Correct tire for 53 Kaiser Manhattan?

[edc1953]

I need a new set of tires for my 53 kaiser Manhattan.

From the other posts I gather:

Is the 670x15 with 2 11/16 WW the correct tire size?
Was the brand Goodyear of Firestone? Does it matter?

I want to make it original as the rest of the car is.
http://kaiserfan.auto.officelive.com/default.aspx


like these from Coker:
SKU:         568815
Help item Overall diameter:       28.58"
Help item Cross section:       7.01"
Help item Tread width:       4.5"
Help item Load capacity:       1450lbs @ 32 psi
Help item Rec. rim width:       5--6
Tread depth:       11
Tube type:       Tubeless
Max inflation:       32
Price:       
$152.00

Thanks,
*EDC*

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

According to everything I have from Kaiser-Frazer, Goodyear was the primary vendor for tires and some other rubber items under the hood.  I have seen some conflicting information that indicates Firestone, B.F. Goodrich and U.S. Royal (not Uniroyal brand) tires were used if Goodyear could not deliver as scheduled in the purchase order.  It is for that reason that I am suggesting that the 4 brands be allowed for judging with Goodyear being the "original' and others as "acceptible".  On Allstates, the Sears-branded Allstate tires were used in all cases.

As for width, having only limited information on that, I would go along with the old Fred Walker range of widths based on model year.  I understand that in this case, Fred went with tire manufacturer's information at a time when that was still readily available. 

[edc1953]

Thanks for the information!

On the coker tire website, http://www.cokertire.com/ you can select the year/make/model... and they suggest the size.

They show 670-15 , 710-15 and for radial recommended 205/75/15.

In the judging will radial tires be acceptable?
(I have read some of the other posts on Radial tires likes/dislikes/myths

Thanks,
*EDC*

[joefrazer]

Right now, in KFOCI judging, only bias ply tires are acceptable for judging. Tire sizes allowed are:
47-55 Kaiser (excluding Darrin, HJ and Allstate) - 6.70x15 or 7.10x15. Whitewall width can be anywhere from 2 1/2" to 3 1/2". I have the spare from a low mileage 54K that was never used and it's size is 2 3/4".

Tire sizes like H78x15 are not permitted for KFOCI judging, regardless of their appearance (whitewall width).

Also, as stated above Goodyear was the OE supplier to KF. Judges, however, will accept Firestone, US Royal or BF Goodrich tires, provided they meet size and whitewall width requirements.

And, blackwall tires are acceptable on any car.

One more, it's been said that the real early 47 cars used 16" rims. I have one but am not sure if it's KF or Mopar since both used the same wheel supplier. If it's a 16" wheel, then the right size is 6.50x16.

Hope this helps!

[Gordie]

For 1953 the tire size is 6:70 X 15 and the whitewall width is 4.25 inches.  In 1954 and 1955 the tire industry went to a narrower width as on your low mileage spare.  My '51 Kaiser had the original tires on it when purchased and my original white wall spare is 4.25 inches.  I bought a set of Coker tires and soon had two huge bubbles in the sidewalls of two of them which Coker promptly replaced.  I now use Goodyears which are available just like the originals with the proper 4.25 whitewall width from Lucas tire.  They are just like the originals.  If you want to order some from their Long Beach CA store I will pick them up for you and deliver them to the meet in Texas.  Shipping is expensive. 2 1/2" to 3 1/2" width whitewalls should only be acceptable for judging '54 and '55 cars.  For 1947 to 1953 cars stick with the 4 1/4 inch.  I do not believe that 16 inch tires or wheels were used on any K-F product.  The Kaisers went into production after the Frazers and the earliest Graham Paige manual lists 6:50 15 tires and when the 1947 models came out they switched to 7:10 X 15 low pressure tires made by Goodyear.  No whitewalls were available until about March 1947.  When you buy a set of tires don't forget about the spare.  All five of the tires should be the same.  There will be a judging deduction for a non matching spare.  Ugh!!

