What were OEM tires? Photos of any?

[Pat Marshall]

According to the LCOC Authenticity Manual (Which I am not lending to anyone!) The whitewalls were 3" from 1955 up to October 1956 and 2 3/8' thereafter.

Tires sizes were 8:00 x 15" Non A/C and 8:20 x 15" with A/C.

Domestic tires were 4 ply tubless bias ply, non belted. Export Models were 6 ply tubless bias ply, non belted.

Tires were Firestone unless otherwise DSO'd.

[wkarson]

Folks, you are all amazing. Thank you so much! I'm bidding hard on a Mark II now, and the tires are ~35 years old. So no doubt I'd have to buy new ones if I was fortunate enough to be able to buy this car. (So much for the 'buyers market' thread I read here the other day...yeah right...not a chance. If you have one, there's someone who wants it. Period.)

JCB & Mad Scientist, I thought that pic at the top of the page was from original sales literature, but in Pat's 'color code' thread, I noticed a few different white wall widths, which left me scratching my head. Hence the posting.

Pat & Don, can't thank you enough! Talk about fountains of knowledge. Awesome.

Let's put it this way -- if the gods of beautiful cars smile upon me enough to allow me to buy the one I'm bidding on now, I'll have new Firestone Deluxe Champion rubber on that non-AC car ASAP.

Folks, please allow me to thank you again.

Best,

-Ward

[Pat Marshall]

Ward,

When you can, you can thank me with the VIN. Good luck on your bidding!

Pat

[5219]

My car had what I believe was the original spare. It is a Firestone "Supreme" with a three inch whitewall. The tire, by the way, is a four ply nylon 8.20 X 15.

Mine is an a/c car built in February 1956.

I have never seen another tire marked Firestone Supreme.


Alan Harris
C56D2744

[wkarson]

Hi Alan, does this look familiar to your spare? It's earlier (1952), but is it a close facsimile?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007IWAXSW

Thank you,

-Ward

[5219]

That sure looks like it!

Alan Harris
C56D2744

[Ralf Nygard]

My car had also a Firestone spare tyre 800-15. It was a
puncture safe tyre which was new to me.I don`t know how
well they worked but I understand it as first there were pressure
on both sides of the half innertyre.When you got a puncture the
air swooshed away from outside of the innertyre which made
the pressure difference close the rubber valve of the innertyre.
So it left some air in the tyre but how much?
The tyre is thrown away so I don`t know if it was a Supreme
but I had to save the inner tyre.

[Ricks]

I have an original, never used, 1957-correct 8.20 2 3/8" Firestone Deluxe Champion "Gum-Dipped" sitting in my inner office. It's my dad's, but if anyone could put it to use (1 tire isn't much good without at least 3 more), I can ask him if he'd be willing to part with it...