The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Switching from bias ply to bias looking radial

I’ve read the promo and reviews on the Coker site and this swap sounds pretty good. I think instead of them being Coker classics, they are now Excelsior brand from Coker. Has anyone had experience yet with this brand and this swap? I recently ordered a set of the Excelsior 650R16 bias looking radial. (Wide white wall). I will be removing Firestone 650/16 wide white walls in like new condition. I have read that I may need to modify toe for radials.
Any thoughts are appreciated.

I would never recommend Coker tires. They have a terrible reputation in the old car community (if you're going to drive your car regularly).

I had a belt separate in a Coker Classic after less than 10,000 miles. I know personally of two other people who had similar problems and have read other bad stories about them on other forums.

Don't even get me started on Coker bias ply tires. Even Corky Coker told the president of the Peach State Cadillac Club that he wouldn't use them if the car was driven regularly. (they're for show)

If you insist on a wide whitewall, I would only recommend Diamondback tires. I've installed them on 2 Cadillacs . They are the best tires I've ever had on the car. They have a bias ply appearance but are modern radials.

www.dbtires.com

A guy on this forum purchased a set of DBs for his truck from Summit Racing for the same price as buying directly from Diamondback but got free shipping. Saved $100.

Since I don't want whitewalls on my truck, I have 16" Firestones on it that I bought on Amazon for $94 each. They handle perfectly and I didn't bother with a front end alignment. 10,000 miles later and they're wearing perfectly evenly.

I just noticed that you already bought the Cokers. (skim reading) I thought you were still considering them. Anyway, I hope you're happy with them.

I appreciate the feedback, I guess I should have inquired before purchasing. I am hoping the Excelsior version will be better than what you described. Yet to be determined how many show miles I will put on a year.

Here's the Diamond Backs on my '56. Boy what a difference it made over the Coker bias ply that they replaced. I replaced the Cokers because of their age. Handling and ride improved 100%. They are pricey but worth it.

Mickey -- Are you using tubes with these? Or are you able to go tubeless?

Man, that's a beautiful truck, Mickey.

What Otto said!

So a little follow up on my order. I had originally commented on a Coker Facebook post that I was disappointed That These tires were not gonna be available for a while. They responded back with a personal messages said they were actually available. So I called within an hour and ordered them. Checked a couple days later and I was given tracking numbers that were never used. After sending an email and left message with my salesman. He never responded. I commented back to the personal message and was contacted by a different salesman who said they never shipped because the 12 they had were defective. Another Truck was supposed to show today but a chat line message said they would not be available till August so I do not know what to believe.and I will check with them tomorrow if they actually did show up.So I do possibly have an out to not buy the Excelsior version.
The diamondback ad did say that there four groove wider rubber pattern was better than the six groove rubber pattern (saying there’s reduces effects of road variations). Unfortunately diamondback says there’s won’t be available again until mid August either. also, they raised their prices from what’s on their chart by $10 each to offset tariff cost.
Any further comments to my brand dilemma?

I have DiamondBack tires on my '48 Chevy 1/2 ton truck and have been very pleased with them. Good luck!

That is a very nice looking work truck! (Just playing, but I removed the leaves off the back tire.😁)

You will love the Diamondback Auburns. If you know what size you want, try contacting Summit Racing. They sell Diamondbacks for the same price but ship them free.

I have Diamondback tires on my 50. 700-16 wide whites. I cruise at 70 on the interstate all the time with no issues. Great tires would highly recommend them.

John the info I collected when I put the Diamondbacks on was you can go tubeless if you're sure the rims are air tight. I decided to not risk it and went with tubes. I've had no problem.
Keep an eye out at Auburn they often have a Free Shipping offer. It's how I got mine.

Gotta admit - I sure do like the look of some wide whites on these old trucks. However, the gap between what my cheapskate butt thinks tires are worth….and what radial wide whites sell for….

It’s a big gap.