I just bought some 600-16 Excelsior tires from Coker last week, 6 ply for $139 for the front. I got some Tornel 650-16 6 ply for rear, $204 each. They have 650-16 Excelsior for less than $150 but I liked the looks of the Tornel. And they're 29 1/2 inch tall. They're going on our 29 pickup, I figure they'll last a long time.
We have power kings on a 50s car. Theyre just fine. Not radials by any means but theyre fine. We didnt want radials of course
Just for grins, see what Fleet Farm has to offer. With their customer base, you might find they handle what you need.
Thanks, catdad49…looks like all 30”dia. and 31” dia. tires are load range E or heavier! Seems like I’m searching for an unicorn…HaHaHa.
Those E rated tires must be fairly heavy I think that would be something to consider when using early brakes.
It kills me that there's more demand for 22's than there is for 15's. You know if we were organized, we would all go out in our garages and see how many of our old school tires are actually too old to use safely, and then order a whole bunch of new 15's. Maybe then the manufacturers would see our need and step up. I know the Cokers generally are sub par.
The new low, and lower profile tires ride absolutely terrible. The main reason all the automobile manufacturers put them on ALL the cars they sell (not just the sporty ones), is because of all the idiot automotive magazine road test articles pushing for sports car like handling for ALL cars, for years and years. It’s really ironic how no one in the auto industry has figured this out…as the roads throughout America get neglected more every year. Bring back tall tires, and/or fix the roads!
The tall sidewall tire market doesn't move enough tires over the course of a year to make it worth much attention. To tire companies, more volume means a higher profit margin, and profit is everything. The tire companies are selling millions of short sidewall tires the modern vehicles are using. We are our own enemy, we want tall, low cost tires that last a long time, but that also happens to make what we want to be a higher cost item (more materials per tire) with a low volume demand. From a safety perspective, the short sidewall, wide profile tires, on large diameter wheels, provide better driving control then the tall sidewall, narrow profile, small diameter wheel tires do. Given equal traction, the short sidewall tire has less distortion when making evasive turns or sudden stops, and the large diameter wheels can house larger brakes. That reduces the manufacturers liabilities, so the auto manufacturers are not going to go back to the tall sidewall tires any time soon. They can fix the harsh ride of the short sidewall and large diameter wheels with tuned suspension and soft seats. The differences between a "trailer tire" and a "passenger car or truck tire' may well be the name attached reduces the liability connected with the tire manufacturer, or it may be due to the construction materials or the manufacturing process. Trailer tires just follow along and distribute weight. Passenger and truck tires also have to provide traction for turning, stopping, and startling. There may also be a difference in the quality of the bonding agents the tire is made from. In real life most trailer tires spend their life sitting and not being used. Most trailers do not carry people, they care things that are easily replaced. How long the tread lasts or how well the rubber compound provides traction in adverse conditions is completely different then the requirements placed on tires carrying humans.
Very well said. I do know using car tires on trailers doesn’t work well, my experience was I got a lot of swaying and very violent whipping back and forth, not sure how that relates to trailer tires on a car. There has to be a reason the trailer tires say for trailer use only, stated above liability, I agree but the tire manufacturer wouldn’t be worried about liability if the trailer tire worked on cars and trucks. My 2 cents worth, good luck and let us know what you find. Dan
Be careful of what you wish for. Our dear Governor declared, "Fix the Damn Roads!" They are, but all at the same time. Can't get anywhere. And the secondary roads are REALLY getting beat up, now. I too am looking for some reasonably priced, old school look tires. 16s and 18s for me!
I can see trailer tires not working on the front of a car (steering), but on the rear it seems like it would be less of a problem. Twenty years ago, I can remember tires classified as Light truck/trailer tires. I’m thinking the main change was due to LAWYERS!
I am running 700R15 truck radials on the rear of my avatar, have been for years. They are a C rated tire which is the old 6 ply rating. Back when we used to race a dirt-track car we would add extra siping to our tires to aid the grip, especially on a "wet" track. I have done the same with these tires and they do a fine job on a wet road and being only C rated they ride pretty darn well with about 24 pounds of air, [ATT
I would hate to run trailer tires on a car and then be involved in accident. The insurer would surely use it as a way out of paying up on the claim.
Here is the ad that @Sharpone mentioned above: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/traditional-www-wheel-tire-set.1315999/
Back when I was an early teen, I knew this guy that had a 65 GTO, transplanted 421 and a 4 speed. He would steal tires off of farm implements from the local implement dealer. Boy-did those babies squeal and smoke! I would never ride with him.
Well stated. I might add that the move to rubber-band tires by the auto manufacturers is driven by the need to take the tire dynamics out of overall suspension performance and safety. Suspension hard-parts can be engineered and used in combinations that enhance safety and durability, so limiting the effect of tire sidewalls makes sense. Tall tires such as we choose to run on our rigs to provide 'the look' wiggle and squirm too much to provide the handling and ride quality that new-car buyers want. They also don't provide the grip under all driving conditions that today's traffic requires (these issues are direct result of sidewall stiffness/flex in higher load-rates tires). Taking a step backwards in tire technology may not be the best move. (disclaimer.... I HATE rubber band tires on the kind of shit we on this site embrace!) Life is a compromise.....choose the one you can live with!
You might check with these guys https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/towel-city-tires-205-75r-15-front-runners.1316242/
My nephew has 305-70-16s Ling longs on his Tacoma they would be Sweet on a hot rod tread is not to aggressive and suckers are tall
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