1940 Buick Special

[Talarico8447]

I need to order some new tires for my 1940 Buick Special 4 door sedan. Is the correct white wall 3 inch or 4 inch ? 

Most factory photo I have seen looks to be a three inch.

I hope someone knows exactly what they were delivered with.

[Marty Roth]

I believe the 4 inch was factory in 1940, but have seen many with 3 inch.

My 1941 Cadillac came with 4 inch,

as did my 1937 Buick RoadmastePersonally, I think the 4 inch appears more period correct,

with 3 inch being for late '40s,

but it is your car.

This is a n item where opinions vary

[old-tank]

12 minutes ago, Marty Roth said:

I believe the 4 inch was factory in 1940, but have seen many with 3 inch.

My 1941 Cadillac came with 4 inch,

as did my 1937 Buick RoadmastePersonally, I think the 4 inch appears more period correct,

with 3 inch being for late '40s,

but it is your car.

This is a n item where opinions vary

I think it is more about proportions.  Larger tires with 4" on the senior cars would look about the same as 3" on the smaller tires.

[JohnD1956]

Further, in the case of Diamond back tires , the rim bead covered part of the whitewall. So if you want actual coverage of 3 or 4" check with the supplier to see if you have to add ww width. 

[Marty Roth]

1 hour ago, old-tank said:

I think it is more about proportions.  Larger tires with 4" on the senior cars would look about the same as 3" on the smaller tires.

 

I understand the concept and respect your approach,

but tires on the 70/80 series Buick are likely not 33% taller or wider in sidewall than the ones on a 40 Series.

 

I imagine some of it may be more a pre-WWII vs Post WWII consideration,

but in any event, unless you're having the car judged, as opposed to driving for your own pleasure,

and unless the judging manual for a particular club, and a particular year and model is specific,

beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

Thank you, Old-Tank, for your input

 

 

[Talarico8447]

Thanks for the input. I think I'm going with the 4 inch. The car currently has 4 inch.

I checked all my original paperwork and literature and nothing talks about what the original equipment tires were.

Its a big purchase to make and I wanted to be best informed.

 

Thanks,

Nick

[RivNut]

You should be able to find a picture, figure out what percentage of the tire is white, then apply that percentage to the known height of the tire's sidewall.  If you're lucky, you'll probably come up with something like  3-47/64ths inches. 😳

 

Ed

Edited September 10, 2019 by RivNut (see edit history)

[FLYER15015]

Hey Nick,

I have 4" on my series 90, and they are "Martin's".

Good luck with that.

Were I to replace them, I would choose the "Lester" 4" bias ply tire.

 

Mike in Colorado

[Talarico8447]

Mike, 

The 4 inch is definitely the width I'm going with. 

You're car looks amazing !