16" to 19" wheels
 

My 30 tudor has a set of 16" wheels and firestone tires, but he also tossed in a good set of stock 19" wheels with firestones. If I switch to the 19" will I notice a big difference in the ride or steering? Any advantage to running either size?
Thanks.

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

I have no first hand experience with 16", but from my understanding they give a lot better ride.

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

If you drive your A at low speeds and on good roads without ruts, the 19s are great for this use , IMO.
It you drive fairly high speed and long distances (as in touring) , I'd go with the 16s. Of course this takes for granted that all tires on both sets of rims are in good condition, eh !

My reasoning is that the wider 16 tires are easier to replace if need be and/or emergency, that is.... available. The 19s are great looking /original and thin, therefore follow road irregularities easier than 16s. Also, unless you carry good spare(s), you may have a time getting replacements to you in emergency. I like the extra braking surfaces that the 16 provides over 19s. What is great here, IMO, is that you have BOTH sets to change back/forth as your mood/circumstances dictate :)

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

If you notice much difference you are more sensitive than I am. The 19" rims look better to me.

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

If your 16" wheels have modern radial tires on them, they will certainly give a better ride.

Ron

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

I started out with 16s, fitted with Firestone 6.00-16s and switched to 19s and like the ride and gearing it entails much better.

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

19" correct but for a better ride, bigger print on the ground , 205-80- 8ply radials are the way to go. you don,t lose any gearing either. make sure they are 8ply fitted to toyota utes & nissen couple of years ago. tried normal ply radials & vehicle was all over the road, too soft in side walls of which you dont get on stockers , my old delivery sits as nice at 120K,s as a modern.At last national rally in NZ 35% ran them on the 16" 1935 v8 rims, 19" for show , 16" for go.

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

Need to think about how many more RPMS at the same speed you will be running with the 16".

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

I agree with George and would want a faster ratio or overdrive if I went to a smaller tire. The Model A has a long stroke (4.25") and runs best at speeds of 2200 RPM or less. Even my 1950 Studebaker with a 4" stroke and overdrive (final ratio with OD is 3.19) kicked in sounds plenty wound out at 55 MPH.

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

appearance or comfort-to each his/her own...............

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

I hate to be the one to correct the Master, but...
The size/diameter of the wheels themselves has little to do with this. What you need to look at is the rolling radius of the tires fitted to the wheels. My figures show that 6.50-16 tires generically have about the same rolling radius as 4.50/5.00x19. Individual makes will vary. You need to study a Coker catalog to choose tires that match in rolling radius.
Fearless

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

Switching back to 19's will make it feel like you have power steering. I drove my 32 with 16" Dunlop radials for 15 years. I have switched back to 18" with new Firestones and I like it. Good springs, Stipe shocks and tight steering components all help, of course.

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

16s will make your Model A look funny. Stick with the 19s. Nineteen inch radials are available.

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

If you go with the 19's be sure to look into the high quality tubes that Bratton's has available.

Charlie Stephens

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

yes the Brattons tubes are well worth the extra few bucks.. they are made to there specs and are not available thru other venders.

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

which 19's you choose makes a difference in the feel too. The Goodyears feel best, almost the same as radial 16's. I use 16's for touring, as they are less expensive, corner and stop better and last longer, but I put the 19's on for local use and club meets as they make the car look more original.

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

My 29 Sport Coupe has 16's and it rides well on them, I also like the look it provides :)

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

If you do go with 16", they are a very narrow wheel. If you used bigger 16" tires to get the conference right. They will be pinched on the rim.

Here is a picture of my 30 pickup with 16" tires. They are smaller than 19", but I'm running a F150 4 speed which has over drive.

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

Glenn above says that radials in 19 inch are available but where. I have been looking and cannot find them, and what size 19's do you recommend.

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

The rolling diameter of the stock tire and wheel combinations for 16", 17" 18" and 19" wheels are about the same, so there is no advantage / disadvantage to the engine rpm while driving.

The 16", 17" and 18" wheels with stock size tires give a much smoother ride than the stock 19" and 21" wheels because of the wider tires and larger tire sidewall height.

I run 18" (1932) wheels on my Coupe, and the improvement in ride smoothness is dramatically better. The 18" wheels also look better than the 16" and 17" wheels. Steering effort is higher with the later year wheels, so use a shortened Pittman arm.

Another excellent feature of the later Ford wire wheels is that the hub caps are readily removable, so wheel balancing is easy on modern balancing equipment

For you folks with Maroon cars, the 1932 18" wheels with the stock 1932 cream color is a spectacular combination.

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

I ran 16 inch bias ply years ago,on my 29 ccpu,found steering a little harder,I believe the rims were 35 ford,also 50 merc 15 inch rims will fit.

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

That is simply untrue. All you need to do is visit my A's Web page and get a visual on this.

http://www.californiaclassix.com/Ber...comp-thumb.jpg

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

You have both sets of wheels and tires? Then you are in a better position than I am to be able to judge the difference. Go out for a drive with various road conditions, note how it feels, switch tires and do it again and report back to us.

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

Coker sells an Excelsior Stahl Sport radial in 19 inch sizes. I know of one A with them, it drives really well, corners and stops great. at this point they have about 15K on them with lots of tread left. They're not cheap, but he figured of they go 30K miles the cost per mile will be roughly the same as bias tires, which last about 12-14K

https://www.cokertire.com/tires/bran...rt-radial.html

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

When I was in the garage today I check my 16" tires on my 30 truck and a new 19" on a wheel. The 19" was 95" around the tire. The 16" was 89 1/2 around the tire. So this means ever time the tire goes around the 19" goes 5 1/2 " inches more. So to me that is not about the same for both sizes.

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

Thanks for all the replies. I think that I will check out the 19" wheels and tires and if all looks good, I will put them on to see if there is a big difference in handling. I assume that the lug nuts will fit either size wheel.

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

I've always prefered original wheels on an original car. Wheels & tires that don't have the same height as original will have a gear ratio changing effect. When 600 16 tires are used, RPMs will increase and top speed will be reduced.

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

Lug nuts will fit either wheel. Both will bolt onto your mechanical brake drums. If you have converted to hydraulics you will need an adapter.

Charlie Stephens

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

The car has juice brakes, so I hope that there is adapters on there. The 16" wheels were on it when I bought the car.

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

They are frequently left off. Here is what they are and why they are needed: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/t.../#post-8330045 Be sure to check the next time you have a wheel off.

Charlie Stephens

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

This past summer I installed Excelsior 500R19 blackwall on my 31 Slant Window sedan and what a Hugh difference in the driving characteristics. I also have a 31 Roadster (Garage Queen) with year old bias ply tires and when I drive that car it rides softer but grabs every crack in the road, I feel much more comfortable with the radials. This car is my daily driver, so far this year have logged on over 10K so this old bucket of bolts is no way a garage queen! and with much use I really do know the difference. :)

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

re. George Miller's post and see photo. Picture of the PU in the middle of the 19's, tells the tale...

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

go to http://tire-size-conversion.com/tire-size-calculator/

to compare two tire sizes for specs incld rolling radius. many modern truck spares have a smaller rim size put with a higher profile tire to match the others. the same idea goes with a mini spare to provide equal rolling radius...

Re: 16" to 19" wheels
 

When I said that the lug nuts will fit either wheel in an earlier post I should have cautioned that if you are using the Model A lug nuts (with the enclosed acorn top) you need to be sure the lug bolts on the hydraulic brake drums are not too long and the nuts bottom on the on the lug bolt before they secure the wheel.

Charlie Stephens