It looks like next summer our 54 Commander Starliner will make an appearance from storage. The tires, however, are too old to use any more, and are still bias ply. As I don't have access to the car right now, can someone tell me what radial size replaces the stock tires on stock rims? Thanks in advance, Evan
Assuming they are STOCK rims, as in the ones that came with the car,
205/75 will work and will be easier to find than the 195/75s usually recommended. The stock rims on a '54 should be 5" wide. The reason that I say only on the rims that came on the car is because the later cars used 4.5" wide wheels which are a little marginal for anything wider than a 195, and are usually outside the tire manufacturer's recommended rim width range for a 205 tire.good luck,
nate
Hello Evan,
I strongly suggest that you NOT put radial tires on stock Studebaker rims. They were not designed for the stresses radial tires will impose on them. Wheel failure is a definite possibility. This has been discussed in Turnings Wheels. We, too, have a '54 Commander Starliner and I bought a set of wheels from Bob Helm who advertises in Turning Wheels for the P195/75R15 Coker wide whitewall radials that we have. We have no clearance problems with them, and they are very close to the same diameter as the olde bias ply tires so from a few feet away, they have the same appearance.
Yes, there are other modern wheels that will fit your car. Others within this group can suggest proper alternatives. Be safe; use modern wheels if you want to run radials.
Kindest regards,
Alan Mende Hummelstown, PA
OTOH, I have used radials on several Studebakers, (Power Hawk, T-Cab etc.) with original rims without problems with the possible exception of the '63 Lark. In that case, the wheels were just too narrow and I ended up using the wheels off the '55 Prez sedan...
JT
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