Hot Rods Tires requiring tubes

I'm in Washington State. Yesterday I was trying to get a new set of Big/Little Coker Excelsior Radials mounted on some new solid-type wheels. These tires require the use of inner tubes. Done it before...no problem.

I was told that they would not mount the tires USING TUBES if they were going to be used on the hi ways/byways of our great nation. Against the law, they said. And that it's been this way since the 1970's. My immediate response was to ask if they would mount/balance them if I was not going to drive the car; only display it. They said that would be ok. I immediately now had a show car and the procedure went off without further ado.

Anybody run into this? If so, is it Federal DOT or maybe statewide. Just interested. I got what I wanted. Thanks

 

Les Schwab hasn't allowed split rims in the tire shops for years but the tube tire thing sounds like nonsense
You do have radial tubes? If you had non radial tubes trying to save a buck all bets are off and they are correct. The Coker listing states must use radial tubes.

Some tire shops may not be all that familiar with tube tires especially the bling wheel shops rather than the ones that deal with trucks and farm equipment along with cars and pickups.

This is all I see with tire restrictions with the state.
RCW 46.37.420: Tires—Restrictions. (wa.gov) This does not apply here.


RCW 46.37.423: Pneumatic passenger car tires—Standards—Exception for off-highway use—Penalty.
Nothing on tubes here either. RCW 46.37.425: Tires—Unsafe—State patrol's authority—Penalty. (wa.gov)
This is how they could nail a guy's butt for running slicks in this state if they didn't have the "tread" grooves that were deep enough.

 

I think it's BS.

 

Somebody is aware of it because, if I remember correctly, this exact thing (a tire shop saying it's against the law) has been brought up in a thread on here before. In both instances, the tire shops are completely full of crap.

Found it......post #18.
"I actually had a reputable local tire company tell me that having tubes in highway tires is now illegal. He wanted to seat my old bias ply with no tube. It's amazing that people can make their living from vehicles and not know how to work on tube tires, or work a column shift transmission."
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/how-to-mount-bias-ply-tires-in-your-own-garage.462011/

 

Somebody is full of BS. How many motorcycles are bombing down the freeways with their unlawful tubes?

 

Someone mentioned the name Les Schwab, a northwest USA chain of tire shops that seems to come up with an excuse for not doing ANYTHING that they didn't sell. My experience is the only thing I ever get there is pissed off!

 

I had Discount Tire mount my Firestone Bias plys with tubes on my 40 Ford wheels no questions asked. That was a few years ago.

 

Had a problem years ago when I had my first flat with my '55 Chevy pickup. I took it to a Goodyear tire center two blocks from my office. First problem was they didn't know where to get a tube so I found the tube and delivered it to them. A week goes by and, when I call them, they say "The old guy who knows how to do that only works Friday afternoons." Another week went by before I got my wheel and tire back. Bought a HF manual tire changer and static balance tools and did it myself from that point on.

 

Complete horseshit from the tire shop. How many motorcycles still use tubes? Too many of them spread misinformation in the hopes of convincing you to buy a set of 'roadworthy' tires from them.

Although I have to say that I'm surprised that Coker sells such a tire in the first place.

 

Man, I can relate with that! I went to the local Les Schwab here in town to get some tires removed from some rims before I stored them away for my stash. I didn't even make into the store before some guy came out of the store and asked what I needed. I told him I needed these tires removed off the rims.....No, no no, if we didn't sell them we don't work on them. Later I was talking to my neighbor and mentioned this. He tells me he has done the same and got blown off. I mentioned the guy was kind of an ass about it too, and my neighbor says yeah, that guy is the store manager and yes, he's an ass and most all the local hot rodders have dealt with his attitude and won't do business with him.
Too bad, prior to that experience I had always had good things to say about L.S.....not so much now.

 

I had that type of experience with Schwab years ago, haven't been back since. I was looking buy a set of wheels, the manager told me if I didn't know what I wanted they didn't have time for me. I went to Discount, they worked with me. I needed a specific backspacing, then finding a wheel design with that offset took me about an hour in their catalogs. They got the sale.

But even they have gotten weird, as have most since the hoop-de-do over 'tire safety' and 'expiration dates'. I've bought most of my tires by mail the last few years and mount them with my old manual changer, as free mounting and balancing is apparently a thing of the past.

 

Here in the great white north the same thing happens if you go to Communist Tire, They won't touch what they don't sell, after they ask "Does the vehicle have A/C?" Which provides some insight as to their level of automotive knowledge.

 

and all the tires they sell don't have brand names listed on the website. when you ask I have been told it's their brand! Do they think we are stupid

 

Tire stores have gotten horrible. We even have a couple here I won't do business with anymore.

 

Jack Williams tire stores are the same way. If they did not sell it to you they will not touch it. I work at a auto repair shop and mount- balance my own. I also have a very good tire shop up the road from my house. Family owned and run, they will do most anything a customer wants within reason. They have been in business for 40 years and are always busy.

