Looking for advice

[tom1954]

I recently purchased a 1954 New Yorker. It is in need of 4 tires. Will the original wheels work well with tubeless tires? Better to go with belted or radial type tires? I am not planning any highway trips, just local type driving planned at this time but you never know when that could change. Give me some pros / cons / ideas, thanks for the input. Also willing to consider buying 4 used tires if anyone is selling some.

[Guest cookie72-79]

Your wheels will be just fine with tubeless tires. As a rule, radial tires give a better ride and do not try to follow the crown of the road or groves like bias ply tires. I think radials are the better choice IMHO. If you are looking to get into a wide whitewall, the radials are going to be considerably more expensive then bias ply. I went with bias for my 48 because of the price factor beings I wanted a very wide white wall, had it not been for that I would have much preferred radials.

[Bhigdog]

There are reports that radials are "flexier" and work the wheels too much resulting in lost hub caps and cracked wheels. Others disagree.................Bob

[Rusty_OToole]

A lot of the stress radials put on old wheels is because the tires are too wide for the old wheels. You want the skinniest radials you can get. Cheap tires are narrower than expensive ones. The narrowest tires I could find for my 51 DeSoto were Walmart Marshal 791 215/75R15. They are 2 1/2" narrower than name brand tires of the same nominal size. They are still better tires than anything available in 1948.

One other thing. Inspect your wheels closely. Do they have oval holes for the valves? The first tubeless tires used an oval valve and Chrysler was the first car to feature tubeless tires. There are special valves available or you can braze a washer inside the hole and use modern valves.

[61polara]

Rusty,

Do you have documentation on when Chrysler first went to tubeless tires? I thought there was an industry wide switch for the 1955 model year.

[28 Chrysler]

I ran tubeless radial tires on my 1954 New Yorker for years with out any problems ( 1975- 1989).

I ran them with about 38-40 psi to keep the handling more like the stock tires.

[NTX5467]

Chrysler was the first to adopt "safety rim" wheels, meaning the shape and configuration of the "bead area" of the wheel. This kept the tire from coming undone from the wheel during sharp,fast turns.

Radials DO have different harmonics in them than bias ply or bias-belted tires. Also, in some cases, they can seem to mask and somewhat tired front suspension (i.e., old rubber bushings), from what others have noted in other similar threads. But as with any older vehicle, the suspension bushings HAVE to be in good shape (compared to new items!) for the suspension to work "right". Same with steering linkage pivots and steering gear adjustments!

Remember, too, that we drove on bias-ply tires for ages before we could afford (or knew about) radial tires! Whatever characteristics the older tires had, we adjusted to them and "didn't know any better at the time". AND we drove on roads which were generally in worse condition when compared to more modern roads! We just went ahead like we knew what we were doing.

I think one issue with the earlier wheels is whether the inner section is welded or bradded to the outer rim section. Welded is best, which would be what tubeless tires also need.

Cooper Tire used to have a Trendsetter SE radial which had correct tread widths for 1960s cars. The P225/75R-14s I saw on a '66 Chrysler Newport gave it that little extra bit to look 100% correct, but with radials rather than the orig Goodyear Super Power Cushion bias plies which came on it. But they'll have the 1" whitewall. Otherwise, you'll be in Coker's catalog for either repro bias plies or radials.

But the key thing in any tires will be how "tight" the suspension is, relating to the rubber pivot bushings, front end pivot points, steering linkage items, etc. Possibly even the rear spring front bushings and the shackle bushings. Diamondback Classics can fuse white rubber onto the sidewalls to whatever width you desire, as I understand it . . . with their radial tires.

Just some thoughts,

NTX5467

[Rusty_OToole]

B.F. Goodrich announced the first tubeless tire in May 1947. I believe Chrysler offered them as early as 1951 although they did not become standard equipment on all Plymouth, Dodge, DeSoto and Chrysler cars until 1955.

B.F. Goodrich Co. announces development of tubeless tire — History.com This Day in History — 5/11/1947