Spare Tire Fit Problem

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Greg Dumond
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Spare Tire Fit Problem

#1 Post by Greg Dumond »

Well I ran into a little problem fitting my new spare tire under the hood of my 57 Cabriolet. I have had the same spare tire in my car for 28 years since I purchased it in 1989. I thought I'd better replace it even though I have never needed to use it but figured at that age the tire was probably not too safe to drive on if I ever needed to.

A few years back I changed out my tires and installed Nexens radials 165/80R15. Great riding tires so I took off the old spare on my Sudrad rim and put on the same brand and size tire. Didn't give it a thought until I tried closing the hood. The problem I ran into was the new radial Nexen was a bit wider 5.5 inches in the tread width than the original Englebert 5.60-15 Bias Ply so I couldn't close the hood. The tread width on the original tire is approximately 3.5 inches.

As a side note of interest the Englebert tire is marked as a tubeless tire. When I had the tire shop remove the original tire there was a Continental tube inside. Not sure why? The Sudrad rim is marked as tubeless. In looking at Charlie Whites info the Englebert tire brand was a tire offered in the 60s.

Anyway was hoping to get a recommendation for replacing the Englebert tire with something comparable to the same size and width. Nexen does not make a skinnier tire. Is there a radial tire as narrow as my original Bias Ply? I did find one close however it wasn't as tall.
Attachments
Engle Tire & Tube.jpg
Engle Tire2.jpg
Engle Tire1.jpg
Sudrad Rim.jpg
Tire Comparison.jpg

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David Jones
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Re: Spare Tire Fit Problem

#2 Post by David Jones »

Greg, Google 155 x 15 and see what you get. I found this to kick off with. Should fit as it is the metric equivalent of a 5.60.
http://reoriginals.com/tirepirellicintu ... 300xb.aspx
If I had known I would live this long I would have pushed the envelope a little harder.
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Erik Thomas
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Re: Spare Tire Fit Problem

#3 Post by Erik Thomas »

The diameter of a Blockley 165VR15 is listed at 25.35 inches. Englebert 550 x 15 = 25.8

From the picture , seems the tire you have is very wide, compared to an original type tire. I wonder if this is the problem? I have had Michelins and Blockleys both in 165 x 15 on my car, no issues with the spare.

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Greg Dumond
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Re: Spare Tire Fit Problem

#4 Post by Greg Dumond »

Thank you David and Erick for your information. It seems that my best bet may be to look into sources that offer classic tires rather than standard tire companies.

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Greg Dumond
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Re: Spare Tire Fit Problem

#5 Post by Greg Dumond »

Erik Thomas wrote:The diameter of a Blockley 165VR15 is listed at 25.35 inches. Englebert 550 x 15 = 25.8

From the picture , seems the tire you have is very wide, compared to an original type tire. I wonder if this is the problem? I have had Michelins and Blockleys both in 165 x 15 on my car, no issues with the spare.

Eric I looked up the Blockley tire as you suggested on a couple of sites one being Lucas Classic Tires. They list it as an NOS tire manufactured in 201I. I spoke to the rep there and they did not have any specs information. Do you know what the tread width is on the tire?

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Re: Spare Tire Fit Problem

#6 Post by Erik Thomas »

Greg:

The 356 is away for the winter in storage, so not available to measure.

Blockley lists the 165x15 as having a section width of 6.77 and a diameter of 23.35. Optimum rim is 5.50 with 4.5-6.0 as acceptable. They did not list a tread width in the old flyer I have. Call Martin Cooke at Abingdon Spares, in CT. 1-800-225-0251. They can tell you what you need to know. I like the Blockleys better than the Michelins I ran before. They are rated for 149MPH. I have had them on the 356 for about 5 years and they still look new.

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Re: Spare Tire Fit Problem

#7 Post by Erik Thomas »

Greg: ( more )

The two places to get Blockley tires are Roger Kraus in CA and Abingdon Spares in CT.
If you are out west, Roger Kraus is 800 510 7223. I have purchased Blockley tires from both sources.

They also make a bias ply 5:50 x 15 in an old racing tire pattern, which I have not seen in person yet.

The Blockley Radials look like the old Dunlop SP radials that came new on some late 356's. They are in current production.

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Greg Dumond
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Re: Spare Tire Fit Problem

#8 Post by Greg Dumond »

Eric thank you for the contacts Roger Kraus and Martin Cooke. I'll give them a call tomorrow. I wasn't expecting this to turn into such a tough hunt to find the correct fitting tire!

Very much appreciate all of your feedback and research on the Blockleys

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Charles H Jacobus
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Re: Spare Tire Fit Problem

#9 Post by Charles H Jacobus »

I have a 165 Michelin tire as my spare and it fits fine even with the fresh air blower in the car. I do have to make sure it's tilted as flat as possible.

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Steve Harrison
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Re: Spare Tire Fit Problem

#10 Post by Steve Harrison »

These guys are always worth a look too.

https://www.cokertire.com/catalogsearch ... &q=5+6+-15

https://www.universaltire.com/catalog_f ... ize=560-15

I’ve bought from both of them. Good folks.

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Greg Dumond
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Re: Spare Tire Fit Problem

#11 Post by Greg Dumond »

Steve I found the 560-15 US Royal Blackwall from Universal Tire was near a perfect match to what I am looking for thank you for this link! The most important measurement that US Royal Blackwall lists is the 3.75 inch tire tread width. Very few tire manufacturers list this information.

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Steve Harrison
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Re: Spare Tire Fit Problem

#12 Post by Steve Harrison »

Really glad to hear that Greg.
I believe Universal and Coker both are actual manufacturers of a lot of the tires they sell. A lot of the other guys are distributors and resellers. Sometimes I see tires specific to them on other sites for big mark ups. Better to go to the source,...they’re the ones who bought the molds, sometimes years ago when the biggies were more than happy to get rid of that “junk”/“scrap metal” That makes em a lot like some of us guys here,...saving those old bathtubs from the smelter.

Glad to hear you got it worked out.

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