OK, so who's runnin' 16" motorcycle front tires??

So I'm looking for front tires for my T....need a narrow 16" with two narrow white stripes, similar to the tires on the front of Jimmy White's coupe. I've only seen the double "pinners" for motorcycles, and having the stripes on both sides of the tires just looks *****in'.....
Anyone runnin' something similar?
What brand and how's the ride?
Here's what I've found so far....Shinko?
http://www.amazon.com/Shinko-Cl***ic-240-Whitewall-Tire/dp/B0032DI3AQ

Thanks!

 

Ok so I'm a cheap*** but, I went to the local Harley dealer ,seems a lot of them replace the front tires when they replace the back ones, he said help yourself the pile is in back. We found 5 or six that looked like new ,harley brand on them ,price was right ,they balanced easy, drove great , did I mention the price was right.

 

ran a set of beck fat double whitewalls on the 32 for awhile, they were ribbed like a dirt tire, 500x16, ran straight as an arrow at 80, wish i could get some more

 

check the load rating of the tires. they are probably low compared to a car tire. remember they hold up a 600lb bike. not a 3-4k lb car. think of the little tires trying to steer the car. and also think of the weight coming down on these things when you stand on the brakes.

 

They work great, I ran 5.10 16s. Never any issues.

 

I thought about running a set on my '33 with the tread that rolls over the sides just like you seen in early Lakes racing roadsters. But then I read a bunch of thread of just how ****ty they handle and it made me think twice. I'm going to run regular 6.00 Firestone cars tires but if for any reason I show the car in something cool I might switch over to the zigzag patterned Cycle tires I was talking about above.

 

I ran mine hard on the twisties up in the hills and never once felt worried. If I was I would run a vintage sidecar tire instead.

 

Couldn't be much different than the 4.50-18's I ran on my A.

Oh, and I meant who's running 16" REAR motorcycle tires on the FRONT of their hotrod.... I think some of ya got it though....

So those that did, what brand? I can find plenty of 16's, but only one so far as a double white....
I'd prefer to have a tire that's got a "flatter" tread, as opposed to most bike tires that are pretty rounded....if that makes sense. I've seen 'em on old bikes, but the tires were old too, so don't know if someone even remakes a similar tire?

 

------------------
I agree on checking the load rating....but
not many T's weigh in at anywhere near
"3-4K"!!! More likely, 18 to 22K tops and
especially if it's a fenderless 'T-bucket type'
hot rod with any sort of extended wheelbase
and/or engine set-back, very little of that weight
that is on the front end.

Mart3406
=========================

 

The picture shows wide but the description says "3/8+3/8" which would mean double pins to me.
http://store.cokertire.com/popular-tire-applications/motorcycle/500-16s-coker-cl***ic-3-8-inch-3-8-inch-whitewall-tire.html

 

check out coker tires... a friend back home mentioned some thin tires up front. i know back in the old days they ran bike tires on the front

 

Mine were cheap Cheng Shins, had the serrated sidelugs like older bias ply car tires. Were a rounder thread but worked well on a 5" wheel which flattened em out pretty good compared to the narrower cycle rim they would have been mounted to.

 

Please Please check the weight of your car make sure that the load rating is at least close. Other than that head down to the local HD dealer or bike shops that do alot of tires and see what you can find Just remember that a Harley is supporting around 300 pounds per tire

 

not exactly true- many harley touring bikes are pushing 900lbs and will carry 2 p***engers and gear, so those same tires should be fine to carry the weight of the front half of a stripped down hotrod...

 

Good point. Hey, I run a 16" Dunlop on the back of my Harley and it has no problem with my 'ol lady on the p***enger saddle so the load rating must be pretty good on it.

(good thing she doesn't read this board)

 

And judging by Sturgis there is a combined p***enger weight of 650 on the big bikes!

 

Only bad thing, those will be ugly late-model style tires.

 

Other than the load rating alreadty mentioned remember that a m/c tire is made to roll onto it's side in a corner, but a car tire stays relitively flat meaning you'll wear the centers out of the tires.

But i do like the look of them, so do what you want

 

I've been running Firestone 5.00-16 cycle tires on the front of my roadster but I don't have many miles on them. They've been ok so far. They ran these exact type in the 40's.

See the Alliance Vendor Coker Tires catalog on their website and check out page 40 for different motorcycle tires with and without WW.

 

Yeah these are the exact ones I wanted that tread is way too cool!!!

 

Cool....I looked all over at Coker and somehow missed that.

I found a pic of yer car....looks good. Sometimes the cheap tires have a more vintage "look" than the high dollar ones....and used tires from the Harley dealer ain't gonna cut it...haha.

Thanks for all the help fellas....

 

True to a point BUT remember that the p***enger & most all of the weight of the gear is on the back tire and on a Harley they wear out the rear 2-3 time faster than the front.

 

and the wear of rear tires on motorcycles has far more to do with power transfer...

 

Like the Ethanol thread, lets get folks that have ACTUALLY USED cycle tires on thier cars!?!?!?! Not a bunch of armchair fluffers.....................

 

Motorcycle tires are made out of a softer rubber compound than car tires for better traction, I only get about 8000 miles on the back of my Harleys and they are almost slick, and I ride solo 90% of the time, on my old bikes I run Cokers and am lucky to get 5000 out of them. Spike

 

Coker 16 inch double white walls on my Willys.

No problems and this is what was run on the car when it was built is 1963.

I like the way they look but just my opinion.

Now back to the Jack Daniels and honeybun to start the day!

From Deep in the Heart of Texas!

1940 Willys Coupe

 

SC, Having worked in the motorcycle parts retail for a while, I can tell you the Shinko is a well-made, inexpensive tire (read "not cheap"). They started with moderen tires when they purchased Yokohama's motorcycle tire molds. They have now branched out to cl***ic and vintage tires. I have a set of "cl***ic" tires on my Gold Wing Cafe Racer (i know...."WHAT!").

Another thing to consider with load rating is that you are doubling the load rating by using TWO rear tires AND using the heavier-duty rear tires on the front of the car. I wouldnt use them on a '54 g***er or anything heavy, but on a light roadster or 'banger powered rod, I think they would be just fine. But we know all about opinions, don't we!

 

Gold Wing Cafe Racer (i know...."WHAT!").

WHAT!???

Now you gotta show some pics of that!!

Doc.

 

For you Doc!





Just so I don't have this thread closed for Sinister, PM me and I'll answer any and all questions/comments! Sorry Sinister.....

 

Good to hear...I'll look into them then....they seem to have the look I want.

And all this load rating talk makes me wonder what some members are even doing HERE......haha