Nash 600 tires

[Jim Granlund]

My 47 Nash 600 calls for 600-16 tires. Would 650-16 work ok? they're quite a bit heavier of a tire. Thought a little wider bias ply might be better. Thanks

[Bloo]

It's not a big difference. Nash 600s were all about gas mileage, and it was also a lighter car so Nash would have been conservative about tire width.

 

Figure an extra 1/2" (1/4" per side) at the widest part of the tire sidewall. Will it hit anything? I just looked at pictures online, and I see some 47 600s apparently have heavily skirted rear fenders and some do not. If the fenders are heavily skirted, oversize tires might be difficult to change on the back. That was an issue on the Bathtubs that came a few years later. If you have 600-16 now, try changing a rear tire and see if you have trouble getting the tire between the brake drum and the outer fender sheetmetal when you take a rear wheel off. You'll have to get an extra 1/2" through there. Also check the steering at full lock, etc.

 

 

 

[Jim Granlund]

Thanks for your response Bloo. I'll try what suggested and see what happens. The 650-16 tires are about the same price as the 600s but shipping is higher because they're quite a bit heavier 

[alsancle]

Keep in mind that a modern 600 or 650 tread width is always wider than 70 years ago.  I don't know why but tires are just bigger for the same size.   So it is possible that what is labeled as a 600 now might have the size of a 650 from 1948.   Possibly order a single tire and mount it to see how it looks.   If it works, order 4 more else make it the spare and change the size.

[Bloo]

I might be wrong, but I blame that on "restoration" tires often using whatever mold still exists and is available, not necessarily a mold of the correct size. Fortunately the tire manufacturers typically publish measurements of height and section width (the widest part) for each tire they make, so that can help. It's better than nothing.