New tires on the original 16.5 rims for flat nose - any suggestions

[Jpownell]

Hi all. When I purchased my 1971 in November of 2018, I was happy because it was wearing radial tires with less than 500 miles! I even had the receipt from Discount Tire...... dated November 1999!!!!

Well.... I drove on them for about 400 miles with no problem. After some front end work and new shocks in fact they rode excellent, very quiet and they tracked well on the road, but in the back of my mind I was always worried and knew this was only temporary while I was getting this fine coach on the road again.

So I replaced the front first. Brand new set of 9.5 Firestone Transforce. This was an easy decision because in the 16.5 rim size this was the only radial tire I can find. I drove it for another couple hundred miles in this configuration. The Firestones offered a little bit lighter feel in the front and I think mainly because the tires they replaced were 10 1/2 so a little larger than the Firestones. But overall it was still a nice driving experience.

Now time for the rears. The only 33-12.5-16.6 size that I could find online were the Power King super highway II bias ply tires. I remember reading on the old Google forums I believe where somebody said that mixing the radials and bias plus we’re not a big deal because of the length of the coach. I wonder if that was real life experience in a Revcon, I don’t remember. Well, I’ve only got about 100 miles on it with this combination but I find that the rear end is tracking so much differently than the front end that I have to work harder at steering the coach again. Kind of like it was before I did the front end work. I can tell I lost confidence at highway speed. Bummer that I spent almost 400 for a pair of tires and it was not an driving improvement for sure, except for the safety of course!

So my question is, since I cannot find radials for the rear, should I buy a set of power king bias ply tires for the front and replace the Firestone’s?

My experience so far is the front drives and tracks very tight down the highway at speed of 55+ MPH but the rear end seems to wag. At anything slower than highway speeds it is less noticable and not a big issue. Maybe I just need more time behind the wheel with this combination because I was so spoiled with the original radial tires. Anybody have direct experience with this in their flat nose?

Thoughts please!!!

[Ray,IN]

You may replace the fronts with bias-ply tires to get rid of the handling issue. What is happening is the bias tires have stiffer sidewalls; they do not move sideways as much as radials while rolling. (just my opinion)

There is a company who makes 16" rims to replace obsolete 16.5" rims, that IMO is your best option. Then you have several radial tire choices, and are rid of the split rims that are so dangerous to inflate without a tire cage.

[Jpownell]

Hi Ray, thanks for the response.

A couple Revcon specific clarifications from my understanding. These rims are not split, they are normal rims so they don’t have the split rim danger issues. Also, from what I’ve read and my experience at the local tire shops, I would have to find a wheel maker who can take the centers off these and fabricate a different size wheel for me since these are the “Budd” rims and being five lug there is no readily available replacement. I was locally quoted about $350 per wheel if I would bring in my wheels. That’s here in Southern California. That’s why I opted for just new tires using the existing rims.

And yes there is different handling characteristics in the fronts and back. That’s why I am wondering if it’s better to just have bias ply is on all four even if it means the overall handling deteriorates, but at least would be consistent.

I’m hoping somebody can give me their experience running either a complete set of these Power Kings or advise whether the better handling of the radials in front is still the way to go.

And what tires are you driving on your Revcon?

Thanks. Jeff

[Ray,IN]

I am understanding more about your MH from this website: Cifu Motorsports
I also found this website talking about changing the centers in Budd rims: https://www.steelsoldiers.com/showth...16-5-Budd-Rims that mentions a guy in TX that makes the centers, you have them welded.
BTW, that is a unique MH.

[Harrysait]

I don’t believe the original rims are approved for radials.
Check Alcoa aluminum wheels, they did have them for slope nose.
Are Weld Wheelsstill around?

[Kenbo]

Jeff,

I'm running the same combo, Transforce radial/Akuret bias and I didn't notice a whole lot of difference in handling, but the radials are smoother and quieter on the choppy roads and turn much easier when stopped or at low speeds. Probably twice the traction in the slippery stuff as well.

I'd bet a couple hundred miles in the saddle and you won't even think about it.

Ken.

[BJohnsonsv]

Hi.

I chose a different route with my wheels.

I had custom 19.5" wheels built for my 1972 RevCon 250 by Juan at American Wheel Specialist in Kennewick Washington. https://www.amwheelspecialist.com/

I found it very strange that front and rear wheels were different sizes on these rigs, and because the 16.5"s were obsolete, I decided to go custom.

