Hey guys I want to run the stock 16" wheels and need to know what is the modern equivalent of a 6.50 x 16 tire? I want to run a radial whitewall with hubcaps, but I'd like them to be a bit wider than the stock tires were. I'm not going to be "performance driving" my suburban, but it will have a modern LS & 4L60E driveline under it. For braking safety, I'd like to have a wider contact patch for emergencies where I might need to slam on the new power brakes (discs and drums).
I'd love to run a 205 or 215 75R16 if it will fit. I want a soft ride, but not a lot of body roll. Passenger tires typically allow for more body roll than a truck tire. Does such an animal exist that will fit a stock 16" wheel? I think a factory 16" is only 4.5" wide.
Advance Design Newbie. 1951 Chevrolet Suburban Carryall
Personal taste gets it the way of recommending a tire.
The best thing to do is, do your own research. Determine what rim you have. Select which tire that will safely fit. Search the Internet for a picture of the tire & rim combination and see if it is to your liking.
Consider that your rims were designed in an era when radial tires did not exist. About 1969 started radials in the USA then 1982 cars and some trucks were standardized with radials. Also modern rims do not have the clips needed to hold original hubcaps.
Last edited by buoymaker; 12/12/202112:59 AM.
"Adding CFM to a truck will only help at engine speeds you don't want to use." "I found there was nothing to gain beyond 400 CFM."
The first thing to do is figure out how wide your rims are. Depending on the year, they were available in 4", 4.5", and 5" wide.
That will be your biggest limiting factor in what can be safely installed. Once you know that, you can look to see what tires you like are available in tthat size.
Personal taste gets it the way of recommending a tire.
The best thing to do is, do your own research. Determine what rim you have. Select which tire that will safely fit. Search the Internet for a picture of the tire & rim combination and see if it is to your liking.
Consider that your rims were designed in an era when radial tires did not exist. About 1969 started radials in the USA then 1982 cars and some trucks were standardized with radials. Also modern rims do not have the clips needed to hold original hubcaps.
4.5" Width according to the data you provided! THANK YOU! This helps a lot!
Advance Design Newbie. 1951 Chevrolet Suburban Carryall
The first thing to do is figure out how wide your rims are. Depending on the year, they were available in 4", 4.5", and 5" wide.
That will be your biggest limiting factor in what can be safely installed. Once you know that, you can look to see what tires you like are available in tthat size.
Great point. I didn't know the wheel widths changed over the years. I'm definitely looking for a set of 5 inch wide 16" diameter wheels. I gotta run my shiny new hubcaps!
Advance Design Newbie. 1951 Chevrolet Suburban Carryall
Comparative measurements for every size tire ever invented at www.tiresize.com
Can't seem to make it work with 6.50-16 tires and doesn't come up with the old sizes either.
Kevin 1951 Chevy 3100 work truck Follow this saga in Project Journal Photos 1929 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. | 1929 Ford Special Coupe (First car) Busting rust since the mid-60's If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together.
I used 15x8 Blazer ralley wheels. No clearance probs. No rubbing on the tie rods. Im using 15" Artillery Wheels now. Ralley wheels are available now if someone needs them.
Some sort of off-brand 215/85r16on original 16 inch wheels. No major complaints so far. There’s a little more design and texture on the sidewall than I like᠁but I was going for cheap. I think I ordered online shipped to Walmart.
Now that I see a pic of the 215/75r16 from Evan᠁I think that looks better. Not quite so tall.
Firestone M+S 215/70 R16 No unnecessary designs or junk on the sidewalls. They look like they could be from days gone by.
$94 each on Amazon
Last edited by Otto Skorzeny; 05/29/202212:09 AM.
1950 Chevrolet 3100 (Ol' Roy) 1939 Packard Standard Eight Coupe (The Phantom) | 1956 Cadillac Coupe de Ville (The Bismarck) | 1956 Cadillac Sixty Special Fleetwood (The Godfather) | 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado (The Purple Knif) | 1966 Ford Mustang (Little Red) | 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 coupe | 1979 Ford F-100 | 1976 Ford F-150 (Big Red) | 1995 Ford F-150 (Newt)
Anyone know of any 8-19.5 tires that look kind of old school? I just got commercial style ones but they're going to ride like a stone wheel. Probably last forever though.
Otto, if you did not know if your order from Amazon they will ship to a local tire shop and it includes the mounting cost. Where I live they ship to a Tire Barn. I have not lucked in a while it was cheaper that.
Ron, The Computer Greek I love therefore I am. 1954 3100 Chevy truck In the Gallery 2017 Buick Encore See more pix 1960 MGA Roadster Sold 7/18/2017
