As long as the tire isn't too narrow for the wheel they should be ok. "T" buckets had motorcycle tires, dragsters had them, road race cars didn't. Bob
As long as you don't pay more than regular tires. you can buy 4.25x21 or 19s, for cars with flat tread profile, if you want smaller the only problem is braking and turning footprint is smaller.
I have 5-10X16" Harley dresser tires on my A roadster on 48 ford wheels.[car weighs 2,340lbs] I would not recommend it to you. Its ok goin straightline, in dry weather...... ,but that's about all. It also is cutting ya very close to being in excess of their maximum weight capacity. 1,435lb[pair]=frt of mine weighed -1,240lb.
Motorcycle tires don't have the sidewall strength of regular car tires. When you turn they can fold under the rim on you. I know they did it to me, pretty scary. Also dragsters go straight and don't turn, so they don't experience that side force. I don't recommend it!
Not avalible in 21", but the 16" Harley Police tires(Dunlops I believe) have a much thicker sidewall than standard dresser tires. I'd still check the weight rating on them though.
NCG, shoot me an email tomorrow, and I'll ask our tech guys to have a look at some cycle tires... we've only got about 50,000 of 'em... Do you have a guess as to the dimensions you're looking for? Ben
I'd have to say stay away from 21" mc tires on A rims. The mc tires don't come much bigger than 3.25x21 as I recall. That is a lot smaller than the A tire. For profiling at low speeds, OK. For show, OK. Another thing to consider is that they might look too small on that rim. Those 21" bike tires are skinny! Pick one up and check the sidewall thickness. It'll scare ya. I would say to err on the side of saftey. There are a variety of tread patterns available in the correct size for the A rim. Go for those, they still look skinny without looking cartoonish. Some folks went into 16" tires, those are a different beast altogether. My opinion: Don't do it. You have people that feel you are important and valuable to have around.
I don't like the idea for safety reasons but understand it would look great. However to put things in perspective we used to run tires with 4 ply sidewalls and most tires today have 1 ply sidewalls. And We wonder why vehicles are prone to roll overs if the tires are low on air? Alloy wheels are more likely to leak than steel wheels. That problem could be resolved with inner tubes. Some things from the Ol Skool were actually safer than what we do today
Not sure if this is what you're looking for, but about 6 months ago I was asking around about 21" tires and Corky Coker chimed in to tell me that he had 21" Denman's for $58 apiece. I didn't see those on his website but apparently he has 'em. I'm betting that's cheaper than most motorcycle tires, not sure about 19" ones but I bet they're availible cheap, and they're the right size and tread pattern. I'm betting the bike tires would work but it'll be a lot of weight on them and they're gonna look funny with the rounded tread pattern. Good for mockups and around the block test drives though. Before I had tires for my '40 Chrysler, I used 16" space saver spare tires on my original rims. They fit good and got the job done until new tires arrived.
Weight's not the only issue with bike tires. The contact patch when upright is very small. When turning, bike tires are designed to lay over on the side to increase the contact patch, thus traction is increased when cornering. You might find it pushes a bit too much in the turns I've got a 21" front on my Softail, and I take the corners very carefully. Flatman
Hey, guys, with all due respect, he's talking about 21" tires, not 16" tires. The 16" tires are much heavier construction, and many have flat tread. The 21" tires are flimsy, thin walled things. They are completely unsuitable for a car. Several folks have pointed out the fact that they have very small contact patches. Even if you have front brakes, you won't be able to stop with them. In a panic stop from speed, I think the 21" tires would have a good chance of wearing through and then you are on rims in a bad situation. They will lock up way too easy in a stop. They will wash out in a turn taken with a bit of vigor, and you will go straight into whatever the car is pointed at, not where the tires are aimed. I won't say no one has ever done skinny mc tires on the front, but it has never been and never will be the safe way to go. I used to run them on choppers I built, and I could lock the front tire at speed so easy it was amazing. They required care in fast turns, and ****ed when it was wet. Putting them on a car only amplifies the problem. I am building a bike now, and it will have a fairly wide 18" or 19" tire on the front. I am addicted to vehicles that turn and stop when and how I want them to. OK, enough of my rant. gas4blood 200,000+ miles on motorcycles
thanks for all the input, good and bad. the reason i asked if it would work is because i seen a narrowed bucket T running model A wires with AVON cycle tires. the tires look like they have a flat tread design on them. plus i was looking in an old Dennis Kirk catalog and seen that the AVON tires are only around $30 a peice and i am on a tight budget. thanks to everyone who has responded. i do value my life a little, so its good to know that they wont work out. plus if i can get car tires for $59 bucks a peice, maybe that would be the best route. thanks ncg
thanks to everyone who has responded. i do value my life a little, so its good to know that they wont work out. plus if i can get car tires for $59 bucks a peice, maybe that would be the best route. Good decision! By the way, I have seen Avons that look flat, but when aired up are as round as a baseball. I always look out for flat tread tires 'cuz I like sidecars, which work best with a flat tread.
Corky Coker is actually a HAMB member and he chimed in when I was discussing 21" tires for my Model T. That was maybe 7 or 8 months ago, so chances are he's still selling them, and for that, you can't go wrong.
If you decide to go with 16" wheels check out the 5.00/16 Indian m/c tires Coker sells. Pretty neat! I guess as far as safety goes they would be OK if you are always aware of them (dont do anything stupid or drive too hard on corners). -Dean
NCG, even with my employee discount, the 21" I bought for my Triumph back a couple years was close to $100... (and yes, it was an Avon). Cheapest one we sell now, looks to be $74.99 Ben
been runnin 5:00x16 coker dual white wall bike tires for 5 years on my flathead track rdst. rims are 3"" wide 1937 wide 5's from a v8-60 car. no problems......
Sorry I have not chimed back in for a while boys.... been out on the road. The cheapest tire we have now is a Universal brand imported for $65. ea. They are available in 440/450-21 and also the 475/500-19 and have a Firestone style tread. You can see them on our website. We can bring them to an event this year too and save you the freight if you like....or we can shoot em out by FedEX ground. I would only use motorcycle tires when you want that look of a rounded profile, otherwise the construction is different for p***enger car tires than motorcycle tires. All the best! Corky
thanks corky~ i will see what kind of money i have when i get my check from uncle sam. if i do get them i would be at "Back to the 50's" in St.Paul thanks
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