which rear tires would you run?

okay here's the deal!

please never mind the rims in each of these photos, because i'm running Black 16" kelsey Hayes with these tires.

...in the front i'm wanna run the 500-16 firestone black wall ribbed bias ply tires.




but on the rear i wanna run 750-16's , i have a choice of two, but the price is a huge difference in tire

in your opinion which one of these tires looks best with the ribbed fronts?

at $374 each (ouch! ) ... we have the Excelsior Comp V blackwall bias ply tire-



or at $132 each ( less than half the price for two) ...we have the firestone blackwall bias ply tire-



any suggestions?
are the Excelsoirs really worth that much dough and are they a better tire?
or am i just paying top dollar for the European looking tire?

thanks,
CAB

 

You didn't mention what car they are going on. I think that makes a difference, but not knowing, generally I like the Firestones

 

first ones are ugly, but IMO, neither really match the ribbed tire.

 

a chopped Model A coupe on 32 rails i'm collecting parts for.

 

The Excelsior has more of a dirt track look like the ribbed front.

 

i vote for the firestones....

nothing else comes close...

 

i think the firestones blend better, your right the excelsiors are more open wheel euro sports car

 

Stones Cab. Run the Stones. Those other ones look more like Track-T tires.

 

I have 5.50 ribs and 7.00 Firestones on my roadster..

 

I hear the firestones suck bad on the road.

 

i dont like the ribbed fronts with either

 

Hi Cab it's Pat Lash.
I dont think you will see any benifit with the exl. rears. They were really marketed towards the vintage sports car crowd. You would probally have to run all 4 to see a handling difference.Rib fronts are cooler! I run them on my 29 they handle fine on a hot rod!

 

STONES! but run stones in the front too(not the ribbed)! im sure they make a 5.60..i think they make a 4.75 /5.00 to though,,,

 

My 7.50X16 Stones do not suck at all. I'm completely happy with them. They ride fine on the road at low and high speeds.

 

How fast do you want to go?

The Excelsior Comp V blackwall bias ply tire is rated to 149 M.P.H. (V rated)

The Firestone Dirt Track tires say "For Display Purposes Only",

I wonder how fast you can feel comfortable "Displaying" these tires?

When I asked A Coker Sales Rep. he emailed saying:

"The reason that the Firestone Dirt track tires are “for Display Purposes only” is because they are not DOT approved. They do not have any speed rating on them"

I don't really understand this because I've seen DOT numbers on a pair?

I'm sure it's just a liability (covering their ass) thing, and these tires are probably fine to well over 100 MPH, but It made me look at other options like the Excelsior Comp V.

Just my 2 cents.

Dan

 

I think the new Firestone Grooved Rears are a perfect compliment to those ribbed fronts. I'm looking at my Coker catalog and made the following comparisons between the Excelsorcisers (750-16) and the Firestone Grooved Rears (890-16):

Cross section:
Firestone--> 8.89
Exc.-->9.52

Overall diameter:
Firestone-->30.94
Exc. -->31.72

Rim width:
Firestone-->6" to 8.5"
Exc.-->6"

Price:
Firestone-->$288
Exc.-->$374

Fine print on the Firestone Grooved rears in the catalog says, "For display purposes only" but the add shows their 32 roadster and says "Driven 2000 Miles to SEMA" and the car is sporting these same tires so I think the fine print is only to avoid liability in case of a racing-related accident. Probably just fine for cruising around though. Here's a pic:

 

whats the speed rating for the firestones?

 

Can't get more classic or perfect than a matched set of Firestones. Forget the dirt track look...5W on deuce rails is a street look to me.

Just my .02

 

I like the 'stones in the rear as el chuco pointed out, to go w/ the ribbed fronts. Instead of the Excelsiors grooves. I've never owned a set, yet.

 

i vote here

 

we just happen to have an extra set of 32 rails waiting to be pinched

i vote here again
same as mr lash and eric

 

The Coker Sales rep said: "They do not have any speed rating on them" (For the Firestone Dirt Track tires)

Dan

 

i think the Firestones on the rear will look better.

-scott noteboom

 

Check out the latest Coker catalog they have just come out with some 17 and 18 inch Firestone dirt tires and they are 33 inches tall. My combo is the 5.00 ribbed Firestones in front and some 8.20 X 17 Firestone dirts trackers in the rear. If I could find a good 18 inch steel wheel I would go with the 18s.

Rex

 

Go cheap. That way you wont feel as bad when you burn the rubber off em!

 

Here's a set of 5.00x16 ribs and 7.00x16 tires I just had mounted on 35 wires.
Going on a 27 roadster project.
The rears are kinda dirt tracky looking.And cheaper then the Firestones.

 

firestones for the win!

 

My vote is for the Firestones Cab.

 

Hey Pat,
Great to see your on here... that rules! Your roadster is one of the reasons why i like those ribbed fronts, they look great on your ride

as for all the other comments to this thread, thank you guys for all your opinions, knowledge and help, the Firestones are my choice for the rears!

take care,
CAB

 

I vote 5.5 rib and 7.0 Firestone.