68 C20 wheel question

[Mike80D]

My C20 has 4 of these Firestone 16x6 wheels. One is a spare in the bed, and the truck has another spare in the original location. I haven’t checked to see what type of wheel it is. The driver’s rear wheel is a split ring design and has a different look, and part #. Can anyone confirm what type of wheels the Firestones are? They look like split ring but I don’t see a physical split on them. We’re they factory issue?

[Wrenchbender Ret]

Those are lock ring type wheels. I don't know the name of them or the manufacture.
They are pretty ornery to mount/dismount. They are comparably safe if you use precautions & the rims are not rusted out or beat up.
I can explain how if you think you can do it yourself.
George

[jocko]

There were locking rings with and without the break, you just happen to have both. A semi-truck or tractor repair shop is usually the best place to swap tires with those types of rims at a reasonable price. Some places won't work on them, but generally speaking, any place with a cage and that isn't run by 18 year-olds can do it. They can be dangerous, thus the cage or "chained" approach to changing them.

Not to hijack, but closely related to the subject - the use of bias-ply tires vs radial tires (on these older rims) has been a hotly debated subj in some forums - and I still don't know the right answer as I've never seen proof in writing of the opinions - other than "it hasn't killed me yet.." proof.. Clearly these wheels ran bias plies when new, but I've seen some statements about radials having a slightly narrower or at least different lip/bead than bias plies. I "suspect" someone was mixing the locking ring discussion up with the old 16" vs 16.5" tire discussion (because they do have distinctly different lips) - but does anyone have anything definitive instructions/references, etc as to whether it's ok or not ok to run radials on locking ring type wheels? I've always kinda wondered... I "think" the answer is yes, as long as radial tire tubes, boots, etc are run. But I just don't know for certain.

[Mike80D]

Originally Posted by Wrenchbender Ret

Those are lock ring type wheels. I don't know the name of them or the manufacture.
They are pretty ornery to mount/dismount. They are comparably safe if you use precautions & the rims are not rusted out or beat up.
I can explain how if you think you can do it yourself.
George

Thanks, they have Firestone stamped on them.

[Mike80D]

Originally Posted by jocko

There were locking rings with and without the break, you just happen to have both. A semi-truck or tractor repair shop is usually the best place to swap tires with those types of rims at a reasonable price. Some places won't work on them, but generally speaking, any place with a cage and that isn't run by 18 year-olds can do it. They can be dangerous, thus the cage or "chained" approach to changing them.

Not to hijack, but closely related to the subject - the use of bias-ply tires vs radial tires (on these older rims) has been a hotly debated subj in some forums - and I still don't know the right answer as I've never seen proof in writing of the opinions - other than "it hasn't killed me yet.." proof.. Clearly these wheels ran bias plies when new, but I've seen some statements about radials having a slightly narrower or at least different lip/bead than bias plies. I "suspect" someone was mixing the locking ring discussion up with the old 16" vs 16.5" tire discussion (because they do have distinctly different lips) - but does anyone have anything definitive instructions/references, etc as to whether it's ok or not ok to run radials on locking ring type wheels? I've always kinda wondered... I "think" the answer is yes, as long as radial tire tubes, boots, etc are run. But I just don't know for certain.

Not hijacking one bit. That’s a good topic for discussion. I love the nostalgia of factory rims & bias ply tires, but I also like to have piece of mind out on the highway. I’ve got an old set of 16.5 x either 7 or 8 inch white spoke wheels that I’ll likely mount some 9.50s on and roll with it. That 4.57 Eaton needs all the help it can get anyway!

[jocko]

with the 4.57, you might want to look for some 42" tall tires

[factorystock]

People who have not been in the tire business for a long time get paranoid when they see these wheels. Stay away from car tire shops is my advice. Tire manufactures like to play it safe and don't recommend mounting modern radials on these rims. They have nothing to loose, its a very small market today. Radials have been mounted on 2 piece rims ever since radials were introduced. These 2 piece rims are more than strong enough to handle and additional side loads radials put on rims. The older solid 16" 17.5" and 19.5" have a different construction and are not as strong as the lock ring style wheel when used in severe service. The ring that doesn't connect is a Goodyear wheel ( '65-'67), the continuos ring is a Firestone wheel ( '68). An easy swap is replace the Eaton 4.57 ratio pumpkin with a 4.11 Eaton pumpkin. P>S. Always carry a good spare tire, you don't want to search for a truck tire dealer the day you get a flat with 2 piece wheels.