Hot Rods No Bigs-n-Littles Here...Lets See Some Same Size Tires On Hot Rods

This car was built a long time ago, I think the tires are from the 1970s (it shows, eh?) Needs to go down a bit in front, although it doesn't look to bad from the back, it looks really funny from the front...in real life and in pictures.

 

Maybe the tires are just a bit too big but DAMN is that a nice truck. Very Cool!!!



BloodyKnuckles

 

Plowboy's Sea Hag

 

pretty sure these are the same size

 

I like this one the best:

 

sorry.. no can do.. littles on the front and bigs on the rear but all has to be proportionally correct or it looks like shit just like same size front and rear.. its not just a big and little its the right bigs and littles.. If the car doesnt have the look and the right tires to make it sit right then people are gonna talk.. The problem is they are talking behind your back .
Dave

 

How about a few more examples?



BloodyKnuckles

 

Man, you guys really don't like same size, huh??


Thanks for all the examples guys.



BloodyKnuckles

 

Mine again....

 

Me too. Especially with a little photo shop. Need to clean those WWW. Gary

 

And if you wanna take the 'toon look to the extreme, I love this look (the car, not so much the toy) but I suppose you could duplicate it with vintage balloon tires, eh? Pix taken at the Speedway museum. Later, Gary

 

Yeah. Terrible. Don’t do it.

 

Hope I don't get banned like Dave did but I concur!

 

Hello,

Most of the early hot rods had the same size wheel and tire combination. It was because we all drove everywhere as daily drivers and if we happened to get a flat tire, one pops off and the other pops on to continue the road trip. It is disheartening to get a flat anywhere, but if you are 200 miles away from home, a spare that is the same size works like new.

It certainly helped to make the tire changes on the side of the road simple when the spare was the same size. So, once the exchange was made, screw on the Moon Disc or pop on the hubcap to be on our merry way.

The only times our cars had a different size wheel and tire combo was when we bought some Moxley Cheater Slicks for the Impala or later, the better, Bruce Slicks for the Impala. Even when those were on, luckily, we only had one flat in a cheater slick and when the stock spare was put on, we did not have far to go to get home. It was uneven in the ride, but it was only a short distance.
671 SBC Willys in the background at Lions Dragstrip.

Later, when we got the Bruce Slicks, they fit under the Impala wheel well and we took both in the trunk. At the Lions Dragstrip Pits, it was my job to change the stock rear tires to the Bruce Slicks for all of the morning runs. When the eliminations started, I changed them back to the original tires, all the same size.

When we built our 1940 Willys Coupe, the Moxley Cheater slick sales guy was always next to our encampment in the pits. But, by then, the Bruce Slicks fit perfectly under the rear fender of the Willys Coupe.
Moxley Cheater Slicks Bruce Slicks
Jnaki

As for the other friends that had daily drivers and raced at Lions, The same size tires did the trick. 1934 Ford 5 window with an Oldsmobile motor, LaSalle trans and 4:11 rear gears for the A/Gas coupe class. When the racing was over and the trophy was on the seat, we drove home with the hubcaps off on the 4 similar tires for the next days daily driving.
1958-59
No need for slicks. This was pure grass roots Gas Coupe and Sedan Class racing. A modified motor/trans in a fully street legal coupe or sedan was the premise of the original Gas Coupe and Sedan Classes. Yes, this original class allowed bigger slicks in conjunction with being street legal. By 1965, the rules were changed and the daily drivers no longer were competitive with the so-called Gas Coupes and Sedans being built specifically for the classes.
Bruce Slicks on the street legal, 1940 Willys C/Gas Coupe 1959-60

 

Nice to see this thread again. IMHO... everyone had all 4 the same back when all cars were just starting to be raced. So why bigs n littles? Putting a bigger tire in the back is easier than changing gears when you need to go faster when the track gets longer. Littles in the front lowers gets the front of the car lower, improves handling and reduces aero drag. Hence their use first in land speed and drag racing?

 

there are some guys who have an eye that can put the whole package together to make it work, but most of us mortals do not have it to that degree. Big and little is much easier to make look good so it has become the norm. If same size tires float your boat, go for it, at least tires are easy to change if you feel you missed the mark. Suspension changes are a lot more difficult.

 

Getting ready to put same size wide white walls on steel smoothies on my T . Mainly cause I already have them and am on a limited budget. I eventually hope to put white wall pie crust slicks on the back.