VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1933-1936 Tires

Hello!
Where can i best buy tires to my Chevrolet standard-35 there in USA.
Thanks

Cooker Tire. They have ads in most auto magazinez.

Just in case there's any confusion.....

Click here..... Coker Tire

Big web site..... it can take a few moments to load.

Bill.

Does anybody know when whitewalls became available? Most all the original pictures I see from the mid-30s show blackwall tires.

1939 was the first year Chevrolet offered white walls as an option.Prior to that the dealer would have installed them.Luxery cars offered whie walls long before that.

Coker offers several different brands of tires.I prefer either the Goodrich or Firestone brands that they sell.May cost a few $$ more but look better.

Randy:
I put the Coker Firestones on my '35 and they have been fine. I can't recall your exact model, but if you have a rear mounted spare (as on my Coach) the Firestones (and maybe others) do not fit inside the metal tire cover. The new replacements must be a little fatter than the originals even though the size (5.50-5.75 x 17) is as original.
Very perplexing!

Coach

Same on my '34-Firestone is a little larger and one heck of a time geeting the tire cover to close.Didn't have this problem with my first set of Denmans.The Goodrich may be a little better in this respect.
Note that the original size for a Standard was 5.25 so the Standard tire cover was designed for a smaller tire is even tighter.

As Chev Nut mentioned, whitewall tires were available prior to 1939 as an aftermarket item installed by the dealer. However, keep in mind that the whitewall tires up until the mid-1930's were double whitewall (whitewalls on both sides of the tire), not single.

we have been driving on a set of the goodrich tires from coker for a couple years now and they still look great...ride and handling is nice enough that I don't even think about the fact that they aren't radials...


epi

Might try Diamond Back Classic Radials
www.dbtires.com E-mail:wwtires@sccoast.net

Coker sells two different whitewall tires. One is just called "whitewall", the other is called "double whitewall". Does that refer to the width of the stripe?

See the JYD post above. Double means whitewall on both sides.

I guess that explains why they cost so much more. $200 ea for double whitewalls, $130 ea for single.

For tires in the 600x16 range, is it worth the extra $ to buy radials for the improved ride??? M.H.

Not on my book but some think so.In switching back and forth from bias to radials and back again (on a 1950 with 6.70X15) I found the radials to make more noise on tar lines,etc,ride firmer,steer harder in parking, and make more tire noise in general.They did help the steering on rough roads and not following lines,etc.

When I take it to Colorado in July I will be running bias tires.

Certainly not a good idea to 'disagree' with Chev Gene, but on this matter I do.

Putting Coker 'wide white' radials on my '54 years ago when they were first available was the best thing I ever did with/for the car.

Nearly unbelievable difference in drive-ability. Especially on the highway but also for all other use. The only area not improved is parallel parking. It's about like parking any 'old' Chevy prior to PS. I can go a year or two in between parallel parking downtown; maybe others do so more often.

A point you may need/want to consider: As I understand it, radials are not accepted in judging. Seat belts are. Both are obvious 'safety' improvements. But radials are not accepted. On the other hand, adding seat belts which totally disfigure a nice original or restored interior are accepted. Someone with NO aesthetic eye OK'ed that!!!

Ten years, next month, of radials. 19 years of bias ply. Same car. That's a lot of experience. And, I couldn't be more convinced. But, it also should be noted, that's my opinion.

Bill.

Thats the other problem with radials.After 10 years they can throw off the tread and do a lot of damage to the car.I have never seen or heard of this happening with bias.
The bias on my cars average almost 20 years old per car...would not trust radials at highway speed at that age.
With a good tight front end the bias will go down the road pretty good.
Bill and I can agree to disagree :) :)

Dang.

Chev Gene, you should be a politician. You are a smooth-tongued feller!! You can tell a guy he's wrong and make him think you're saying something nice about him!!



Bill.

I'm with Gene on this one...I am "biased" too. On the earlier cars I think the radials would change the overall appearance of the car too much. On a newer car radials are more difficult to detect at a quick glance. My bias ply tires go down the road just fine and besides, I'm not driving fast down the twisty lanes or ripping down the highway at 70 mph. Must be that darn stump-puller 4:11 rear end!

Coach

If i have understand right the 1935 chevrolet orginal tires have not whitewall tires.
Do you there in USA put whitewall tires under your 1939 and older cars??
I ask because i will have my car 100% orginaly.

The white wall tires are accepted in VCCA judging.About 50 percent of the 1932-36 cars shown at our meets have them.Most important is the correct tire size and all five being of the same brand(and size) .In 1935 chevrolet installed both Goodrich and US Royal tires.Neither are available in the original 1935 tread design (US Royal not available in 17").Generally the brand does not affect judging but I prefer the name brands that were installed when new.

To be 100 percent correct black tires only would have been on your car when it left the factory.

To back track just a little. The newer 525/550X 17 tires are well known not to fit in the '35 Standard tire cover. I discovered the perfect solution in the form of a Dunlap 475/500X17 tire, apparently proper for some British cars. I ordered one from (?) and found that it fits the 35 STD tire cover perfectly. It must duplicate closely the originally supplied 525X17 tire.
I suppose these Dunlaps could be used instead of the usuall 525/550X17 tires currently available, however we are so accustom to seeing the larger tires that they would appear anemic.

M Bancroft AKA Professor38

According to the 29-42 Master Parts Price List, the '35-'36 Standard had a tire size of 5.25 x 17 and the '35-'36 Master had a tire size of 5.50 x 17. Looking at the tires available from Coker under 525/550-17, both Goodrich and Firestone are listed. The Goodrich tires are listed as 5.25 cross section and 28.13 diameter, while the Firestone are listed as 5.91 cross section and 29.02 diameter. So there's clearly a size difference here. Which Brand would be more "correct" for the Standard (the Goodrich?) and which brand for the Master?

The Goodrich would be most close to the original 5.50 size.The Firestone is somewhat oversized.
I have the Firestones on my '34 and they have a nice full look without being oversized looking.The 1934-36 Master sedans were some what overweight cars and need the little extra tire.
The 6.00 X 17 was the optional oversize for Masters.With the modern tires the 6.00 and 6.50 sizes are combined in the 17" sizes and way too fat.
The Master spare tire cover barely closes with the Firestones.The Standard tire cover probably would barely close with the Goodrich on a '35 Standard.
The white walls stay nice and white on either brand.

I hope the Goodrich tires from Coker fit in the spare tire cover on my 35 Master - I took ChevGene's recommendation several weeks ago. The tires, by the way have 5:50 - 17 4-plu LD on them, even tho the Coker catalog calls them 5:25/5:50 - 17. What means LD? If anyone is truly worried about these fitting in a Master spare tire cover, I could go out the the barn (cold right now without furnace running) and check.

:confused: