The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Tires for my 1953 3100

Hey Guys I need some advice on tires for my 1953 3100. I currently have Corker Classic (6 50R 16) with toilet seat WW on it now. It looks good and the tires are in great shape, but I have read a few threads here that say running tires with tubes is not recommended for highway speeds.
I have not gone on the highway with the truck yet as I am still in the break in period with the engine, but I plan to make longer drives that will mean driving on the highway. These tires have tubes as it is clearly marked on the tire and the info on Corker Classic web site calls for tubes in these tires.
Any suggestions for tires that will look good and give me a decent ride? I see a number of people saying If you're going with 16" wheels, a LT215/85R-16 looks a lot like the stock tires but makes it handle so much better.


Thanks
Deegs53

The best wide whitewall tires I have ever had on any car (I've had crappy Cokers, too) are Diamondback Auburn Deluxe.

They are radials that look like bias ply tires. These were the old sidewall design. The current ones look more like the pie crust bias plies.

They are the best handling tires I've ever had on this car.

Here's a link to the 750x16 Auburn Deluxe

https://dbtires.com/product/auburn-deluxe-radial-15-16-sizes/

Otto,
I did away with the Corker Classics and went with Firestone TransForce HT3 LT215-85R-16 instead of the Auburn Deluxe. Just could not bring myself to spend that much on tires right now. The change in handling and the ride is much better than anticipated. Ck out the before and after. I prefer the truck without the whitewalls and trim rings....looks more like a truck to me now.

Deegs

Yellow is my favorite color. I've owned 3 yellow cars and a yellow house. My office is painted light yellow.

Yes, that is a dramatic improvement in my opinion. Now it looks like it's ready to actually work.

There's no reason to pay big money for Diamondbacks if you don't want whitewalls.

I’ve been pleased with my 215/85r16’s. Mine are just off-brand (Milestar), the cheapest I could buy at the time, but no complaints.

Tube type tires were used for YEARS on the highway.
I went with tube type tires that were CHEAP. Power King Super Highway 6.50-16 bias ply. They were under $100 each.

I have Coker radials that require tubes on two of my trucks, the '51 and '37. The radial tires make your truck drive like a brand new vehicle, compared to old worn out bias ply tires. However, I have one caution for you to consider. I drove my '51 from Arizona to the Kansas City reunion in 2015 and ended up with 3 flat tires (always on a different wheel each time). I had the tires for 2 years at that time with no problems at all. On the third flat I was in Pratt, Kansas and the tire shop was a very experienced rural shop that was used to tube tires on farm equipment, etc. They found the problem to be an aluminum serial number tag on the inside of the radial tire, required by the DOT on all radial tires. You can imagine what that tag does to a tube rubbing against it all day at highway speeds. This caution would apply to all radial tires regardless of maker. When I purchased the tires for the '37 in about 2017 they came with a notice to remove that tag when mounting the tire.

Kent

And Kevin,
I recently put those very same bias tires on my '42 and am very happy with them,
Kent

I wonder if they still require that aluminum tag? I put the Auburn Deluxe on my '56 about a year ago. I'm not real confident the tags would have been removed.


I did some research and found the following: ( TIN = Tire Identification Number) This aluminum tag was DELETED when DOT went to the current numbering molded on the outside sidewall.

Purpose: The TIN was created to allow tire manufacturers to notify consumers in the event of a safety recall.
Location: It is permanently molded into the tire's outer sidewall, making it easily visible.
Contents: The TIN is an alphanumeric code that contains important information, including:
The plant code indicating where the tire was manufactured.
The tire size.
The date of manufacture (week and year).

Legality: According to NHTSA, it is illegal for a tire distributor or dealer to remove or alter this information from a new tire's sidewall.