I am building a ‘32 Ford roadster and want to make sure I get the stance correct. It will have an early SBC 283, 4-speed Muncie, 4” drop front axle and quick change. I have 4 1935 spoked wire wheels that have a wheel width of 4”. I plan on using the Auburn Delux radials. The front tires will be 550R-16 but the rears are my problem. Since the wheel width is 4” the 750R-16 will not fit because of the recommended wheel width of 5-7”. The next size down 650R-16 will fit but I sacrifice 2” in tire height (1” in vehicle height). Will this be enough to hurt my stance? Thank you.
If I were going to run ‘35 wires, I’d probably use firestones with tubes. Auburns are great tires and I’ve used them on the last 3 deuces I’ve done. But the 750s are a pretty big, heavy tire and wide tread pattern. They might look a little odd on such a skinny rim. Check out the Auburn threads and you’ll see what I mean.
I don't know about the radials, but i have a set of 7.50 16 firestones on 4-inch 40 ford wheels, and they work just fine. It's a recommendation, doesn't mean it won't work under any circumstances. I would also look into a set of bias ply's, I was mildly terrified from driving a model A with 35 wires that had radial on it. Those wires were designed to work with bias ply tires. And don't let anyone tell you that Bias ply's don't last, inflate them to the right pressures and they will last just fine. I have almost 30,000 miles on the bias ply's on my 39, and i 100 percent believe it is because i keep 32 psi in them. I know some people fine tune ride quality with tire pressure in bias ply's, any under inflated tire is going to wear out fast.
As you "seem" to note - May be, BUT recommendations normally come from prior use / misuse, using various extraneous items, in this case wheels. Too narrow a wheel, bad handling, can cause bad handling. Too wide a wheel, not as bad, but can shorten tire life. Not as dangerous on the road. Yeah, I'd go by (I normally do !) the tire manufacturers...recommendations ! Mike
Perfect combination for tyre size, or even 7.00 x 16 on the rear. If you drop to 650 x 16 your road speed / gearing will change. I think that you should look for a minimum of 5” to 6” wide rim for either choice. Although plenty have run the cross plies on 4” rims. Here is a chart of what ‘laws’ we have to work too. You will have to do the imperial to metric conversion if possible, or better still, consult your tyre manufacturer………they will stipulate the correct minimum and maximum width !
I have Excelsior 7.00x18’s on a pair of original ‘32 wires. I think they are only 3.75” wide. Haven’t fallen off in the last few years and a few trips out of state at 70 MPH yet.
Are all 35 wires 4" wide? I imagine they are but don't actually know. I know of some that have been widened / banded but that's quite a specialist job, and might have potential legality issues, depending where you are. The wheels in question have been used for many miles without problem. Chris
I ran 7.50's on 4" wide KH wires for a decade and a half before switching them over to solid steel wheels. These are bias ply tires, however, and not radials.
Ford 1935 wires are 4” wide. I widened my rear to 6” wide (inwards) for the 7.50 bias tyre. Done professionally and I probably won’t be getting them certified as it is such a hassle, so just bought some new Vintique wheels. ( made in America ? ) Goes against my philosophy of using original parts, but I live in a world now where aftermarket parts are easier to get through the process, as opposed to modified original parts.
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