The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Tire Rcommendations for my '51 3100

Finally ready to purchase some rubber for my '51 3100.
The truck had been in storage for many, many years before we purchased it this past summer. It has 15" x 8" , what I call "wagon wheels" on it. We finished sandblasting and painting the wheels this past weekend, and now are ready to purchase tires.
I'm not going for originality on this truck. Can anyone recommend a tire size that will fit, and look good on this truck? I'm thinking maybe a 245/60 on the rear and a 225/65 or 215/65 on the front.
What sizes are other folks out there running?
Any suggestions and pictures esp., would be appreciated.

The width of your wheels is going to control what tire you can run on them. Every tire has a recommended rim width, so check that against what your rims are.
The other consideration is tire circumference. I doubt your looking at a tire thats taller than the originals so if it's less it will mean your going to turn them faster than the originals which will mean a little less top end speed but you'll come off the line a little faster.

Looks, are important, at least to me they are but you didn't say what kind of truck you are making it into.
If it's a totally stock truck with stock wheels then I would be looking for a tire that carries that theme.
But alas, it's your truck and you can do what ever your heart desires.

Dan

I would advise staying away from the short sidewall tires, not enough load capacity to carry the weight of the truck, especially 215/65s on the front. I would suggest no smaller than a 215/75/15 on the front, perhaps a 255/70 on the rear.
Other things you need to keep in mind besides the load capaicy, which should at least equal the weight of the vehicle plus load, witha safety margin, is tire diameter. The smaller the diameter of the tire, the higher the RPM wil have to be in order to run a given speed. It's basically the same as running a lower ratio in the differential. If you're still running the stock diff, that would be a 4.11.

If they're all the same size, you can rotate 'em to even out tire wear. But, 8" rims are pretty wide for fronts with no power steering!
I've had 8" rims w/ 235/75's on the rear, and 7" rims w/ 205/75's on the front...white "wagon wheels"...I'll be going back to that look when I can get around to painting them. Wish I could get "stock" rims wider than 6"...with baby moons...

Thanks for the responses.
Going to look at tires tonight.