1968 tire help

[Lukewarm256]

Have a 1968 d22 that I inherited from grandpa, but it has sat for ages and the rear tires are all sorts of bad. Checks, cracks, look generally dangerous.

They are on 6 lug wheels. Rare, can't find replacements, best tire shop in the state hasn't seen them in a decade.

The real issue is the tires. The things on it were new in 1980. They are a size that doesn't exist. 7x16. No, not 7.5. They appear to be 30 inches tall. The duals are a problem, because they are tube type, split rim. The tire shop can't find anything narrow enough to go on those duals and not rub together. There is just 2" separating the wheel rims. There is about 1" currently between the tire sidewalls.

Was wondering if anyone else has this unfortunate wheel/tire combo, and could tell me what tire will fit back there and not rub between each other.

Have 215/85/16 on the front, and the sidewalls buldge 2.25 inches, almost an inch more than the duals have between rims! So they won't work.

The tires on back are 7 wide at the bead, 5" wide at the tread. Very narrow, and still only spare an inch total between sidewalls.

Need ideas, help, etc. Hope not to break the bank.

Thanks!

[JessEm]

I guess something to think about would be converting the split rims to non-split. A pretty good case for this has been made in other threads. A few of the advantages that come to mind are cheaper tires, broader tire selection and availability, and a lot of places have gotten away from working on split rims altogether. This can be a bad situation in an emergency if they're the only place in town.

There's threads here on doing the conversion... I could be mistaken but I think old Ford 1-ton rims were compatible...? ... You could try searching it, or maybe someone who's done it will see this and chime in. Good luck. Everything I know about it I've just picked up from reading.

[Lukewarm256]

Yeah I went and read a lot of those. Involves shipping the wheels to Cali and having the centers cut out and welded to new rims. At a cost is over 300 each, that's just unrealistic. New tires and wheels would be more than buying a mid 80's motorhome.

Just had hope that some one had the same wheels and had a tire that worked for them. Thousands of these motorhomes, seems shocking I can't find anyone else leaving a record of this problem.

Search continues.

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

Original tires were bias ply.  Coker Tire

700x16 start on page 4.

[Lukewarm256]

Unfortunately the coker tires don't have the weight ratings this thing needs.

Was forced to go with 215/85/16 on the rears. Totally unloaded, on flat ground, they don't touch. But they do, sometimes, touch. The right side more so, due to the tilt in the road. It's so slight, it mearly leaves an imprint of the lettering on the opposing sidewall.

Right now I am desperately searching for spacers to put between them, but clearly no one makes them.

I plan to make some. Hunting down some heavy truck wheels of the same type to cut the centers out of and give me a good 1/4 inch more room. Wrecking yard says they have an old bread truck with 1/2 steel wheels, I have to go see if they're coined properly...

This seems to be what I must do.

Will update if I find a solution.

The other option would be trying to import tires from the UK, where 7.00x16 is still a normal size. Ouch.

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

I suspect either one of these would work on a D22 chassis.

https://www.cokertire.com/700-16-tornel-lite-truck-6-ply.html

https://www.cokertire.com/700r16-coker-classic-blackwall-tire.html

I would talk to Coker directly.

Dave

[rustyzman]

     I am putting new tires on my 54 Dodge 1 ton now.  It essentially has those same 6 lug two piece lock ring wheels, stud centered and coined.  They are often called Military Pull Wheels.  Took me 5 years of looking to find reasonable condition replacements 3 states away.  Just a note, if they are riveted wheels check the condition well and make sure they are not bulging between the rivets with rust.  While dismounting the tire on one of my old bad wheels the rust vibrated off and there is a large hole in the wheel now.  Plus it is splitting around the circumference where the rust is.  (don't worry, they are scrap and will never be used again.) The dually offset on these is not much compared to new style duallies.
      If the sidewalls are touching, it is no good.  You will eventually have a failure of one or both tires from friction and not being safety bead wheels, it will likely end badly.  Originally they had bias ply tires, which don't bulge much in the sidewall.  The newer radials do and will be an issue.
     The coined rims don't lend themselves well to spacers because you have to interlock the opposing coins so the wheels will seat properly when tightened.  Remember that the studs are centering the wheel and the coins help center as well as aid in handling the shear load on the rear studs.  Tread carefully if you modify it. 
     I bought a combination of STA Super Traxion (Specialty Tires of America) and Tornel highway tires.  6 ply rating.  The STA is aggressive and not suited for highway driving so much.  The Tornel is.
I would suggest a call to M.E. Miller tire http://www.millertire.com/ and pick their brains.  They were far more informed and helpful than Coker or other suppliers.  There are higher rated tires than the 6 ply around.  Lots of older military stuff uses these types of wheels and they have beefier tires as well.  Some older Duece and a Halfs had 20" versions of this bolt pattern if I am not mistaken.
     Make sure that you continue to use a tube and flap on those rears if they are two piece wheels.  Even if a tubeless radial mounts up and seals on that wheel it is not safe without them. 
Sorry to be a dark cloud, just sharing my experience with this system.