 

Well, two friends have recently been told by Universal Tire in Hershey will not mount tires even the ones they sell. This is the Universal Tire that is owned by Coker tire, sells antique tires. A few years ago on a car tour in NJ a friend had a flat tire. He could not find a shop to fix it, said it was illegal. That was on a '36 car that obviously had tubes from new.

 

Guess I'm - lucky. Bastian Tire here not only took off a leaking tire, but fixed it for free,even though i didn't buy the tire from them. They also took the tires my granddaughter hauled out of a lake and re-cycled them for free. Good place.

 

I bought new tubes and had them installed at Les Schwab on the radials on my roadster last year. Sounds like where ever you went just didn't want to do the job.

 

I am a bike guy..Yes, spoke wheels except for a few new types require tubes

When tubless bike tires became available in the 70's, tubes were required on cast wheels because they lacked the safety beads. You know the two raised humps just inboard of the outside flange. The beads help keep the tire in place if the pressure is low.
Older cars wheels don't have the beads. It's likely the tire mounting stores get news letters explaing this. If they mounted tubless on a non tubless wheel and the tire deflated causung a crash, be a huge law suit...So the tire srores just say no to all wheels on old vehicles.
Just my opinion on it..

 

I have a radial tire problem. My avatar pic is of one of my coool Romeo Palamides 2-piece wheels.
They are aluminum, and have two 3/8" bolts per spoke.
These wheels were designed and built (limited number of sets) by Romeo, shortly before his sale of all things wheel to American Racing.
NO WAY can they be run tubeless...a previous tire guy thought they'd 'hold air'. He siliconed 'em, so when I returned he was 'astonished'. 'Tire man'. LOL
So, I bought my Uniroyal Tiger Paws, two 205/60X15 front and two 255/70 rear, ideal rubber rake.
BUT: my new Coker radial tubes HATED the inside structure of the Tiger Paws. They had 'ribs', about 1/2" apart, harder rubber than the tire, or so it seemed.
Leak in the right front first, after 2 months...Took it apart, pinched tube? No...but it was compromised by the inner ribs. Only one place it leaked, but obvious the Uniroyal folks didn't plan on tubes for these monsters.
My "now" tire guys are the best. A-1 Auto Tire, in Atwater.
Owner 'German' took 8 pair of tires he had in stock, ONLY the Michelins had smooth inner cores.
All the rest of the present day radials have 'grooves', 'ribs', or other less-than-tube friendly surfaces.
Sure don't want bias plies, so HOPE German can come up with some used Michelins!
He only had 1 in stock that size.
So, I concur with "MORE German, less Schwab!"

 

My local tire shop mounts and balances my tires with tubes. In fact I get the tubes from him. I feel they are better quality than the others I have had and had issues.


Sent from my iPad using H.A.M.B.

 

Paid $100 for this.,works great,problem solved.

 

I went down to the local Les Schwab that I have been doing business with for the past 40 years and the assistant manager told me there is no issue on tube tires that he knows of. This store does with everything from golf carts to equipment tires the size that get used on monster trucks but are on the rigs they were intended for.

He did say that radial tires require radial tubes and the OP never explained if he had radial tubes or had gone cheap with tubes for bias tires.

Ambulance chaser lawyers probably have more to do with tire stores not wanting to deal with a lot of things that are a bit off the wall from their norm. That being those lawyers and liberal courts believing that if you did the work you are responsible for not only your work but what ever you worked on.

 

time to have this thread take a diversion, because it really is about tire shop BS, isn't it?

a couple years ago my brother took his 58 Chevy wagon to costco to get some new tires on it. They would not do the work, because they did not have a published spec for lug nut torque, and the shop manual for the car does not have spec either. I guess in the olden days, guys who changed tires knew how tight to tighten the lug nuts? Weird.

he took the tires/wheels off the car, hauled them to the store loose, they mounted new tires, everyone was happy, sort of.

 

I went into a big chain tire shop to get some new tires mounted and balanced. The counter person immediately told me their absolutely not mounting those tires as it would be illegal because there bald. I told him there M/T drag radials and they have a minimum tread pattern anyways. He looked at them and said your right, and apologized.

 

This would be my assumption as well. Not to mention most chain shops are likely out of practice, so further liability with pinched tubes, etc. and I find the newer rim clamp machines awkward when mounting tube tires, you just don't have the feel or speed control.

 

All you need is a couple of tire irons and maybe a rubber mallet and mount your own tires...

 

Bridgestone apparently has not received the memo that tubes are illegal
https://firestonetubes.com/policies-and-forms/page/1/tube-safety

 

BigO tires in Lk. Stevens. I forgot to add that the first thing they did was check the date code on the tires. And yes, new tubes purchased from Coker with the tires.