30 x 3 Tires

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2012: 30 x 3 Tires
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Howard D. Dennis on Monday, April 23, 2012 - 09:31 pm:

I just bought 4 NOS Lester 30 x 3 tires off eBay because I couldn't pass up a deal. Can I expect any problems trying to get flaps in them and does anyone have good or bad experiences with these? I'm hoping they are pre Viet Nam tires.

Howard Dennis


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Dare - Victoria Australia on Tuesday, April 24, 2012 - 04:15 am:

let them sit in the sun for a few hours, that will soften them up enough to instal flaps and slip over your rims.....thats if they are hardened with time, if not l guess your good to go.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Larry Smith on Tuesday, April 24, 2012 - 10:37 am:

How many years has it been since Lester Tires have been in production?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Royce in Dallas TX on Tuesday, April 24, 2012 - 11:04 am:

Universal bought the tooling from Lester years ago. I think some sizes of clincher tires continue to be made on the Lester tooling, so the answer would be that they are technically still in production. The question being when the last time 30 X 3 molds were used is something you would have to ask Coker about.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By E. Maxwell on Tuesday, April 24, 2012 - 02:54 pm:

The Lester 30x3 size has not been made since the early 1980's. I'm guessing those were made in India. Please be careful as they are now around 30 years old.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Howard D. Dennis on Tuesday, April 24, 2012 - 03:36 pm:

Judging by what I've read about these new Viet Nam tires I'll take my chances with the better old tires. Can't possibly be any worse!

Howard Dennis


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Wayne Sheldon, Grass Valley, CA on Thursday, April 26, 2012 - 03:10 am:

From what I have seen about tires the past ten years, after passing a safety inspection, I'll take a thirty year old tire any day! I have tires from the sixties I would trust more than new ones I have seen.
Always drive carefully, and enjoy, W2


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Stroud on Thursday, April 26, 2012 - 05:25 am:

I am running some Wards Riverside tires that are probably fifty plus years old, and they are not weathered or cracked at all, they look much better than the rear tires on my TT that I bought in the early nineties. If there are any old 30x3 1/2 tires out there that look good, but you are afraid to use them, let me know. Dave


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Howard D. Dennis on Thursday, April 26, 2012 - 03:55 pm:

While we are discussing tires can I ask a question about tire measurements? What I just bought are 30 x 3 but I also have a set of 30 x 3 1/2. I just measured my rims and they measure 3 inches wide. Will the 30 x 3 1/2 fit? Are there also 3 1/2 wide rims?

Thanks ,
Howard Dennis


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By mike conrad on Thursday, April 26, 2012 - 06:51 pm:

David, I was also fan of the old orig. wards riversides. Mine where also in good shape with no cracks or any other sign of real wear. I also was careful to keep the tire pressure at 50 at all times. But twice I have tire failure with these tires. Both times the tread came loose from the castings in a major way. I say this only as a warning of what happen to me. Its a shame as they still had no tread wear. I now run the new Wards and am having good luck with them after about 2000 miles


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Rob Heyen - Nebraska on Thursday, April 26, 2012 - 07:38 pm:

Howard,

30x3 rims are actually larger (diameter) than 30x3.5 rims. The 30x3 rim is a 24 in rim, and 30x3.5 have a 23 in rim. If you are using flaps, you need the correct flap for 24 or 23 in rims (and the same goes for tires).

Rob


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Howard D. Dennis on Thursday, April 26, 2012 - 09:37 pm:

Boy I'm really confused now Rob! I measured my 1917 Maxwell's rims and get 3 wide by 24 diameter and all literature says this car comes with 30 x 3 1/2 tires as standard equipment.

Howard Dennis


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Rob Heyen - Nebraska on Thursday, April 26, 2012 - 09:49 pm:

Howard,

The wheel a tire is intended for is determined by subtracting the sidewall x 2 from the tire diameter.

In other words, a 30x3.5 tire: 30 inches - (3.5 in x 2) = 23 inch rim.

30x3: 30in - (3in x 2) = 24 inch rim.

And don't ask me why I know a 23 inch flap won't work on a 24 inch rim :-(

Rob


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Stroud on Thursday, April 26, 2012 - 09:57 pm:

Howard, how are you measuring the dia. of your rims? They are measured where the inside of the tire bead fits, not the O.D. of the rim itself. Dave


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Howard D. Dennis on Thursday, April 26, 2012 - 10:28 pm:

I get 23 inches inside diameter and 24 outside diameter so I guess it matches 30 x 3 1/2. I always thought 30 x 3 and 30 x 3 1/2 were just a hair apart in size, Wrong!

