[markeb01]

I've been running Radial T/A's almost exclusively since they came on the market - until recently. I like the fact they're dirt cheap compared to other performance tires, and have that classic styling. The downside being the center of the tread always seem to wear out prematurely, long before the rest of the tread - especially on the rear of the truck. I had the same problem on my 46 Ford. I just got tired of replacing half worn tires because the centers were getting bald. I've run the pressure as low as 24 psi and it didn't seem to help.

So the last time I needed rear tires, I bought Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tires instead. I like the way they look better than the T/A's. They have a more squared shoulder and look more impressive (IMHO). They also ride smoother, last longer, wear evenly, and cost about the same as the T/A's. They are what's mounted on the rear mags in the recent posts. The front tires remain T/A's. I'll probably replace them with Firestones when they wear out.

The tires on the rally wheels are Cooper studded snow tires. Cooper makes great snow tires. They were standard on the ambulance my wife used to drive when she was an EMT. I once made the mistake of thinking this meant all Cooper tires were good. I bought a pair of regular non-snow Coopers for the front of the truck years ago, and they were so soggy it ruined the handling and I got rid of them.

Studded snow tires were just about mandatory when we lived up by Athol, or we couldn't get to the highway during the winter. When these wear out many years from now I'll probably just stick with the street tires during the winter. As long as I have the extra wheels and tires I'd rather keep the Americans in the garage during the winter months when the streets are being sprayed with mag chloride.

Just curious, are you using the powder coating outfit over on Atlas? That's where I used to have all mine done, they did great work.