Another Tire Thread

[texas69truck]

I have looked over all the other threads but would like to get some additional insight. My truck will be all original frame, suspension etc and I am going for a "farm truck" look. I want the tires to be tall and skinny similar to a military or dirt track style (aggressive tread).

I found these on coker that I like but have a connect that I'm ordering tires through (wholesale pricing)

http://www.cokertire.com/900-16-fire...itary-ndt.html
http://www.cokertire.com/500-17-fire...bed-front.html
http://www.cokertire.com/400-12-fire...bed-front.html

So my question is....what size would the collective genius of this forum recommend? If anyone has a tire/wheel set up similar to what I'm talking about please post a pic!!! It would be nice to see if it actually looks like what I'm imagining in my head

-Travis

[mr48chev]

The dirt track ribbed tires are usually only run by guys with open wheel roadsters with the matching cross cut rear tires and are all together wrong for any truck. I don't think you want a 400-12 on your car anyhow as 12 inch rims won't fit your drums even if you find six lug 12 inch rims The Military style are what a guy would put on a restored WWII Jeep and not really what you want to drive down the road on.

Since you are in Texas you can probably go to a tire store that caters to Farm and ranch people and maybe a farm and ranch store and look for a set of what Texans call mud grips and then you would have have authentic "farm truck" tires.

[Divine 59]

LOL "mud grips" I haven't heard that term since I moved out of Texas. One other thing to consider about mud grips.... They are very noisy if you drive on paved roads. My truck had mud grips on the rear when I first got it years ago. Listening to that noise was fatiguing when I drove on FM roads. Just my two pennies.

[texas69truck]

I understand dirt track and military tires are not vehicle specific for what I'm doing. I just put them out there for a general idea of the style I'm looking at. I will not be running "mud grips" as I've had them before and they are noisy/wear quickly. I'm thinking more "all-terrain" style.

[mr48chev]

The grooved front runners are used on circle track vintage sprint cars and as I said some guys like them for their old style hot rods to give it a dirt track roadster look. They aren't tires you run on a truck by any stretch of the immigration. The military tread tires are a to each his own thing. Back years a go a lot of guys bought them from Army surplus and used them on their rigs so in that essence they would be authentic for what you want. A bit rat roddy by today's standards as they seem to favor military tread tires for some reason but authentic in that in the 50's and 60's farmers actually did run them on their trucks as they got them dirt cheap. Most farm guys would have run a set of street treads on the front and a set of "grips" (I'm married to a Texas Gal and Lived in McGregor for a number of years) on the back.

[OrrieG]

AD or TF, stock or modifed wheels? On my 59 I ran stock 16" wheels with 6.75 military type tread, then aggressive mud and snow tires. When I installed the 74 K10 drive train I ran 74 steel rims with the same at first. The originals never went fast enough to be a bother, but with the new drive train, freeway noise drove me nuts, as well as the harder ride. I switched to some all weather truck radials, shinny 225/75R16 to keep them under the fenders (see avatar), and loved them, no noise, softer ride. I drove it off road in snow, mud, etc. and never got in a situation where the tire was the limiting factor. Any aggressive tread is going to be somewhat noisey, even modern radials, its physics but for toodling around town not as noticable.

[imjeff]

The common stock tires I always ran back then were 7.50/16 mud grips on the rear and 7.50/16 highways on the front. That was close to stock size and fit in the wheel wells. You can probably get a metric equivalent radial all terrain anywhere.

[G&R's57GMC]

Not knowing the year of your truck I came up with these ...
http://www.cokertire.com/670-15-excelsior-black.html
http://www.cokertire.com/670-15-fire...blackwall.html
http://www.cokertire.com/popular-tir...blackwall.html
http://www.cokertire.com/popular-tir...wall-tire.html

They would most likely be what would have came on your truck as standard equipment.
The last one would have the look of old but with the drivability of a modern radial tire.

The tires you posted would most likely never have been used on the road on a regular basis, and may even be illegal for hi way use today.

[texas69truck]

OrrieG, Your avator is what I had in mind. Thank you! The truck is a 53 and stock as far as I know. Hopefully I will finish the brakes up this weekend and I can drop the motor in. Already went through suspension/steering. Replacing entire brake system and dropping in a 235 inline out of a 55. Also switching to 12volt.

[texas69truck]

G&R's57GMC : Thank you for the pictures and references. I have a buddy who buys tires direct from the manufacturer for his rental trailers so I will not be ordering through coker. Just trying to get the size/style correct before ordering since I cannot return.

[G&R's57GMC]

BTW Jeg's & Summit sell Cocker at a discount.

[OrrieG]

larger pic of the avatar and truck in use

[whitedog76]

What about these?

https://www.universaltire.com/truck-...transport.html

https://www.universaltire.com/truck-...r-traxion.html

They're made by STA tires, here in the U.S.

http://www.stausaonline.com/light-tr...r-traxion.html

They're about as farm truck as you can get.

[texas69truck]

Those look great! Thanks for all the pictures too

[mikec4193]

HI texastruck

I am just getting back into these trucks after a 2 year stint dabbling in Willys Jeeps but you cant get much more farm truck look than theses tires

http://walcks4wd.com/7-00x15-super-traction-tires.html

I think you can find them on ebay also...they are made in the USA I believe also.

I am going to be rebuilding a 1951 Chevy 1 ton farm truck and I want to keep it like it is...a farm truck...

These will take you thru just anything you can find. These are pretty period correct too....

Good luck in your search.

MikeC

[53 292]

Is this the style of tire you're going after? Seems to have been the standard mud tire back in the day.