Technical Tube or No Tube

Hi everyone, I am finishing up the motor rebuild on my uncles 48 Pontiac Streamliner Straight 8 and down to a tire decision The current tires have new tread and look fine but on close look you can see the cracks from 30 years of sitting and not being used.

Would someone typically put in new tubes and run old tires or replace both?

The 48 has stock steel wheels that are in great shape. Can modern radials be used instead of tube type? What would the modern size equivalent be for 6.50-16"

The bias tube type are pretty pricey about $150-175 plus tubes and shipping.

Thanks in advance.
Bob

 

There was a recent thread with the same pricing comparison issues and fitting radials to old narrow wheels on AACA website. It was a 42 Ford, so same skinny wheel width.

The radial size to be skinny, would also be a collector type tire, so even more $ than bias collector tires

He ended up using bias to save money.

I don't scare easy, but I would not use 30 year old bias. Bias are more tolerant to age compared to radial, but that is just too risky with cracks showing

.

 

Thank you! I agree with replacing the tires as well.

 

I wouldn't use the old tires with new tubes. The tube holds air but the tire holds up the car.

I run radials or bias plies depending on the car. I guess you can say that I am not biased. I don't like the idea of running radials on old wheels. The added bite of a radial will over ride the suspension of a vehicle that does not have the suspension designed with the radial in mind. If they will over ride the suspension what do you think they are doing to the wheels.

 

I've heard that you should run tubes if the rims were designed for tubes. They might hold air without tubes, but they might also unseat the bead going around a corner if the rim was not designed to run tubeless.

 

Please don't use 30 year old tyres. - For your safety and the safety of those on the same road as you.
If they are cracking, - toss them.
Use tubes, as I doubt your old rims will seal for tubeless tyres.

 

When I assembled my '55 F100, I had reversed '50 Merc 6" steel wheels in front, same in back but with 7" Buick outers. Bias Ply 'big-and-littles', '50 Merc 'ash can' caps, factory fit on the Merc wheels. (NOT aftermarket caps)
Never a problem, in 70K miles.
I then switched over to tubeless radials, 1.95 60 X 15 front, 235 70 X 15 rear. Ride improved greatly.
Turning onto a city street, (inside turn, left turn/left wheel) Lost the hubcap. When I retrieved it, there were scratches around the perimeter, but nothing that showed too bad inside the reversed wheel...Lost it again, another left turn.
Examined it and deduced that the wheel was flexing with the radial tire, whereas the stiff bias ply would tend to have more 'constitution' with the wheel as a unit.
(this was a strong selling point for aluminum replacement wheels on steel-wheeled BMWs in the '70s...the steel wheels flexed in 'autocross' and road racing conditions, illustrated by Factory film and handouts)

My foster Dad gave me the Romeo Palamides "Pre-American Torq Thrusts" from his '29 roadster, and the hubcap loss ceased.
That wasn't the only reason to run the Palamides wheels...they were designed for F100s!
Oh, I use tubes. These are 2 piece wheels.

 

A few years back I bought a 37 Chevy sedan with 44000 original miles. The tires looked good for being made during wwii, so just to drive it to town and show it as found we did. 20 miles total ,drove good next morning I went in the shop and the tube was sting out of the tread, like a tongue. Don't run the old tires.

 

Coker make a radial in that size, black or white wall. Coker Classic.

 

As yet I don't have any personal experience in running radial tires on rims that were used oem with bias ply tires. But note that I said YET, because when I replace the Coker/BFG whitwalls on my roadster, most likely I will go to radials for ride and handling, prolly Diamondback WW.
On their website Db quotes a statement from the US DOT stating that the radial tire puts LESS STRESS ON THE RIM than a bias ply tire, especially for cord rupture from impact forces.

 

atwater mike, just how fast did you go around that corner to loose a hubcap??? LOL

 

I lost wheelcovers all the time driving '58 and '59 Fords with radial tires. I always thought it was the hub caps of poor quality, but maybe it was the tires and wheels flexing.