They are steel, very reasonably priced, and they have worked out very well so far. I understand at least 3 other RevCon owners have been to AWS on my recommendation. With the Falken tire size I chose, there are no clearance issues or rubbing. I think they look amazing.

I chose to keep the original bolt pattern because it's so unusual, but worked with Juan on the project and we decided to used an easy to find 19.5" tire size. If I need a tire on the road, any truck stop will be able to help me.

If you call AWS., tell Juan that "Mr. Brad" sent you. He's an awesome guy.

[Jpownell]

Those are nice wheels Brad! You’ve definitely got a lot of consideration, time, and money in that good looking Revcon!

And Kenbo, I’m glad to hear that somebody else is running this radial / bias combo without problem. I’ve got a few more miles now and it’s feeling better. I’ll plan on keeping this setup for the season and see how it goes.

I wonder what I should carry as the spare?

Anybody else with a flat nose Revcon out there care to share their current tires and thoughts????

Jeff

[Alan H]

My Revcon is a 1972. I went through the same tire replacement journey last summer. I put the Firestones on the front and Interco's Vortrac 33x12.5r16.5 on the back. Yes they are more aggressive than a "street" tread but not to bad. They are a all terrain style tread. I did have to wait about a month for them to be made because they only make them in batches at a time. But they are smooth and quiet. I have put about 3000 miles on this setup. However I have noticed a occasional tail wag like what you describe on certain roads. I would have thought with your bias in the back it would have been better. It might just be the nature of having heavily loaded singles instead of duals. I'll try to include some photos.

[wimpy]

Most 16.5 wheels are made with a 15 degree angle bead seat opposed to a 5 degree bead seat found on all other sized wheels, and generally without any type of safety bead, that angle has a propensity to allow the bead of the tire to come loose if run at low air pressures since there is nothing but friction, bead tightness at the bead seat and air pressure to hold it on the rim.

The lower the pressure the more chance there is for the tire bead to move and allow a side motion such as turning the vehicle, striking a curb, etc to result in an immediate deflation.

[Jpownell]

Nice tires Alan. If these don’t work out I’ll give those a try. I looked for a radial searching google and never found those that you have.

Jeff

[BillG-MN]

I just replaced the tires on mine two years ago. My tire guy was able to get the right sizes (9.5" x 16.5" front, and 12" x 16.5" rear) with the brand name Power King. They are bias ply, so before I take it on the road for the season, I start a couple of days ahead, and roll it forward a few feet, then one more time, and they don't feel so square. After they get round again, they roll just fine.

[Jpownell]

Hey Alan or anyone who has the Vortrac radials. Can you give me some more feedback on the ride quality and noise. I am interested in these but at $300 per tire would like to hear more about them before buying a pair for the rear.

[Alan H]

I have about 4400 miles on the Vortrac's currently. First off let me say I can't really say how they relate to other tires because I replaced the tires my Revcon came with after I got it. The original ones were old BFGoodrich AT's but I only drove the test drive with them. They seem quiet so far. I don't notice any tread howl. As for being smooth riding. In my opinion they don't ride harsh or vibrate. They didn't need a lot of wheel weights to balance. I think they seem to be a quality tire. I just with they had a little less aggressive tread purely for cosmetic reasons.

But I think your original post was about your concern over the backend wagging and whether the mixture of radial's and bias were to blame. I just can't say whether the vortracs will "fix" that. I would think the bias sidewalls would be stiffer and offer less flex laterally. I have had mine feel "waggy" occasionally early on also. I haven't entirely figured out what's the cause. It only did it on uneven "dippy" roads. Sometime I would like to change the leaf spring bushings. As it seems weight affects it. It seems to handle a little worse with a loaded bike rack on the back. Something else I had to do to fit it in the shed I park it in was remove the roof A/C. I know thats not for everyone but since I rarely get to use it during the summer it doesn't affect me much. But removing that weight up high made a marked improvement in handling. My point being weight always affects handling.

You had mentioned it drove fine until you changed the rear tires. Was it loaded differently for those two drives? Maybe you do just need a little more time to get the feel of it. The more I drive mine the more comfortable it becomes. But I will always be trying to improve it.

Alan