How 550x19 radials look on a 29 Town Sedan

[steve s]

Several people asked me to post photos when I got the 5.50R19 tires installed, so here they are, along with before shots of some previous tires I've used (sorry for mislabeling in thread title). I think they look a tad big if you study them, but don't jump out at you as being off. They really do make a difference when driving over ruts and cracks, etc. that normally wrest control of the steering from the driver. Also, I was pleasantly surprised at how quiet they are considering the clunky looking tread pattern.

On the down side, they cost a bunch, and the valve stems on the recommended tubes really are too long, and there's no doubt that they're not as sharp as the whitewalls.

The first shot compares height of mounted radials and worn 21" Firestones. The radials shots can be identified by the 19" hubcapped wheels. Other tires shown are Firestones, Universals, Sears (all 21") and 16" tires it had on when I bought it in 1960.

[Tacoma Bob]

MMMM looks pretty darn good.

[Bob-A]

Ditto what Tacoma Bob says..! I'm going to be needing new tires for my '31 roadster. In the not to far distant future. I was going to run 18" '32 wheels with radials, but now I'm not to sure....... Thanks for the pics!


Bob-A

[J Franklin]

Maybe they would look more appropriate on a 1930-'31 car, but certainly better than 16" tires on a '28 or '29.

[steve s]

Originally Posted by Bob-A

Ditto what Tacoma Bob says..! I'm going to be needing new tires for my '31 roadster. In the not to far distant future. I was going to run 18" '32 wheels with radials, but now I'm not to sure....... Thanks for the pics!
Bob-A

I haven't driven them a lot yet, but I sure don't see any reason to go from your original 19" wheels if you can go with these radials. I would seriously consider getting the customized tube stems, as discussed on previous "radials" threads. You'd need to get them (tubes) from Coker, but could still get tires with free shipping from Summit.

[Lona]

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Steve,
I'm also thinking about changing tires to 19" radials but my wife loves whitewalls on her '31 roadster. In your research, were you able to find any source for white walls or is black the only thing available?

Glen

[steve s]

Originally Posted by Lona

Steve,
I'm also thinking about changing tires to 19" radials but my wife loves whitewalls on her '31 roadster. In your research, were you able to find any source for white walls or is black the only thing available?

Glen

Black was it. Someone reported talking to an authority figure at the company who said they had no plans to make the whitewall. Too bad.

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by steve s

Several people asked me to post photos when I got the 5.50R19 tires installed, so here they are... I think they look a tad big if you study them, but don't jump out at you as being off.

Did you consider getting the 5.00R19? Do they make a 5.00R21? so you could use your original wheels?

Actually I like the way your car looks with these tires. But you need to paint your wheel weights black (or use Dina-Beads and remove the weights if that is an option).

[Bikerider58]

Not a radial, but Lester makes a 525/550 -19 with 3-7/8 WW.

So, 1/2 inch wider with a modern tread pattern. Should be more stable at speed, but harder to turn slow.

Anyone with experience with the Lester tire; 475/500 or 525/550?

[steve s]

Originally Posted by Y-Blockhead

Did you consider getting the 5.00R19? Do they make a 5.00R21? so you could use your original wheels?

Actually I like the way your car looks with these tires. But you need to paint your wheel weights black (or use Dina-Beads and remove the weights if that is an option).

I agonized a long time about going with 5.00 or 5.50 radials. I was particularly leary of the 5.50 since both tires' specs call for a much wider wheel than the Model A has. In the end, I went with 5.50R19 since (1) I could not find a single user-report of the 5.00, (2) there were numerous satisfied user reports for the 5.50, and (3) the diameter of the 5.50 is pretty close to that of my 21" Firestones.

THere are no 21" radials made for the Model A wheel. A 21' radial is available, but it is huge--don't know what it was intended for.

[CarlG]

One of the ladies in our club opted for the 500R19's on her 31 Sedan (don't remember if it's 2 or 4 door). She loves them as do I with my 550R19's on my pickup. The 500's actually look small on her car, but that's probably because I'm use to looking at my 550's.

[Y-Blockhead]

Do you happen to know the diameter of them. I think they are a nice looking tire (even tho they are out of my budget at the moment).

[steve s]

Originally Posted by Y-Blockhead

Do you happen to know the diameter of them. I think they are a nice looking tire (even tho they are out of my budget at the moment).

Here's some data I gathered, mostly a few years ago. I've noticed there are some unexplained discrepancies among various websites' data, so I can't vouch for these numbers. I've shown both sets of data I found for the 19" Goodyears. Also, there is the problem of effective rolling diameter when the tire is on the car. My new radials do seem to settle down a bit more than the old Firestones, but not as much as I expected for radials. I couldn't think of a good way to show the loaded tires next to the unloaded. The 1st shot in my sequence above, showing 3 tires stacked together is the best I could do.

Sorry, gang, the only way I could figure out to get the table to display in a legible size was to save it as a pdf.

[Lance in St Louis]

Bikerider58,
I have Lester 4.75/500 19 inch tires. I bought them in 2005. I have about 8,500 miles on them. They have lots of tread left, ride very nice, whitewalls stayed white and mine are stamped Made in USA. I would consider buying them again.


Lance