The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Stock 1957 Chevy 3100 tire question

Probably handled already, just couldn't find it.
My truck will just be driven occasionally. For fun. No real intent to use it as a real truck. Groceries and six-packs don't weigh too much. Everything is stock. No wheel or suspension modifications. On it currently are 15 year old 205/75-15s. My current plan is to put a similar size back on it. I do not believe I need an actual light truck tire. Correct? Just something that does well on the road and is fairly quiet. I am aware of the original tire sizes and stated air pressures. Front vs back. Is that an issue if I am not going to haul anything? Just keep all 4 tires inflated the same? And, that being said, and I know this may depend on the actual new tire, but is there a suggested/recommended tire pressure. Guidance is appreciated.

What is the width of your 15" rims? I assume you have manual steering. I would look for a larger outside diameter closer to the original size. It allows you to drive faster at lower rpm and it's easier to steer. Look at tires 700R15 or 820R15 from Diamondback tires. www.dbtires.com. They're sized like bias ply but are radials in the correct original size for the truck. They'll be about 2" larger in diameter than the ones you have now.

Modern radials are generally inflated to about 35psi. I keep 35 psi in all of my vehicles except the Packard. It gets 39psi.

A good way to check if your tires are over-inflated or under-inflated is to drive through dry dust or dry dirt on a concrete drive and look at the treads.

The dust stuck to the tread should extend evenly across the tire. If the edges don't have dirt/dust stuck to them, the tires are over-inflated. If the center of the tire isn't evenly coated with dust, the tires are under-inflated.

Excellent!
Thanks Otto!

You can get light truck tires in 700R15 size from "regular" manufacturers, too. Yokohama used to have 700R15 tires at a relatively affordable price.

I have Kumho Solus tires 205/75R15 on my truck; same size as what you have now.

Max load is 1609# at 36 psi. 36 psi is too rough for me so I inflate to 30 psi.

Didn't notice any flat spots with the Kumhos after being parked for 3 months. My Lexus had terrible flat spots after being parked for only 1 month; OK after 10 to 15 miles.

I have had my 54 parked in my back garage on new tires for a little more than a month, I am glad you mentioned the flat spots. I must drive it soon.

I cannot say enough good things about Diamond Back tires that I bought for my '50 3600 this year- they look the part and they drive like a modern radial. They are also super quiet. I have the black wall Auburn "Deluxe" radials (has a truck type tread on them).

710/15R in front and 820/15R in back. When I tossed the 215/75R15's that I had on the truck, it became considerably easier to park with the 710's on the front.

I had to throw away 4 tires with fewer than 300 miles on them due to flat spots. The front of these truck are HEAVY. If you're not driving them weekly, I highly recommend getting it up on jack stands. I have never tried the curved/contoured parking blocks that you can place under the tires- but some people swear by them.