The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk tire size and body shops

hey all,
Time to replace the tires that came with my '58 panel. I'm going with steel belted and wondering what's the conventional wisdom on size? Thanks. Dave in Pa.

Messed up- I'll take the body shop question the the appropriate forum. Dave

215/75/15 is the current modern equivalent. I would advise looking into a truck type tire over a passenger rated, though. Or even better, go with a 235/75/15 LT, which will carry the load better.

After shopping brands and sizes all over, and consulting fellow 'Bolters (Longbox55), I bought new Goodyear P235/75R15 Wranglers on my 1950 1/2 ton last weekend. They ride smooth and handle great. I also wanted a tire that filled up the wheelwell better than what I had so I went with this bigger, taller tire and am really pleased. It has a more aggressive truck-like tread design than an true passenger car tire, but it looks great on the old Stovebolt.

Hope this helps.

Spot

Hey Spot,

What's the diameter of those tires?

OOPS! Never mind... 28.8" according to the Goodyear site.

A fellow 'bolter, Bill Jesse, in Canada told me that a tire in the close vacinity of 30" dia. is what you want in order to fill the wheelwell. I would have considered going to a P235/80R15 for height but it wasn't available. Don't know if they make it or not, but the 75R is close enough for me.

I know many 'bolters want to go bias ply for that original look and ride, but I opted for radials that track true and ride smooth even on uneven or grooved roads. They sure are nice and I'm happy with the look.

Spot

thanks guys, dave

I currently run Cooper WW Radials on my '53. 235/75/15 on tubeless rims off a '50's Suburban with the inside clips so I can keep my original hubcaps. I took it out for a drive with my gps to test the speedometer. My speed was dead on from 15-55 mph. I used to roll on the original 16" rims with Allstate tubes and Allstate repop 600x16 tires. Bias tires never felt safe and were very expensive to replace over the years.

Hey thar Woody, were'd ya find that Goodyear site? Been diggin' but taint turned up the right one.
TKS,
DG

Kellly Springfield has a Safari CSR tire that looks alot like an old bias truck tire, but in a radial. Too bad you can only get it in a 16 or 19.5. Goodyear has a Workhorse tire that has a similar that I've seen, but I believe it's only available in 16 and up.

I just replaced the bias ply tires on my 51. I live in a hot dry climate, so drying/cracking is a consideration. By combining Consumer Reports, and the reviews from several local tire stores, I decided that the Yokohama Geolander LT in 235/70/15 was the best choice. The ride and handling is just wonderful. They look good, and can handle loads.

I too like the bias ply look. Take a look at "Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor". They have a "square corner".