18" tyres

[motto]

The modern tyre designations as you illustrate Lynn follow a different format. I believe the first group of numbers is the nominal width in millimetres i.e. 185 or 205 etc. The carry over is that they still give the wheel diameter in inches.

Perhaps the reason for the 9.25 designation Richard was to differentiate the Humber tyre from something similar and was not meant to be a true indicator of size.

Grant, you've rung a bell with your mention of high pressure tyres. I think they were what my Dad referred to as 'hardwalls'. Dad grew up in the 1920s, was a vehicle enthusiast all his life and was familiar with all the old stuff. He passed away a couple of years ago at the age of 93. I sure do miss him.

David

[Grant Bowker]

Rim widths for pneumatic tires on CMP were 6" for both 16 (including the tapered beads used on HUP (that were another user of 9.25-16 tires)) and 20 inch rims.
9.00-16 pneumatic cross country tires had diameters from 34.8 to 35.7 inches while 10.25 had diameters from 41.4 to 42.3 inches. In general highway tread tires had slightly smaller diameters than cross country and runflat were at the small end of the range for pneumatics of the same nominal size.
The above is from the AEDB design record.
I don't have any listing for Canadian manufactured military vehicles of the period using high pressure series tires but did find a reference to a trailer used by Canadians that was manufactured by Taskers that used them.

[motto]

Thinking on that 9.25-16 tyre size (which I had never heard of before now). Maybe they inadvertently put a couple of numerals in the wrong place and it should have been 9.00-16.25
Now that would have saved a lot of confusion and would be damn close to reality.

David

[Grant Bowker]

I have doubts about that suggestion David.
By observation, it is considerably easier to mount modern 16 inch tires on 16 inch HUP rims than on "real" CMP 16 inch rims. If HUP rims were sized at 16.25 I don't think you would have an easy time at all getting a 16 tire onto them if it were even possible.
Original war dated 9.25-16 tires have been seen, still with original sidewall markings.
I have seen several different printed sources refer to 9.25x16 but don't recall ever seeing a reference to a 9.00-16.25 tire (they could exist but I haven't ever noticed them). The AEDB Design Record makes several references to tires 9.00-16 and 9.25-16. In all cases the 9.25-16 is listed as smaller outside diameter than 9.00-16 within category of tire (cross country pneumatic, highway pneumatic, runflat). It seems unlikely that if they were really referring to 9.00-16.25 tires they would consistently, 100% of the time, refer to them as 9.25-16 - not getting it right even once by accident.
For cars and trucks, I don't believe I've ever seen a rim diameter other than full or half inch. Tractors use a sizing system I've never taken the trouble to understand (city boy) but they don't seem to me to be a simple extension of car and truck sizing.

[motto]

My suggestion of tyre designation 9.00-16.25 was based on the assumption that the HUP and the Humber 4x4 used the same wheel diameter as other WW2 British designed military vehicles with 16" wheels. These were about 1/4" larger in diameter than 16" American wheels.
Strangely enough the post war Ferret Scout Car used the smaller American wheel diameter. The run flat tyres for these were marked 'To fit 6.50 H Rims' if I remember correctly.
There are those who think the difference in wheel diameter is insignificant but I have tried putting tyres made for British rims on a Dodge WC and they were definitely a sloppy fit. Conversely, I know of at least one fellow that had his Blitz wheels machined to a smaller diameter to take American tyres. He was happy with the remaining thickness.

David

[Lynn Eades]

David, I am sure others know more than I, but as you have probably noticed, the majority of wartime 900 x 16 tyres had on them "for British wheels only" or "for 6"rims only" or " for American wheels only"
One wheel has a "flat" base, and the other, a "tapered" base.
Obviously the two allies couldn't agree on a common standard (like they did with the inch)
I had a Dodge 6x6 at one stage, and from the process of measuring up rolling circumferances of the 20 plus various 900 x 16s, I found few to be the same. As an example, the standard British Dunlop track grips were quite a bit smaller than the same make run flats. (The runflats were post war and should have been on a Ferret)
I also had British Avon, Michelin, Blackhawk chiefs, Yokohama (1960-70s)along with a mix of Goodyears, and other names forgotten, including sand tyres made in the Federal Republik of Suid Afrika. Obviously some were worn more than others, but as I recall the circumference varied a max of about 8 1/2". A lot in for 1 turn of the wheel!

[motto]

You're perfectly correct Lynn, tyres of the same nominal size from different makers can vary significantly in outside diameter. As you and Grant point out this also applies to different types of tyres (run flat, cross country etc) from the same maker.
However, it's the diameter of the hole in the middle that I was rambling on about. The topic that has been covered previously I know but there are those more recent victims of the OD bug that have yet to encounter this 16" wheel/tyre anomaly.
Bead angle aside, tyres made for wartime British 16" wheels are oversize enough to be quite loose on an American wheel as I proved again a couple of years ago when I inadvertently purchased the wrong ones.
I know that in the past some people have welded steel plates to the wheel bead area to centralise British tyres on Dodge WC wheels otherwise they could end up quite eccentric. I myself have in times gone by bonded rubber strips to the tyre bead for the same purpose.
Very little of this has to do with 18" tyres so once again I'm guilty of hijack. It just seems to happen in conversation.

Cheers

David

[lynx42]

Originally Posted by motto

Thinking on that 9.25-16 tyre size (which I had never heard of before now). Maybe they inadvertently put a couple of numerals in the wrong place and it should have been 9.00-16.25
Now that would have saved a lot of confusion and would be damn close to reality.

David

No David, They didn't. The Ford Lynx Scout Car should run 9.25 x 16 tyres and I have 5 here taken off my Lynx and a spare.

Lynx continues 195.jpg

Lynx continues 203.jpg

I have now fitted 9.00 x 16 tyres and they are quite a bit higher than the 9.25 x 16s I took off.

Regards Rick.

[Matt Austin]

Just thought I'd bump this thread to see if anyone had any recent experience with 10.50x18 or 1100x18 tyres in Australia.

The other option is changing to use 20" rims. Are 20" CMP-type rims and tyres available in Australia?

Cheers,
Matt

[Keith Webb]

You shouldn't have much trouble getting 20" rims, but you might just have to buy a CMP to get them A lot of people use the 12.00-20 tyres which might look a bit big on your Inter.

Originally Posted by Matt Austin

Just thought I'd bump this thread to see if anyone had any recent experience with 10.50x18 or 1100x18 tyres in Australia.

The other option is changing to use 20" rims. Are 20" CMP-type rims and tyres available in Australia?

Cheers,
Matt

[hrpearce]

Matt's Inter is 6 stud CMP rims are 8 stud.