Blockley Tires are they any good

[Model T Ron]

I need to get a new set of tires for my 1915 Touring and was thinking about a set of Blockleys. Has anyone had experience with this brand?

[Steve Jelf]

Yes, some purchases have been reported here. The reviews have been positive, but the rear clinchers have been on the market for only a couple of years, and the fronts only a few months. Nobody has had them long enough to tell how they wear over many miles of driving. I intend to buy them and find out myself. I think it's very unlikely that they would turn out to be no better than the other clinchers currently available.

[Model T Ron]

Thank you. I have heard the Blockley's will last longer so I am considering them. My other choice would be a set of Riversides. How many miles could I expect to see from the Riversides?

[Alan Long]

I agree with Steve as they haven’t been available that long however the feedback I’ve heard from other Australian T Owners
has been very good. Blockley have been in the Tyre business for generations with their roots in car racing. Developing different tread patterns and Tyre development is what they do. My confidence came from speaking to Julian (who I believe is the great grandson of the founder). Blockley have their name bossed on their Tyres and made their own moulds with a period correct tread pattern. I have just purchased 8 Tyres and Tubes and look forward to many years of trouble free Tyre life and performance
Just my opinion. Merry Christmas Guys
Alan in Western Australia

[Original Smith]

I don't like the tread pattern used by Blocky. I wonder where they got it from?

[Alan Long]

Larry,
In a previous discussion on this Forum, the Blockley Tread pattern was discussed and a advertisement form the early 1900’s
shown with the identical pattern. I think it was Dunlop of similar known brand from back in the day had it. One T Owner here said his vehicle steers and handles much better since the new Blockley. You would expect new Tyres to handle better in any case and not necessarily because they were Blockley.
Alan

[Model T Ron]

I appreciate the feedback and so far I have not heard anything bad about the Blockley's. Do we have any other tire choices or are they all still being made by the same factory in Vietnam?

Merry Christmas to all

[Steve Jelf]

Do we have any other tire choices or are they all still being made by the same factory in Vietnam?

I believe all other clinchers are essentially the same tire made from different moulds, with varying prices because of licensing fees. As George Corley Wallace used to say, "...not a dime's worth of difference."

I don't like the tread pattern used by Blocky. I wonder where they got it from?

Maybe here?

[Allan]

Steve, I like your understatement. I was going to post that Blockleys wouldn't have to much trouble being better than the present offering.

Allan from down under.

[Loftfield]

I just put two Blockleys on the front of my 1912 (30x3). They look good, no idea how long they will last. Only negative was great difficulty getting the beads to slip under the clincher rims. In the end I had to apply Crisco to the bead, use a bead-breaker, hammer, and a tool fashioned from a cold chisel (sounds much worse than it actually was). I am hoping that the difficulty was the effect of a better rubber, more resistant to wear. Many have noted that old tires were more difficult to install because the rubber was harder.

[TXGOAT2]

Does anyone have an accurate template for checking for rim distortion?

[Oldav8tor]

While we're talking Blockley, has anyone measured the diameter of a mounted Blockley 30 x 3.5 tire? I ask because I currently have Universal T Drivers and my spare has practically Zero wear. I just wonder if the T driver would work as a spare with the Blockleys or that I'll need to replace all 5 tires.

[JohnH]

I fitted both rear wheels with Blockley tyres back in August this year, mainly because of the reports of them giving longer life. I've driven about 2000km with them. I was surprised how much easier they were to fit than the Universal T Drivers. Maybe there is some dimensional error with the T Drivers?
I don't care what the tread pattern looks like, so long as it it wears well and stops the car.
The front wheels will get Blockleys when the time comes. Ordering them is easy too.

[Allan]

Thomas, I have no experience with fitting 30 x 3" BE tyres, but would be interested in the way you fitted them. Perhaps there is a better method. I just use the air chuck to push the beads into place. With modern tyre filling lube it works well.

Allan from down under.

[CraigBothwell]

On the subject of ‘Blockley Tires, are they any good?’

I purchased a set of 5. Two to three months of driving,
They began to develop cracks around the bead.

This was not what I was expecting.

Maybe all tires made now are like this. I hope not.

[Allan]

Craig, that is the kind of feedback the guys who run Blockley would appreciate. They got into this enterprise to lift the quality of the offering over the rubbish served up for so many years. If something in their supply chain goes wrong, they will want to know. Send them an email and some photos.

Allan from down under.

[mbowen]

On the subject of ‘Blockley Tires, are they any good?’

I purchased a set of 5. Two to three months of driving,
They began to develop cracks around the bead.

This was not what I was expecting.

Maybe all tires made now are like this. I hope not.

I have nearly 3500 miles on a set of 21-month old Blockleys, and haven’t seen any evidence of cracking. I’m running them at 60 psi.

[TXGOAT2]

What condition are your rims in?

[Jerry VanOoteghem]

On the subject of ‘Blockley Tires, are they any good?’

I purchased a set of 5. Two to three months of driving,
They began to develop cracks around the bead.

This was not what I was expecting.

Maybe all tires made now are like this. I hope not.

Are your rims in good condition, with no sharp edges? A friend of mine had a similar issue, (a blowout actually), and I believe it was discovered that his rim had some sharp edges that cut the bead. The tire was also a Blockley, by the way.

[Original Smith]

I agree with Steve. I think they are ugly. and they are using the wrong valve stems for their tubes.

