Tires for owners of vehicles with unorthodox wheel size?

[No Bias FTW]

I'm sure that I would never be wealthy enough for the discussed problem to be an issue. However, lets just say that I do ended up having enough money in my old age and became so eccentric that I decided to add motors to unorthodox vehicles (covered wagons, horse buggies, etc.)😈.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covered_wagon#/media/File:Covered_wagon_at_the_High_Desert_Museum_Outside.jpg

 

Let's also say that, while I chose to keep the spokes design, I ended up making the wheels as metallic and wide as those of an average car today. Presumably, this would not be a problem since there would likely still be machine shops eager for customized works. However, and for whatever funny reasons, lets also say that I desire the pneumatic and low-profile winter tires as seen on racing cars today🤪.

 

As of today at the least, is there a proper channel for one to order such a set of customized tires from mainstream tire brands? And how do you guys deal with the unorthodox tire size required for your vintage vehicles (presumably driven)? 

[Marty Roth]

We have specialty manufacturers who cater to the hobby - albeit at a significant price, but that is a fact of what the market will bear.

[bryankazmer]

The cost of molds makes fabrication of one-off (or is it "four-off) tires very unlikely.

[Rusty_OToole]

Believe it or not you can buy tires for any car from the eighties back to the Model T days with no problem.They may not be exactly the same brand  size or design as the original equipment product but you can keep driving the car. I even heard of a very large European luxury car of the twenties that use tires made for a military gun carriage.

 

For a covered wagon or similar, you could use solid rubber tires as used on buggies, early trucks and tractors. Much easier to make or improvise than pneumatic tires. They would be legal and practical for road use and good for speeds up to 20 or 25 MPH which is faster than you would go in such a contraption anyway.

Edited March 12, 2020 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history)

[edinmass]

Making any size tire is not a problem. I have a friend who makes special application tires in unusual sizes often. Don’t ask the price......it is common to make new rims from billet and have them use available tires. Many vintage race cars are doing this.........even cars from the 70’s.

[padgett]

Ford TRXs are not easy to find and were expensive even when new. Suspect Corky has some.

[lump]

I remember the DeTomaso Pantera, with the mid-engine Ford 351 powerplant, when they were new cars (I was working at Goodyear at the time). They used odd-sized tires which Goodyear made for this one car. (And I believe that only Goodyear offered these tire sizes). I THINK the tires were called "Arriva," and came in C60-15 size. But the front may have been different from the rear? 

 

I've often wondered if Pantera owners have trouble finding tires today. 

Edited March 12, 2020 by lump (see edit history)

[Vila]

Yes the Michelin TRX metric sized tires that were used on some BMW, Saab, Ferrari, and Ford models along with several other makes back in the 1980s are still available and the cost has actually gone down over the past few years.

 

The Michelin TRX 220/55VR390 tires used on my 1984 BMW 633 CSi were slightly over $400 each from Coker  just a few years ago, and they now has them for $331 each.

Edited March 12, 2020 by Vila (see edit history)