, heavy lugged tires for the rear with some weight.
Floatation is for sand and loose soil.
You might even sneak some studs into the tires also.
1/2 inch long hex head sheet metal screw work good on ice.
3/8 if you don't have much tread.
Then take them back out when the weather breaks.

Just my opinion.
Don

Yep, for snow, you want pizza cutter tires. Wider tires act like toboggans.

If you can find some snow pattern tread tires that are drilled for studs, that's the way to go.

thanks guys that makes sense.

ill hunt around for some snow tyres

cheers

Kevin
The sheet metal screws don't need holes.
We used to use them on our dirt bikes when the lakes froze over.
They also just unscrew and back out if not wanted.
Regular studded tires will work better for road use though.

Don

I knew a guy who had a mini cooper (the old ones) that used sheet metal screws for ice racing tires. They were plugged into drilled holes with the points sticking out of the tread. Looked like porcupines there were so many.
I would think that the screwed in sheet metal screws would have more of a tendency to pop out, but they would probably be OK for temporary use. Studs get inserted with the head inside the hole, and even some of those come out of studded tires.

Ice racing on a frozen lake near Georgetown, CO, in Jeeps, etc., has been active for years, tires look like porcupines.

Ed

When I had my first 3100 back in the early 80's, I had a friend who had one, and he had 8" wheels and "wide 60's" on his rears, and with a small load of fire wood, he could go anywhere in that thing! (Here in southeast Missouri (the Ozark foothills where we lived at the time, get plenty of snow and ice). The '51 I had came with the generic steel, spoked wheels (painted white to match the front bumpers and grill, I suppose). I ended up putting the wider tires on mine, and they did great. I've always been under the impression that wider tires with 'mud and snow' tread did great. I've used them on my old '82 Blazer and '72 Jeep Commando 'Jeepster' all the way around (the '51 just had wide all terrain on the back), and they always did great. Of course, the full size Blazer and Jeep were both 4 wheel drive, but with weight and wide tires in the back, I always thought my 3100 did fantastic. Of course, with ice, nothing will help but studs of some sort. Unfortunately, I think studded tires are outlawed in Missouri now. Maybe some chains for the worst days?? Good luck with whatever you get!