Tires for safety purposes only

First off, all the tire sizes are a total mystery to me.

My 49 Plymouth special deluxe 4dr has the tires on it that were on the car when I bought it.

Some old Bias-Ply rubber, one tire reads G78-15, another reads F78-15, and so on. ( a mash up of different sizes maybe? )

The situation is my tires have become EXTREMELY bare, as I'm sure they are years and years past their prime. I dont feel safe driving on these tires, as all four are quite bad.

I dont have the cash to purchase any fancy tires that suit the car (ie, the stuff alike what can be found on the coker site etc.)

But I do REALLY need to get some tires for safety reasons for the time being.

I know they'll look quite bad, but does anyone have any suggestions of what modern sized radial tires I could purchase that would fit the old Mopar rims? that I could use in the meantime while saving fund for suitable tires.

 

F78-15 is about a 215/75R15. 195 or 205 might fit that narrow rim a bit better, but won't be as tall

 

Those stock'49 rims are pretty narrow.........anything from a 185, 195 or 205 should be ok with 195 probably being the best choice........also may depend on availbility

 

Probably the Fs were up front and the Gs out back, Gs being the taller of the sizes.
If you're happy go with 205 up front and 215 out back for a similar experience.

 

how would a F78 be taller than a G78?

 

Thanks for the replies so far guys.
Maybe I have previously assumed incorrectly that the "205" or "215" refers to the width of the tread? as "pasadenahotrod"s post suggests its the actual height of the tire?

sorry total newbie

 

not quite.

The 205 number is the overall width of the tire (not the tread) in millimeters. The 60 or 75 or whatever is the aspect ratio...that's how tall the sidewall is relative to the width. So a smaller number means the tire is not as tall.

 

The first numbers refer to the section width i.e. 215 is the widest point on the inside of the tire in mm. The second number is the aspect ratio so 75 means the tire height is 75% of the width. The "R" is radial and the 15 is rim diameter. I think your best choice would be a P205/75R15. Good luck, Tom

 

P205-75-R15, for example:

P= Metric, passenger car.

The three digit number, like 205, 215, etc. is the section with of the tire casing in millimeters. It is the overall width of the tire.

The two digit number, like 75 is the aspect ratio in percent, of the sidewall height in relationship to the width. A 205-75 has a width of 205mm and a single sidewall height of 153.75mm, which is 75% 0f 205. A 205-50 would have a 102.5mm single sidewall.

R= Radial

15= Size of rim, in this case 15.

 

Tom-Kat is right. I run the 205/75r15 on my 50 Plymouth and they fit & work fine. I got the house brand on sale at a local shop for about $50 each and am happy with them on my low-performance but freeway-driven car.

 

When I was looking into keeping the orig wheels on my 1950 dodge I was going to use 205-75 15's.... those are the direct replacement size for the stock bias plies.

 

Franklyn, You must have a Canadian Tire nearby. See what they have on sale. I have MotoMaster SE's on my 38 Chev. Not too pricey and they wear well and ride decent. Tom

 

By virtue of a typographical error. Thanks.

 

Thanks loads guys,
sounds like 205/75R15's it is.
I'll just be getting an economical tire for now sacrificing looks obviously.
lots of help here, thanks again.

TOM-KAT38 - how do those motomasters look on your chev?

4WOODY - what about yours? how do they look, i assume our cars would have similar bodies etc.

 

Franklyn, They look okay. They have a good looking tread pattern and the sidewalls are fine. No huge lettering or anything else hokey looking. I have P185/70R14 on the front and P215/70R15 on the rear. Tom

 

I don't think anyone mentioned that the radials will make the ol Plym drive and handle
a lot better than bias ply, especially if the front end is a bit worn. Main drawback is its
harder to turn the wheels at stop or very slow speeds.

 

hardER? geex, they're strong arm enough as is, ha!

 

Not quite the same from the firewall back, but the front should be the same:

 

I have heard that the early MoPar rims might not be suitable for radials. The reason given is that these are two piece wheels riveted together. Apparently radial tires cause these rims to flex, raising the possibility of rim failure due to metal fatigue.

I am aware that many folks run radials on their old MoPar rims. My observation of the stock rims is that they indeed flex - sometimes, even with bias ply tires, these rims flex enough to cause the hub caps to squeak.

Late model steel rims are fairly inexpensive, and junkyard from a junkyard almost free. I suggest that you consider this - I understand that money is an issue (as for all of us).