Sidemount Covers - Tight Fit

[WHSEWARD]

My 39 Series 90 Sedan came with 4 new 7.50 x 16" Lester Tires on the wheels plus two old 7.00 x 16's in the sidemount wells. The covers fit those, and I understand 7.00 x 16's are standard on the Roadmasters, but the Limiteds take the larger size. The tubes in the old spares were shot so I bought a new 7.50 x 16" Lester and some new tubes and had two tubes installed today, one in the Lester and one in the best old 7.00 x 16 spare. When I went to put the tires back in the sidemount wells, the old 7.00 x 16 fit OK but the Lester didn't - I got the covers over it but the pull ring on the back doesn't go down as far as the fender edge like it did on the smaller tire.

Have any of you folks had this problem? I have heard that it is (was) common practice to let most of the air out of the spares while storing them and to fully inflate them after pulling them out of the wells. I can certainly do that but I wanted to get some opinions first. The sidemount covers came with the car but the old spares look like they have been with the car since the 70's - they are Goodyear 6-plys and as I said they are 7.00 x 16's.

I'd welcome any comments or experience you may have on Series 90 sidemount covers.

Thanks,

[50jetback]

Bill,

sounds like the covers are from another model so I think your only choices are to source original size covers for your limited or carry two 16/700 tyres as spares.

I have a similar issue with my 34 Series 40. I am running 16/650 tyres but original on that car are 16/625, a size no longer available. The 16/650 tyres wont take the side mount covers so I had to use a couple of 16/600 tyres as spares. I couldn't come up with any easy solution to fit the covers on the larger tyres, even deflating them wouldn't work, besides what's the use of a flat spare!!!

Edited January 23, 2010 by 50jetback (see edit history)

[trp3141592]

I have heard that it is (was) common practice to let most of the air out of the spares while storing them and to fully inflate them after pulling them out of the wells.

Hi Bill,

I had the same problem here with the '37 Roadmonster and the correct 700-16 spare tires in the fenders. My covers are known to be correct for the car. I found that I could remove the covers easily enough, but they would not re-install over the inflated tires.

My solution was partly what you had heard from the grapevine. I deflated the spares, easily installed the covers, and then re-inflated the spares in place. Obviously the valve stems have to be correctly lined up with the covers in order to be able to inflate the tires in place.

I pragmatically carry a "real" spare in the trunk. However, as the covers ARE removable over the inflated sidemounts, I could use them also if necessary.

I consider this all to be a very small inconvenience in light of the absolutely GLORIOUS appearance of the dual fender-mounted spares. They are real head-turners! I bought the Roadmonster 30 years ago largely because I saw it as being "art on wheels." I would not have bought the car had it not been equipped with the sidemounts.

--Tom

[TexRiv_63]

Bill,

I had the same problem with Lester tires when I got my Cadillac, the spares inside the covers were completely deflated but the covers were still stuck and a bear to remove. I was told part of the problem is that the repro tires of today are actually larger that the originals even though the size listing is the same. I also wonder if the more "modern" design of the Lesters has something to do with it. I have bought new Firestones which are a match to the original design but have not yet mounted them so we'll see. If the covers won't fit I will just leave them off but that is really not an option for your car.

[Guest outlaw car man]

Bill-

I/m running Denman 750 X 17 on my 90 & Firestone 700 X 17 in the wells.

The covers are a tight fit, but work . I left 5 # in the tires and got the covers on, but still need to mess with the latches a bit when it gets warm out.

I've been told the newer tires are sized bigger then original.

I might try the total deflate trick, install, then re- inflate.

Sandy Jones

Colorado

[egor]

I don't have sidemounts, but this is an interesting thread. I'm thinking, if you have to put the tires in the fenders deflated, wouldn't you have to deflate them again to get them out? Sounds like you need to carry one of those high-end 12V compressors the off-roaders use, along with a 12V battery, to re-inflate a spare if you get a flat. Of course, if your car has after-the-fact sidemounts, you'd have a place in the trunk for a seventh wheel....

[50jetback]

My solution was partly what you had heard from the grapevine. I deflated the spares, easily installed the covers, and then re-inflated the spares in place. Obviously the valve stems have to be correctly lined up with the covers in order to be able to inflate the tires in place.

--Tom

Had a friend do this with a sidemount on a Desoto. Obviously the sidemount cover wasn't as well made as a Buick cover but he managed to split it apart as he inflated the tyre!!!

Not sure I'd be game to try inflating a tyre in a cover that was known to be too tight!

[WHSEWARD]

Hi, everyone:

This is apparently a situation not unique to Buicks, and I appreciate all your replies. Perhaps the secret is the "oversizing" of the repro tires. Anyway, I did a workaround for now...I went back to the guy that mounted the Lester for me and got the old tire. Now one well has the 7.00 x 16 with the new tube, the other has the old tire, no wheel, and the sidemount covers (suitably tied down of course). The new Lester and wheel - in the trunk!!!

Thanks again for the interest. Would it be worthwhile to feed some of these issues on oversize back to the manufacturers, or has this already been done?

[TexRiv_63]

Bill,

That sounds like a good plan as you have a useable spare. Putting deflated tires inside the covers would work for a show only car but mine is a driver and I want both spares useable! Even without the covers I could only inflate the Lesters to 30 psi, any more and they would not fit in the fenderwells. One other note, inflating the tire inside a too-tight cover could damage the tire, the ones I removed from my covers had permanent dents and tread deformation from the inner parts of the cover.

[West Peterson]

Just adding to what has already been said. Yes, the repo tires of certain sizes are larger than what is written on the side. That is because they're using one mold for two different "sizes" of tires, only changing the writing on the sidewall.

I do the same thing as also mentioned, using two original (and I mean ORIGINAL) spares in the sidemount carriers. My car has four over-sized tires on the ground, so on the occasion that I have a flat tire, the cover won't fit over the tire even when it's flat.

[eric_b_1937]

Did you try to adjust the sidemount bracket arm to provide more clearance?

[Fred Rawling]

On 1934 and 35 90 series Buicks you have the same problem. There was a service buettin (I think that I mis-spelled that) that told of a fix for the 60 series cars with a note that the fix for the larger series would follow. Aparently it never did.

One solution is to move the latch closer to the edge of the sidemount cover.