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Are balloon tires the same as clinchers?
Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2021 11:42 pm
by Steve Jelf
It's well known that all the current clincher tires (except Blockleys) come from the same Vietnamese factory and differ in name and price, but not in quality. Does this apply to the 21" balloon tires too, or are some better than others?
Re: Are balloon tires the same as clinchers?
Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2021 7:26 am
by Humblej
Not all 21" tires are the same. Some 21" balloon tires are USA made, Firestone and Lester are. Most catalogs will state "made in USA" when applicable, and the tires themselves are marked as such. I just installed a set of 440-450x21 Firestones, nice tires. My last set of tires were also USA made and lasted me 45 years, no cracks, no dry rot, no breaks, no flats. I reused the 45 year old metal stem inner tubes with my new tires.
Re: Are balloon tires the same as clinchers?
Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2021 8:02 am
by varmint
Coker Tire in Chattanooga, TN makes Firestone tires and others.
https://www.cokertire.com/tires.html
I am not affiliated with them but have purchased directly from them for a different classic car.
Re: Are balloon tires the same as clinchers?
Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2021 8:18 am
by It's Bill
Some education please. I know about clincher and how they are held to the wheel, but what are balloon tires and how do they work? Thanks, Bill
Re: Are balloon tires the same as clinchers?
Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2021 8:48 am
by Humblej
Bill, a balloon tire is a modern tire, it has a bead that will not stretch. The rim must have a drop center, or be a collapsing split rim, or have a removable split ring, or be wheel halves that bolt together, to remove or install a tire.
Re: Are balloon tires the same as clinchers?
Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2021 10:47 am
by TWrenn
And they only require something like 32-35lbs of air if I'm not mistaken, and ride a LOT better than those clinchers.
Re: Are balloon tires the same as clinchers?
Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2021 12:05 pm
by Susanne
And a clincher uses the high pressure of the tire (20 PSI per inch of width) to hold the bead of the tire solid against the inside of the rim, which is shaped (nominally, anyway) to fit that bead... Similar to the way a high pressure bicycle tire works.
That's why it's a bad idea to run a clincher at a lower pressure - the tire won't lock into the rim, and slide, causing the valve stem to tear out of the tube. It's also why I was told you never powder coat the inside of a clincher rim, as it makes it too "slick".
Re: Are balloon tires the same as clinchers?
Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2021 12:57 pm
by Dennis Prince
I run only Firestones anymore, I find that they last longer and don't weather like the others. I run 525-21 tires on a couple of my cars because they are 6 plies and are oversized. Mostly I run Firestones because they last so much longer and I hate tire work. Also I can't tell any difference in ride with the 450-21 with 35psi and 50 psi but I do notice the the rolling resistance is much less at 50psi and it drives better from less sidewall roll, I also notice no wear problems at 50 psi. Just how I do it and have done so for 50 years.