Help Me With Tires And Rims

[jmlcolorado]

I have a set of stock of internationa l122 rims i wanna use on my rat.

My question is....... the tires that were on the rims say 6.50x16 Im assuming thats the rim size? I took the tire off and measured the rim and the width was 5 5/8" not 6.5.

I like the factory size up front but i want to run a larger tire in the rear. Whats the largest tire i can use in this rim? Can i even run more modern tubeless tires on the origional tubed rims?!

Thanks for anyones input.

 

[BigIrish]

Go to cokertire.com and look at their various tires. In the specifications they list the recommended rim width. Are going old-school bias plys? If so, you can get a pretty tall tire on a rim like that.

 

[jmlcolorado]

Go to cokertire.com and look at their various tires. In the specifications they list the recommended rim width. Are going old-school bias plys? If so, you can get a pretty tall tire on a rim like that.

Its still kinda up in the air if im gonna use old school tires or not.

What is the differance in em?

 

[Willowbilly3]

6.50 is the section width of the tire at it's widest point, not the rim width. You could run 215x75x16 ok but they aren't as tall.
While the old bias ply tires are cool looking, they have some drawbacks. They with thump like hell when they are cold until they get warmed up and I have had that take 20-30 miles if they sat a while. Also I don't ever remember getting more than about 12,000-15,000 miles out of a set and that was pretty worn out.

 

[jmlcolorado]

6.50 is the section width of the tire at it's widest point, not the rim width. You could run 215x75x16 ok but they aren't as tall.
While the old bias ply tires are cool looking, they have some drawbacks. They with thump like hell when they are cold until they get warmed up and I have had that take 20-30 miles if they sat a while. Also I don't ever remember getting more than about 12,000-15,000 miles out of a set and that was pretty worn out.

WoW! that milage is pretty weak! That alone would make me want radials.
What do you mean by "thump" ?

 

[jmlcolorado]

Okay, so if 6.50 isnt the rim width, and my rims measures 5 5/8" then what size tire will my rim accept?

 

[Blue Eyed Devil]

Radials on an open wheel car just don't look right, and most times are downright ugly. Face it, you are building a hot rod for driveability AND looks, otherwise you could just roll in a KIA. I've been running bias tires cross country for many years with no more problems or woes than radials. Run a 6.00-16 up front and 7.50-16 on the rear. You won't regret it.

 

[jmlcolorado]

Radials on an open wheel car just don't look right, and most times are downright ugly. Face it, you are building a hot rod for driveability AND looks, otherwise you could just roll in a KIA. I've been running bias tires cross country for many years with no more problems or woes than radials. Run a 6.00-16 up front and 7.50-16 on the rear. You won't regret it.

Thats almost the exact answer i was looking for
Cept im building a rat rod, not a hot rod [

I think ill look at some 7.50's in person to get an idea on the actual size. I was just wanting a little wider on the rear.

 

[Bonehead]

Just a side note.... rims are measured between lips, not the outside.
This is only a public announcement, please return to the regular thread. Thank you.

 

[jmlcolorado]

Just a side note.... rims are measured between lips, not the outside.
This is only a public announcement, please return to the regular thread. Thank you.

Actually, that was very usefull information. Thank you very much!

 

[Willowbilly3]

I have to agree on looks, most radials look out of place on an open wheeled car. But then a skinney old bias ply tire on a hotrodded 350 chevy engine seems pretty goofy to me too. Why have a lot of horsepower and a 3 1/2 inch wide tread?
A 6.50x15 and a 7.50x16 were truck tires back in the day. Most cars had went to 15s by the late 40s. A 6.00x16 was about the biggest 16 most cars ever came with.
The bias ply nylon tires thump because the get a flat spot from sitting and it takes a while for them to get back to round after you start driving. This condition is worse the heavier the vehicle is and the colder the weather.

 

[blacksheep]

I justpulled the 35 model wire wheels off my truck last week. I installed steelies with radials, and the truck handles 100% better than before. I think the narrow 16 r's were kind of grabbing every little ripple in the road. But, I still liked the looks of the bias ply tires though.

 

[donsrods]

Radials on an open wheel car just don't look right, and most times are downright ugly. Face it, you are building a hot rod for driveability AND looks, otherwise you could just roll in a KIA. I've been running bias tires cross country for many years with no more problems or woes than radials. Run a 6.00-16 up front and 7.50-16 on the rear. You won't regret it.

Thats almost the exact answer i was looking for
Cept im building a rat rod, not a hot rod
__________________________________________________________________

Regardless of if you call it a hot rod or a rat rod, IMO I agree with Blue Eyed Devil, without fenders radials just don't look right. However, Coker has now introduced Excelsior Tires that are radials that look like bias plies. Some people feel they are too expensive ($ 200+ a tire) but any good tires are going to cost money. The slicks on the back of my 23 are over $ 300 each as an example.

As for bias ply problems, that is all I have run forever and as long as the car is in alignment they last just as well as radials. When I started restoring my 27 I pulled the back tires off that I had on there for 20 years. Still had good tread and they had been smoked a lot. I only replaced them because it is suicide to run on 20 year old tires, regardless of how they look. As for thumping, must be a cold weather issue as I don't see that here in Florida.

Don

 

[BigIrish]

I have a little of the thumping issue on my speedster b/c I have inexpensive nylon cord tires and it sits for a couple weeks at a time. To get around it, I go out the night before and push it a foot or so to get the tires on a new spot. A slight hassle yes, but solves the problem.

 

[ratdog]

I was under the impression that the 6.50 or 7.50 number is the section hight,since you take that times two and add rim diameter to get overall tire diameter on bias ply"s.

 

[CowboyUP]

Thats expensive? Haha my other hobby is wheeling and for my 33x12.5x15" swampers I paid $1,320 after shipping and taxes, etc. That's around $330/tire for four. I guess everyone has a different perspective on what is expensive for what product.

On the note about that you're building a rat, I am too. I dot car what everyone else thinks of it, but I care that I like the looks. I would suggest jut comparing sizes, compare the look of a bias to a radial, etc and see what it is that you like. As far as reliability, I'm not a tire expert nor have I run bias, so I can't tell you.

Thats almost the exact answer i was looking for
Cept im building a rat rod, not a hot rod
__________________________________________________________________

Regardless of if you call it a hot rod or a rat rod, IMO I agree with Blue Eyed Devil, without fenders radials just don't look right. However, Coker has now introduced Excelsior Tires that are radials that look like bias plies. Some people feel they are too expensive ($ 200+ a tire) but any good tires are going to cost money. The slicks on the back of my 23 are over $ 300 each as an example.

Don

 

[Gastrick]

I think ill look at some 7.50's in person to get an idea on the actual size. I was just wanting a little wider on the rear.

My 7.50X16 Firestones are 31 inches tall. If you are still talking bias ply but want a wider tire, take a look at the dirt track tires. Same diameter but a litttle wider.

 

[Willowbilly3]

My 7.50X16 Firestones are 31 inches tall. If you are still talking bias ply but want a wider tire, take a look at the dirt track tires. Same diameter but a litttle wider.

I love the look of those. I have found some Cooper mud and snow radials that have a similar look with the square edge. Not as tall tho.

 

[jmlcolorado]

Well, my new toy is going to require me to get a little larger tire in the rear. Picked up a build and balanced 69 chev 350. Pretty dang excited about this find.

 

[Crossfire]

Tire size

With the width of that rim you aren"t going to be able to run much wider tires . I can understand the want for wider tires on rear,you might just have to find some wider wheels to get what you want,what kind of rearend are you using and how wide are you wanting to go?