Bias Ply To Radial Conversion?

Hey guys looking to get some new shoes the for Falcon and cant seem to find what size I should go with everyone tells me something different which adds to my confusion. The shop manual says that the sedan falcon uses a 6.50X13 bias ply. Ive tried some searching on some of the online tire store but nobody has this size for the conversion. Can someone please help me out with this? I dont want to have to mess with the speedo so I need something as close as possible. Also is it better to go with a little taller tire or a little shorter and why? Im also thinking of switching over to a 14" mustang rim for a better lowered stance look. Any help? Thanks in advance for the wisdom.

George

 

sell the car, its obvious that you are over your head on this one.

 

Try this website for tire size conversion help:

http://clubs.hemmings.com/clubsites/chevylist/tech/tire_size_conversion.htm

Hope this helps!

 

you will find when putting radials on eary falcons or chevy2's that have " coil over" suspensions the radial tires track so positive compared to bias ply that it knocks out the alignment.

 

6.50 x 25.4 = 165 mm

so a 165R13 would be about right, eh?

 

Jim, I'd never disagree with anything you say.

 

you should, because sometimes I pull answers out of my....

 

so. that means your admitting to being a "wize ass" ? LOL

 

Food for thought: Radial tires on a rim designed for bias ply tires may introduce some problems. I'm not too positive on the 1960's rims, though.

 

I'm not sure when the bead retention lip on rims was introduced, but how much trouble can you get into with a 170 CI powered Falcon. He could upgrade to a later wheel to be on the safe side.

Bob

 

Taller or shorter will mess with the Speedo, width won't.

Go to Coker's website and see the conversion charts. By the way, speedo gear changes are pretty easy and well worth it to get the look you want. Heck, even if the speedo is off by some, lots of guys here don't even use them.

 

First of all, find a tire store with people who know how to convert the old tires codes to new stuff....

 

Put on tires you like, follow someone else, have them drive at a couple of different speeds like 30 and 55, see how far your speedo is off, drive accordingly.

 

Bead retention, or safety rims, wheels were made standard equipment on Chrysler product cars and trucks in about 1940. I'm sure everyone else followed suit in, say, 1941.

 

Thanks, I wasn't sure of the year.

 

Most times tire stores do know what they're doing, but do your own research anyway.

Changing speedo gears is no big deal in most cases.

Figure the change by percentage.
IE: 5% change with a tire or differential swap, 5% change on the speedo gear in the same direction fast or slow as the case may be.


Last couple of times I walked the tire aisles at the local Walmart and Sams Club they had a reasonably good assortment of 13" tires.