Anybody running tubes in a set of G-78s? I know they are a tubeless tire, but I have 4 15" Ford wheels that i want to run on my 51 shoebox that have no bead seat around the rims and im worried about them rolling off the bead. i pulled two wheels off a 49 woody in a junkyard and the other two are mint units from, i believe, a 1950 ford. Would i need to use tubes to keep my tires seated correctly since the 49 wheels have no bead seat and the 50s only have one on the outside edge? I have 4 wheels from a late model car that i can use but the backspacing and extra inch in width may cause a small issue with my quarter panels<!--Signature-->
Bro, you can buy tubes made for tubeless tires. To tell you the truth, I don't know what the difference is, but I'm sure your local tire shop can help you out. You want to do it right with your tires...Ole Pork
Hi, If the wheels you want to use do not have a safety bead (another raised rib around the rim approx 1/2" from the outside lip), I would strongly suggest that you run tubes to keep the tire seated properly. It is okay to run a radial tube in a bias tire, but not okay to run a bias tube in a radial tire. I would recommend a G/KR-15 tube. Should be around $12.95 each at any local tire shop. Casper.
Ya' don't need the safety bump on the rim to run tubeless. Look at any mid-late 50's rims. There's no bump and they all ran tubeless tires just fine. Chrysler started the bump thing back when they were still running tube type tires. We run race cars tubeless with no bumps in the rims. A tubless tire has a smaller diameter bead seat area than a tube type tire and the design of the bead area is different to prevent air loss. The inside of a tubeless tire has a coating of butyl rubber to prevent air loss through the tire. Tube type tires don't have this. So, bottom line is, there's no difference in the rims, only the tires. Just make sure the rivets holding the rim shell and center together are air tight. I run early 50's 15" riveted tube type Ford rims on all my stuff and have no air loss problems. Make sure the bead seat area on the rim is clean and the valve stem hole is solid (rust prone area) before ya' mount your tires. Recheck for leaks after ya' mount and you'll be good to go. PS: I was in the tire industry for almost 30 years, so trust me.
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