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'41 Tires

Started by Ralph Messina CLC 4937, July 23, 2010, 03:49:11 PM

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Ralph Messina CLC 4937

I’m helping a new member with tires for a ’41 convertible sedan. He’d intends to drive it and is considering something like Diamond Back radials. Would someone please advise on the following items:

Will tubeless radials work on ’41 rims?
Will the front end set up have to be adjusted?
What is the correct width whitewall for ’41. I’ve scaled original factory photos and the WW appears to be approximately 3+”. The tire company is recommending 41/8” WW which seems more appropriate to ’49 vehicles, again based on factory photos.

Thanks,
Ralph
1966 Fleetwood Brougham-with a new caretaker http://bit.ly/1GCn8I4
1966 Eldorado-with a new caretaker  http://bit.ly/1OrxLoY
2018 GMC Yukon

Bob Hoffmann CLC#96

Ralph,
Here are my answers.
Tubeless radials will work.
The front end will need adjustment.
The correct width is 3 + ".  I should have never let that original US Royal spare get away.
DON'T put the 4+ " WW's on . They are 49 era as you know.
HTH, Bob
1968 Eldorado slick top ,white/red interior
2015 Holden Ute HSV Maloo red/black interior.
             
Too much fun is more than you can have.

35-709

Hi Ralph,
I'm with Bob.  My "modified" '41 60 Special did just fine with radials on the original wheels.  You might try Googling something like Wheel alignment with radials.  With radials on a car that had conventional construction tires a little positive caster (1/4 to 1/2 degree positive) is desirable as I remember, they normally had a little negative caster.
Geoff N.

Just did the Google thing myself ---
from this site --- http://www.familycar.com/alignment.htm   comes the following ----

Caster

Positive caster improves straight line tracking because the caster line (the line drawn through the steering pivot when viewed from the side) intersects the ground ahead of the contact patch of the tire. Just like a shopping cart caster, the wheel is forced behind the pivot allowing the vehicle to track in a straight line.

If this is the case, then why did most cars have negative caster specs prior to 1975 ? There are a couple of reasons for this. In those days, people were looking for cars that steered as light as a feather, and cars back then were not equipped with radial tires. Non-radial tires had a tendency to distort at highway speed so that the contact patch moved back past the centerline of the tire (Picture a cartoon car speeding along, the tires are generally drawn as egg-shaped). The contact patch generally moves behind the caster line causing, in effect, a positive caster. This is why, when you put radial tires on this type of car, the car wanders from side to side and no longer tracks straight. To correct this condition, re-adjust the caster to positive and the car should steer like a new car.
1935 Cadillac Sedan resto-mod "Big Red"
1973 Cadillac Caribou - Sold - but still in the family
1950 Jaguar Mark V Saloon resto-mod - Sold
1942 Cadillac 6269 - Sold
1968 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible - Sold
1950 Packard 2dr. Club Sedan
1935 Glenn Pray - Auburn Boattail Speedster, Gen. 2

Ralph Messina CLC 4937

Bob & Geoff,

Thanks for your help. I appreciate your knowledge of this era car and you’ve confirmed much of what I suspected.

I purchased belted tires for my ’66 from the only reproduction supplier available. They look fine but ride like s@#!t. I drove on 60’s tires in the day and don’t remember them being this lumpy. I have no experience with Diamond Backs. Would someone please advise on their product? Feel free to write me off line if you want your comments confidential. (Click on my name in the upper left for my e-mail address)

Thanks,
Ralph
1966 Fleetwood Brougham-with a new caretaker http://bit.ly/1GCn8I4
1966 Eldorado-with a new caretaker  http://bit.ly/1OrxLoY
2018 GMC Yukon

Jeff Maltby 4194

#4
 Oem 700.15 US Royal Air Ride WW tire.
Jeffo 49er chapter

CLC 1985
Honda Gold Wing GL1500

TonyZappone #2624

I have the Diamond back on the '41 60S, the 47 convert and the 58 convert.  I went out and measured the white wall and it is 3.5 inches from the wheel out.  Talk to Bill at Diamond, there were a couple of options as I recall.  There was a Japanese tire he uses that is not quite as wide, which would probably be more authentic for the '41.  I chose the less expensive wider tire, which has worked out fine on all three cars.  At the time, the raised edge on the whitewall was a ten or fifteen dollar option, that I wanted and paid for.  Some of my friends have had some trouble with brown spots on the whitewalls after a period of time, I have not.  These wider tires sometimes rub on the skirt, ever so slightly.  I found the spot where the tires were hitting, and ground a small spot on the skirt edge off with the bench grinder (horrors).  These cars are driven a lot, the '41 on two thousand mile tours, and the other two probably more than most people use their cars, with no problems.
Tony Zappone, #2624
1936 Pierce-Arrow conv sed
1947 Cadillac Conv cpe
1958 Cadillac conv
2016 Cadillac CT6 Platinum
2022 Chrysler Pacifica Pinnacle

Bill Ingler #7799

Diamond sells a radial tire that is very close to the size of the original 700 x 15 bias tire on the 41. I think the only difference is size,  1/8 inch wider on the radial width than the original 700x15 bias. I did not have any rub problems on the 41 nor have I had any on my 47 which as some of you know, has close clearence on the skirts.  Diamond uses a Yokohama Light Truck Radial 215 for their 700R15. The option that Tony refers too is what is known as a beauty ring or rub ring which goes around the outer edge of the white wall. The 700R15 white wall looks so much better with the beauty ring than without. Pay the extra for the beauty ring, you won`t regret it. See page 19 in their catalog on the 700R15 radial.

http://www.dbtires.com/2010_catalog/2010catalog_hi.pdf