tire question for a 41 plymouth woody wagon

[michael.warshaw]

a freind recently bought a 41 woody. He wants to buy new tires, he wants white walls, hes debating on going with radials vs bias plys, any input would be good. he doesnt know to go with cokers, or universals? anybody have any knowledge in this area?

[BobT-47P15]

Depends upon what he wants regarding tires. If he will be judged by the

P O C, he might want bias ply.

If he wants a good looking and good driving radial, then Diamondback is

supposed to be a good brand. http://www.dbtires.com/

And, they have this cross reference chart..........

TIRE SIZE CONVERSION TABLE

1950’s 1960’s Average

Height 1970’s Average

Height Modern Radial Average

Height

750-14 775-14 26.8" *** F78-14 26.5" 205-75R14 26.1"

800-14 825-14 27.4" *** G78-14 27.2" 215-75R14 26.7"

640-15 735-15 26.5" *** E78-15 26.3" 185-80R15 26.7"

670-15 775-15 27.5" *** F78-15 27.4" 205-75R15 27"

710-15 815-15 28" *** G78-15 27.8" 215-75R15 27.6"

760-15 845-15 28.6"AA *** H78-15 28.3" 225-75R15 28"

800-15 900-15 29.5" *** L78-15 29.3" 235-75R15 29"

Questions? Diamond Back Classics Help Line: 888-922-1642

Several persons have said they feel the 2.15 x 15 radial makes

a good replacement for a 16" tire.

[1941coupe]

Keep it original and go with the bias ply tires.

[Andydodge]

If he wants to show it and get brownie points from the stock police then bias/crossplies.........if he wants to use it and improve its drivability then go with radials......personally I wouldn't use crossplies, but thats MY choice.......his money, his car, his choice.......andyd

[Niel Hoback]

If he's gonna drive it, use radials. Safety and reliability trumps looks anytime.

[Plymouthy Adams]

if he intends to stay with bias ply I think Lucas Tire needs to be look at also..their General series is a nice tire, I mounted four of these onto my 54 and they required just complimentary weights (token weight, per Firestone tire and balancing practices as taught back in the 60 when these tires were king)

they ride super smooth and are extremely quiet..

[claybill]

i OWN 3 40's plymouths and here I am stuck with 4 brand NEW, 14inch, MOUNTED BIAS WWW.!!

a very important thing to look at is the width of the whitewall.....a 1/4in here or there makes a world of difference in proper looks.

my bias tires are fine....i have no regrets for my 50 mph plymouth.

Edited July 15, 2012 by claybill
add

[michael.warshaw]

it looks like radials do drive better, i just dont know who beside coker and universal makes vintage white wall tires.

[Plymouthy Adams]

I am thinnking you not looking...even a search on this very website will net you many companies that traffic WWW's beside Coker, like Diamondback, Lucas, White Wall Candy Store, brands such as Cooper, Firestone, Federal, Nitto, Michelin and many more..

[Frank Elder]

it looks like radials do drive better, i just dont know who beside coker and universal makes vintage white wall tires.

You don't know anyone else because you would rather have us do all your "case work" for you, instead of putting forth any effort yourself.....I myself, am not one of your interns.

[michael.warshaw]

You don't know anyone else because you would rather have us do all your "case work" for you, instead of putting forth any effort yourself.....I myself, am not one of your interns.

i did search, dont be a !@$%$^& all the time!

im asking if anyone has any experience with tires they have bought already i know who makes the tires, wanted opinions from owners of the tires!

[1941coupe]

I have zero problems with my bias-ply tires, and my car is a total driver, being driven weekly, and on extended trips. These cars need to be driven conservatively when compared to modern cars. If you drive within the original cars limits, and that includes the original brakes...my 41 has only one cylinder per wheel, then things are just fine. If they were good in the 40's then there's no reason they can't be used today. Radial tires in my opinion spoil the original look, and that is the very reason these fine cars are so appealing to so many. Just my two cents.

[Plymouthy Adams]

yeah..I am to believe men look at a womans shoes first...

[1941coupe]

It's the look as a whole and not just the tires.

[Richard Coney]

I suppose I should add my tuppence worth from the UK perspective. Our roads are regularly criticised for their lack of general maintenance, but to be fair, living in the London area with a large volume of traffic, they are pretty good by most standards.

I had a '48 D25C Special Deluxe coupe which had modestly wide modern radials with a 1 inch whitewall. The car drove fine with no perceivable wander and was stable at (sensible) faster speeds. However, I found that it was an absolute bear to manouvre at low speed, particularly when parallel parking (we are encouaged to do that over here). With my bad thumb (arthritis) it was a real pain, literally. I considered buying bias belt tyres (tires) for the Plodge, but thought it would be an expensive exercise if I subsequently found it made no difference.

In contrast, my '39 P7 Roadking coupe, which I bought a couple of years later, had wide whitewall bias belt tyres fitted. Now I'm sure someone on the Forum will correct me if I'm wrong, but as I understand it the front suspension on the two cars is essentially the same. The P7 drives fine, with no particularly unpleasant road wander (admittedly not as good as the Plodge with its radials), reasonable stability at speed and far lighter steering for parking. All in all a far nicer driving experience, considering its age. Both cars came with the tyres, so I haven't actually bought any, though I reckon with hindsight I probably could have bought a set of Coker wide white bias belt tyres for the Plodge and found a great improvement with the lightness of the steering.

My thinking is that as the cars were designed and manufactured for bias belt tyres (there was no choice anyway), then there's no reason why they should not drive and ride as originally intended. Most roads are presumably better than in the 30s and 40s anyway. Of course you have to drive them sensitively, with due regard to their age, not like a modern car. Rodded examples, with revised suspension and much more powerful engines will definitely benefit from radials. No question. Then surely you should make a decision based on availability, price and your personal view on how they look, same as you would with everything else.

Hope this helps. Richard

[Richard Coney]

Here's another nice looking car that has "the look".

[MarkAubuchon]

mKEY, i BOUT MY TIREES FRUM MONTGOMERY WARDS, GOOD PRICE GIVE THEM A CALL