[Allan]

30 x 3.5 " tyres and tubes were used on many early cars, and their ready availability has seen their adaption to vehicles which use now non available tyres and tubes. Did other manufacturers use the same skinny valve stems as Ford, or are they all he same? I know the red rubber Goodyear tubes I have in two of my wheels are the larger more common variety. Like the other owners keeping their vehicles on the road by adopting 30' tyres, we should be thankful that Blockley are making available their superior quality tubes which actually hold air.

Allan from down under.

[Steve Jelf]

Did other manufacturers use the same skinny valve stems as Ford, or are they all he same?

No, they were (are) not all the same. Half the cars in the world were Fords, which makes it a bit surprising that original metal stems in Ford's preferred size are a good deal less plentiful today than the larger size used by so many other automobile manufacturers. Several years ago I covered all this to my own satisfaction.

https://dauntlessgeezer.com/DG110.html

[Original Smith]

Take note of the original bridge washer pictured above. The reproductions don't have the ridge seal stamped in.

[Oldav8tor]

Talking about mileage - I got 11000 on a set of 30 x 3.5 Universal T Drivers on my rear wheels and currently 12000 miles on the fronts. The fronts look good for at least another couple thousand miles or so. When it became time to replace the rears I decided to stick with T Drivers so all would match. If I had replaced all four tires I would have gone with Blockleys.

I don't think I have reason to complain about the mileage I got from the T Drivers. Maybe others have gotten better mileage with other tires. FWIW, I monitor tire pressure closely and run all around 63 psi. I also installed 6 ounces of balance beads in each tube.

[big2bird]

Here is my new set at a friend's house in London.
I guess I'll find out when they cross the pond.

[TRDxB2]

IMG_20250618_110542.jpg

Here is my new set at a friend's house in London.
I guess I'll find out when they cross the pond.

You or your friend should look into the JUMINGO shipping app https://www.jumingo.com/en
It provides many alternative carriers. At the advice of a friend in Germany, I shipped to packages each 9"x9"x9" to him. One 25lbs the other 15lbs via DHL. DHL heavily discounted the shipping cost when both packages were shipped together. In fact it was almost like the 12lbs traveled free.
I dropped off the packages for a Monday DHL pickup location (Mailboxes & Parcel Depot), he got them Friday of that week.

[CudaMan]

Regarding bridge washers, the Model A Ford bridge washers currently offered by the vendors do have the sealing ring stamped into them. However, they are wider than Model T era bridge washers and have to be cut back and the edges files smooth.

[AndyClary]

As to the original question, I have had Blockley tires for a year and a half. I am impressed with the smooth ride and even wear. Jury is out on wear. I’m guessing about 1500 miles and the wear is noticeable.


Andy

[TXGOAT2]

Driving conditions will have a lot to do with wear. A vehicle with compliant springs, double acting shocks, good weight balance, and good alignment will be comparatively easy on tires. Enthusiastic driving will dramatically accelerate tire wear. Some road surfaces are more aggressive than others, and hot weather accelerates tire wear. Tire inflation has a substantial effect on tire wear rates.

[TXGOAT2]

Under good conditions, you might expect around 4 to 7 % tread wear at 1500 miles. Even wear at all 4 tires suggests that the vehicle is in good condition as far as alignment and weight balance. On my car, the rear tires wear faster than the front. I believe this is due to lack of front brakes and most driving being on the open road at speeds of 40+ MPH.

[big2bird]

IMG_20250618_110542.jpg

Here is my new set at a friend's house in London.
I guess I'll find out when they cross the pond.

You or your friend should look into the JUMINGO shipping app https://www.jumingo.com/en
It provides many alternative carriers. At the advice of a friend in Germany, I shipped to packages each 9"x9"x9" to him. One 25lbs the other 15lbs via DHL. DHL heavily discounted the shipping cost when both packages were shipped together. In fact it was almost like the 12lbs traveled free.
I dropped off the packages for a Monday DHL pickup location (Mailboxes & Parcel Depot), he got them Friday of that week.

My friend is looking into this shipper. He ships a lot of Corvette parts from here to the UK.
He just dropped off my blockney tubes. He carried them on the plane in luggage. LOL

[Original Smith]

It's nice to see someone finally posted a correct photo of a Model T bridge washer! Why can't Coker do this?

[Adam]

I don't like the tread pattern used by Blocky. I wonder where they got it from?

There is a rumor that blockley got a good second-hand deal on the machine that cut the pattern in the top of deli hams when the last $4.99 buffet closed in LasVegas. Evidently, one of the forum participants was instrumental in this deal and was able to pick up and deliver the machine to Chickasha where it was handed off to a large volume parts buyer to be exported to Europe in a shipping container full of antique car parts. The machine was then retrofitted with a simple tooling upgrade to cut rubber instead of ham. Supposedly, a European ham-top-texturizer wouldn’t work because they are all metric.

[Steve Jelf]

As a life-long aficionado of the absurd, I appreciate the way this is going.

[Tadpole]

Adam, people like you are invaluable this forum! Thank you!

[Allan]

I heard that the deli ham pattern cutter was once a modified Goodyear tyre mould. Using the heat of the vulcanising operation of tyre making, it was repurposed to both cook and cut the hams in a single operation. OHS got involved when the odour from the operation got the best of the operators who were complaining of unquenchable appetites and severe weight gain.

Allan from down under.