How to Measure Antique Tires
When buying new tires, the tire sidewall has a letter and a series of three numbers. When measuring antique tires, measure to conform to these numbers so tires will fit the tire rim and vehicle you wish to put them on. The first letters on the sidewall is a "P" for passenger car tires, a "LT" for light duty truck tire, or a "T" for a factory spare tire. The tire will need to fit the rim you have. The rim will need to have the proper bolt pattern for your vehicle, usually four or five bolts in the pattern, and the tire will need to be the proper width and height to fit inside your wheel well.
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Instructions
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Measure the diameter of the rim you will be putting the tire on with a standard tape measure. The rim is measured in inches. Most classic cars have a 14- or 15-inch rim, although 12 to 16 inches is possible. The rim size in inches is the last number on the new tire sidewall code. The rim size should correspond roughly to the inner bead of the tires you want to mount on the rims.
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Measure the rim width with a standard tape measure. The rim with can be as small as 5 inches for smaller passenger cars to 9.5 inches for some pickup trucks. Measure the inside width of the tire bead to make sure it conforms to the rim width.
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Measure the tires width in millimeters with a metric tape measure. This will correspond to the first number on new tire codes.
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Determine the tire's height in millimeters. You do this by measuring from the outer edge of the tire to the inner edge and doubling it to account for the other side. The second number in new tire codes is this number, the height, divided by the tire width in millimeters. The number is the percentage ratio of height to width.
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Tips & Warnings
The rim diameter in inches, usually 14, 15, or 16, is also the size of your hubcap on classic cars.
Antique tires are often weathered, or sun rotted, and not safe. Older tires that have sat for a long time are not usually fit to run on your car. Measure the antique tires only to know the size of new tires to buy for your classic car.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit tire image by timur1970 from Fotolia.com