So now tell me what years Model t's used 30 x 3 size tires?



Howard Dennis


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Rob Heyen - Nebraska on Thursday, April 26, 2012 - 10:41 pm:

Howard,

I believe demountables all were 30x3.5, in 1919? Non demountables were still 30x3 until later I believe. Some one more familiar with latEr Ts jump in....

Rob


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Royce in Dallas TX on Friday, April 27, 2012 - 06:43 am:

30 X 3 front tires were used from 1909 - 1926 on Model T's that had non - demountable rims.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Fenton on Friday, April 27, 2012 - 09:39 am:

It's my understanding that all Canadian made Ts had 30X3&1/2 all around.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Howard D. Dennis on Wednesday, May 02, 2012 - 04:07 pm:

I just got my 4 NOS Lester 30 x 3 tires off eBay and they are as soft and supple as the day they were made. They are marked Made In India and stamped FCE528510.
Anyone know when these were made?


Thanks,
Howard Dennis


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Howard D. Dennis on Wednesday, May 02, 2012 - 05:25 pm:

I just got off the phone with Universal Tire and they said the tires are at least 25 years old.


Howard Dennis


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By steve miller- mississauga,ontario on Wednesday, May 02, 2012 - 06:54 pm:

John,
Canadian cars used 3-1/2 all around.
No need to carry 2 different spares


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By A. Gustaf Bryngelson on Wednesday, May 02, 2012 - 09:17 pm:

If the tires are over 25 years old, then they will probably last another 25 years, but a new tire will often fail in the near future. I would always rather be riding on old tires. The thing that gave old tires a bad rap was a big law suit over a young man getting killed in an auto accident when he installed his spare when he had a flat. the spare failed and the lawyers figured out that if they could blame the age of the tire, then they could get millions from the tire manufacturer. It is very likely that the spare had never had the pressure checked, nor had it been aired up, so the most likely cause of the failure was poor maintenance, but that did not come up because lawyers can not make money off a dead kid. Furthermore, if you can not control a vehicle when it has a catastrophic tire failure, then maybe you had better take the bus.
Best
Gus


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Eric Dysart - SoCal on Thursday, May 03, 2012 - 01:24 pm:

Hi Howard,

Unlike modern rims where the size (example 16 x 7) is the rim diameter (16") and the rim width (7"), the early T rims are sized by overall diameter with tire and the tire's sidewall height. So a 30 x 3 rim is 24" in diameter (30 - 3 - 3) and a 30 x 3 1/2 is 23" in diameter (30 - 3.5 - 3.5). The width of the rim or tire is not stated in the sizing, it is assumed.

We know that the demountables were all 30 x 3 1/2, so they are all 23" rims. My '16 touring has 24" fronts (30 x 3) and 23" rears (30 x 3 1/2).

In 1925, balloon tires became available from the factory with 21" rims. This is where the nomenclature started to evolve to the tire and rims sizes that we see today, the 21s are the rim diameter, not the overall diameter with the tire. You can see that the rim width is still assumed, it's not mentioned in the sizing yet. I believe that most of the 21" tires for Ts still had a 30" overall diameter.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Howard D. Dennis on Thursday, May 03, 2012 - 07:13 pm:

Since It's apparent these tires can't be used on my Maxwell I've listed 3 of them on eBay under seller name:

ddennis



Howard Dennis


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hal Davis-SE Georgia on Friday, May 04, 2012 - 12:49 pm:

Believe it or not, when we got Karen's '18 Touring, it had 30 x 3-1/2's on all four of its non-demountables. I knew it was supposed to have 30 x 3's up front. I had to measure to be sure, but the front wheels were 24", just like they were supposed to be. Someone had managed to stretch 30 x 3-1/2's onto those 24" rims. Everybody complains about how hard it is to mount clinchers. I'll bet someone was reciting all manner of 4 letter words when they were mounting those two tires.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Stan Howe Helena, Montana on Friday, May 04, 2012 - 01:15 pm:

A friend just bought a set of Pharris mud and snow tires off T bay and said they are soft and pliable. I haven't seen them but they have to be 40-50 years old, I think.


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