Hot Rods Ribbed Firestones - Coker vs. Speedway?

I'm putting new front tires on the modified....

Been running the Coker/Firestone ribbed 5.00-16"s, and am replacing them with the same.

The set that was on the car reads "For display purposes only" by the DOT number. Got 'em straight from Coker last year. (It's never bothered me obviously, that's not what this post is about)

The pair I just got from Speedway don't say that anywhere on the tire....they now have all the warning stuff printed on them like a regular tire. "Improper mounting, blah blah, risk of explosion, etc."

Just curious as to when they were "approved" for street use?

 

Since they saw you cruising them around. They now say Fidgiter approved!

 

I've ran them on a couple of roadsters. There have never been any structural problems but in this part of the country there seems to always be quite a lot of gravel at the intersections and the tires have a tendency to slide a little when you turn! Just my observation.

 

You wore them out already?

I got a pair on my T, the display ones, I've put ~5000 miles this year on them and they show no wear at all.

 

MR. FORDS coupe drives pretty damn nice. He's runnin them...

 

I don't have them, but to look at them, I'd have to guess they'd almost be BETTER in the rain than "regular" Deluxe Champion repro bias ply Firestones, as at least the ribbed ones have a deep, wide channel in the treads for water.. the ones I have (5.60-15 and 820-15) have no side sipes and close, narrow channels in the tread, and the fronts seem to have a tendency to "walk" on water if there's alot of rain on the road.

 

I had a guy tell me once that the Firestone ribbed tires from Speedway weren't the same ones from Coker. He had bought some from Coker and said that they were so out of round you could watch it with your eye. He bought a pair from Speedway that were true and hardly needed any weight on them.

I can't vouch whether or not it's true, but the ribbed tires I have on the front of my pickup say the "display only" and they were from Coker.

 

I get to drive mine in the rain often. And they do very well. After about 20 mph the rooster tails stop spraying water at me, and you can't see the water coming off them anymore. And the traction is great. Steering and braking are fine, no problems at all.

 

ribbed for your cars pleasure! woo hoo

 

I really hope not all of the Coker rib fronts are out-of-round. They can't get this problem fixed? Seem kinda silly if it's true.

 

I hope so, I have a pair in the garage for my coupe!

 

Well my question....and the reason for this post that seems to have taken a quick turn some other direction....has nothing to do with the quality of the tire. Mine wearing out had nothing to do with the quality or roundness or anything else of the tires, it was user error. I have absolutely zero complaints about the tires.

So, trying again.....

My old pair says "display only"

My new pair does not.

Did they put these tires through the same kinda inspections as everything you can buy at Discount Tire? Did they change something in the makeup of the tire? I am innocently curious as to why they were previously not approved, but they are now.

 

I'm gonna take a guess at the difference is submitting them for testing. The older ones would have not been sent to DOT or Federal whatever to get tested for highway approval. Possibly now enough are being made to be able to pay the gov't for the testing. and get the approval for the tire's road use.

Just my guess tho.

90 degrees, 90 mph and new black pavement will really get them sticky.

 

fidg....... i have 2 sets one is like the "new ones" you have and the old set of mine say "racing purposes only" ??? wierd.....

and another pair of front 600-16's on a customers car we took of say "Farm tire" "Do NOT exeed 20 mph" and the car has had thousands of miles and high speeds...... and its a firestone as well. maybe there scared for insurance purposes or somthin...

 

That's interesting....

I haven't made a side by side comparison, but they looked like the same tire to me on the surface. Only reason I noticed it is because I was going to tell the tire guys to mount the "display" part to the inside. When I looked to see what side that was, there was nothing. Anyone know if Speedway is having their own tires made? I had ***umed they were the same tire. Are the "dirt track" rear tires different too?

I remember my Coker sourced tires had one red and one yellow line on the tread....the Speedways have none. The speedway tires were about $10 cheaper each.

 

I'm interested in the wash up of this too. Gas pumper you say you drive 'em in the rain? What about when you hit the brakes on a wet road? Any good? Or do you **** yourself? serious question.

 

I drove mine in the rain at the NSRA show in Kalamazoo for 3 days recently. No problems other than the amount of rain.

Charlie

 

Had a set (Coker) on a coupe I built a couple of years ago and they were about as round as a brick. Ended up in the dumpster.

 

Why not call Coker and ask?

 

I work in a tire plant and I can tell you this,


Many tire plants may make the majority of their tires under their own brands, but they also may make what is known as a "private brand". Private brands are like outsourcing,- you supply the mold, and as long as it fits with a basic tire construction they have, they will mold your tires for you. That same uncured tire can be molded into a different looking tire and there could be several brands out there from the same formula.

Thus, if there is no trademark or patent infringement on the molds design, and if the agreements are inline, any tire plant can make a ribbed tire or for that matter even a dirt tread tire.

Since I'm sure these tires are bias-ply and not radials, there MUST be a few bias -ply plants out there needing the work. Bias-ply and steel belted radials are made very different under the skin.

"Display only" is another way of covering their ***.

Also, segmented molds distort way less than 2-piece molds, and all plants know this. Yet most older equipment from the moldshop is 2-piece. Even the 'original' molds. The only way to tell this is by looking at the flashings left behind by the molds. 2-piece will have a flashing seam around the tire in the middle where the 2 pieces came together. Segmented may have that, but they don't have ***s like the 2-piece molded tires.

 

You must work at the Uniroyal plant in Ardmore or is Goodyear???

 

Maybe the first run went to the guys looking for "authentic" dirt tires...as in is that's what they originally said on them. Those tires would be for the show only crowd. The second run was then made for the guys who will actually drive them so they don't want the for race only words on them if they get a unwanted roadside inspection. All of this is just speculation on my part...

 

When the brakes are really wet, the brakes are ****, but we all know this.

But the tires grip well in the wet. I think the narrowness is what helps keep them in contact. I even took it out in the snow last winter, before the salt trucks and plows got out, and was really impressed with the traction. Narrow tires dig well.

This is an interesting topic.
My tires, which I think are Cokers, are the display ones and are made in the 2 piece mold, by the flash around the middle of the thread, I guess. One runs true, the other has a little hop/wobble to it, but is not unbearable.

 

maybe call coker and speedway? this is a really good question that the answer sounds like it will be eye opening.

 

Ardmore.

 

My Coker "ribbed" Firestones were so far out of round that at 60 you did not want to stop fast! They would literally jump off the road! and they were balanced! I had to spend $90 to get them trued and re-balanced. If the Speedway tires are better I am going to give them a try next time.

Rex

 

I always thought Coker bought the MOLDS for this tire, and owned the molds. I thought Coker sold these tires to Speedway. Anyone have answers on this?? I know that the molds are limited and Coker owns a lot of them.

Anyone???

 

Thanks gas pumper

 

These speedways seem to have a lot more ***s on them than the Cokers did. And I thought the same thing, that Coker owned the molds, sold stuff to speedway. If I had the time to do it this week I might have called both to find out.

Driving the car today....I'll let everyone know how the new tires roll. But I never had any problems with my Cokers, had the car up to at least 70 so far. Zero issues.

 

HAMB road test!