[HJ-ETEX]

These guys have good advice. Particularly Gordie with his reminder that you need 5 matching tires, not just 4. One consideration about the tires on the earlier cars is the aspect ratio: height/width. For instance the GP tire of 6.50X15 had an aspect ration of 85 (or may be even 87). The later tires had an aspect ratio of 81. It was all so simple until the later half of the 60's when tire companies started multiple lines - 78, 70, and even 60. I am going to jump over the discussion when the tire companies tried to replace the 5.90, 6.00, 6.40 width designations with the letters A, B, C, etc. If you buy a tire for a modern car it will have a size such as P(metric) 215(width class in millimeters) X 15 (rim diameter in inches) - 78 (aspect ratio). You got a 51-55 Kaiser? You are looking at buying a P215X15-78 tire for driving use.
Basic tires on Chevy Caprices, Chevy C10 trucks and Dodge D150 trucks when radials became standard were P195X15-78. Typically they were replaced by P205X15-78 tires. These vehicles are all heavier than a stock Kaiser or Frazer.

[edc1953]

Thanks for all the advice.

I am hoping to get GOLD in 2011 SD, Ca. national so I am going with;
Goodyear 6:70 X 15 with whitewall width of 4.25 inches.
I will check out Lucas tires:)
I am not going to the Tx meet. hopefully shipping to Portland Or. will not kill me.

Thanks for all the great information,
*EDC*

[Logan]

One samll point about whitewalls: they were standard equipment on the '53 Dragon as far as I know, so blackwalls should not be acceptable for that model.  They were also 7.10 x 15.  I am almost sure my '53 Dragon has the original spare in it--it is a Goodyear tube type with very wide whites.  It is also 7.10 x 15.  If you would like, I can measure the whitewall and take a picture of the tire, although it looks like the question has been pretty much answered.

[Gordie]

The owners manuals for 1952, '53, and '54 all state tire size of 6:70 X 15 however the Standard Catalog of American Cars by Krause has a nice article listing all of the Dragon extras and they do indeed state that the Dragon was equipped with 7:10 X 15 white sidewall tires.  That is pretty good evidence but maybe someone can come up with better information from Kaiser.  Until they do I think that we should go with this.

[Orphanauto]

I bought new Coker tires in March for my 53 Manhattan. they are 670-15 Firestone 3 1/4 wide white walls sku 568820. Although they are tubeless, I did buy tubes and had those put in when mounting. The reason I did this is because the gentleman I bought the car had done so, and the tires although looked fairly new, they had been put on 25 years ago, the tubes were probably keeping them up, as they were cracked from age. I do not intend on driving it that much every year. My Kaiser only has 48,010. miles on it. so, I would like to keep it a nice low milage car. Since I live in a small ( pop.1358) type town, I will put less than 1000 mile per year doing the car shows, Christmas parade, and just around town on a nice Saturday ect.. So, I figure as he years go by, the tubes may keep it up, plus who knows how the rims may leak after all these years, just a thought, but I do plan on these tires being on the car for many years still looking good. I thought the 3 1/4 www was correct though. see photos at www.orphanauto.webs.com  thanks..

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

All 1953 Kaisers EXCEPT Dragon models used the 6.70 x 15 with white sidewalls as an option.  Dragons were equipped with Accessory Group 100 (marked "00" on the body tag at the AG header) which included 7.10 X 15 white sidewall tires.  This is per Confidential Bulletin #90 dated 10/31/52 and the replacement bulletin #94, dated 3/13/53.   These were released to Direct Dealers (placed orders with regional factory offices)...regular dealers (ordering through their territory distributor) received the same information but slightly different Bulletin numbers.

This information can also be found in KFOCI HANDBOOK VERSION 4.0 in the 1953 Kaiser Dragon profile section.

[Gordie]

Thanks Jack, that really confirms it.  It is interesting that the '53 Dragons were really an exception coming with 7:10 X 15 whitewalls.

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

A 1954 B.F. Goodrich Tire TV commercial suggests that the 7.10 x 15 size tire was falling out of vogue (at least at the time) in favor of the 6.70 x 15.  This could make sense owing to cost of the tires and little difference between the sizes in terms of roadability.  It's an interesting commercial because the copy talks tire prices across different sizes and makes of car.