Tire Brand and Correct White Wall Width 1959 Skyliner

[billboos]

New to forum and could not find newer posts for this subject. If one exists, would appreciate being pointed to it so I don't have to start a new thread needlessly.
The newly acquired '59 Skyliner's 800 x 14 tires are old and cracked and I have no idea if whitewall width is correct for the period. I definitely want radials and think I want bias look radial tires but would like your opinions. My questions are:

1)What source and brand is currently the best

2)Is 800R14 correct or is there a metric conversion size that matches it

3)What is the correct whitewall width. The car will not be judged, but I don't want a 1 inch stripe if 2 1/2 or 3 1/4" was correct

4)Are bias look radials the way to go or is there a technical downside to running those reproductions for appearance sake

5)Any other tips that I may be overlooking

Any and all advice based on your experience or opinion will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance, Bill

[droptopford]

Welcome to the Skyliner forum Bill.

I'm running Coker Classics P215 75R14 with 2-1/2 inch white wall. When I bought them (in 2010), they were the closest thing to 'correct' in size and WW width available in a radial tire.

I opted for radial tires because I like the way they handle better than bias ply tires and I am happy with that aspect. They look nice and the white walls haven't faded or spotted the way an earlier set (of non-Cokers) did.

Biggest problem I have though, is with the actual dimensions of the tire. Even the tallest profile radial does not offer the same overall diameter of the bias ply tire. The speedometer shows a few MPH higher than actual speed. And the width of the radials is also a concern. Removing or replacing the rear tire/wheel assembly is nearly impossible. There is barely enough clearance between the lip of the quarter panel and the brake drum to slide the tires on and/or off. It's a real time consuming wrestling match in the driveway. I can't imagine trying to do it on the side of the road.

If there is something new out there with the handling of a radial and the actual, true dimensions of the original bias-ply tires, I'd be interested to learn about that too.

We'll both wait patiently for responses ;) . Things run a little slowly around here at times.

[billboos]

droptopford, thanks for the reply and heads-up on the P215 clearance issue. Do you know of a reference for the correct whitewall width. I want to get the closest.
These cars don't need tires very often so I'm not expecting a lot of replies. But I know there is someone out there sitting on a wealth of information.

[droptopford]

This is the chart I used when I bought my tires. https://www.cokertire.com/blog/tire-size-cross-reference

I believe the conversion info is as accurate as possible. As I said above though, there are size issues to be considered that aren't reflected in the charts.

There is a lot of product info on that site. As far as I can tell, this would be the most accurate replacement tire: https://www.cokertire.com/tires/750-14-coker-classic-2-1-4-whitewall-tire.html It's a bias ply tire though.

They do show a tire that is supposedly a radial tire that looks like an original bias ply. https://www.cokertire.com/tires/american-classic-670r15-2-3-4-inch-whitewall.html

If they make that one in a 14 inch tire, I can't find it.

[59 Retract]

I have been using the radial tire that looks like a bias ply from Coker for about 7 years now with no problems on my '59.. Size is 800X14R. I believe these have the correct white wall size of 2 1/4 inches. Pretty expensive though. I Like the ride much better than the bias ply tires that I previously had. If you run with the top down a lot, the rears ride better with a little more air in them like 35 or 36 lbs. Hope this helps.

[droptopford]

I have been using the radial tire that looks like a bias ply from Coker for about 7 years now with no problems on my '59.. Size is 800X14R. I believe these have the correct white wall size of 2 1/4 inches. Pretty expensive though. I Like the ride much better than the bias ply tires that I previously had. If you run with the top down a lot, the rears ride better with a little more air in them like 35 or 36 lbs. Hope this helps.

Thanks for that info! Gonna try those next time around.
I agree with running some extra PSI in the rears. I don't remember what the total weight-shift comes out to between top-up and top-down, but it's enough to make a noticeable difference. A little extra air seems to help.

[cokefirst]

I use the American Classic 800 X 14R radials on my Skyliner and some of my other Ford cars. I like them, but since they look like a bias ply tire, they also are not as good as a true radial. They are a wonderful compromise which allows you to have a tire that looks OE but has a much better drivability factor than those old style tires.