Cord Wheels and Radials

I had my black walls shaved of all lettering by Diamond Back and they look more period that way. It's not as expensive as having white walls put on.
CORDially Mike

Long-distance Cord drivers run Diamond Back 215R75-16 radials. Those who have tried Coker 6.50-16 radials (with tubes) at high speeds for long distances have switched.

Incidentally, if you like the look of blackwalls on your Cord or Auburn, 215R75-16 radials from any tire store will work just as well at half the price!

Diamondback Page 23 has a specific 6:50 x 16 tire - I am not running this on my Auburn (I am running Coker radials), though I am running it on other peoples Auburns. I bought them with the beauty ring as the Auburn tends to look better with such, though I think from what I saw at this years ACD festival they look fine on a Cord either way. I am interested to see if this is exactly what the Cord people are running as well.


225/75 R 16 // 6:50x16
Miranda - Yokahoma
3 1/2 WW for $249
See page 23
www.dbtires.com/2012_catalog/2012catalog_Hi.pdf

I looked at the Diamond Back radials and they offer a 2 3/4" and a 3" wide whitewall. Which is correct for the 37 Cord? Thanks

I can tell you an Auburn 851 852 is more close on one side than the other - my guess is the fender and/or wheelwell stamping are not really a mirror. The joy of the radials on the car though is worth any modification. I was told years ago that the front and rear track on a Cord are such that a car running bias plys will attempt to line up two wheels and ride the ruts in the road - and it basically is just tearing itself up when doing so.

I'm running the Diamond back radials, all of Don's improvements and Richardson joints. As I stated above I had to increase the fender width of my left fender to clear the tire. You should have 11" from the inner wheel well housing to the outer edge of both fenders. I don't rub now.

They are mostly running Diamondbacks - do not re-invent the wheel (Don Wohlend has done that for you), just ask Don exactly what he is running (or recommends you run for a tire) and then follow suit.

I have the richardson conversion shafts and Don's Alurims and rearhubs, i'm not yet that far to fit them to my cord but from looking at the parts, they are very well fabricated and believe that this is a very good invest towards driveability. I also heard, that some had cleriance-problems with the lower corner of the fender, but can't recall who with what tyre. Philipp

We have a Don Wohlwend mechanically restored 1935 Auburn 851 Phaeton and it just completed another 630 mile round trip to Auburn and back to Cincinnati without a wrench on it - that is 5 years now in our ownership and 46K miles since it's restoration). Don is incredibly skilled and I have complete faith in his work !

I have exacly the same setup that Josh has, tire, rims, joints,etc. I had trouble with my left fender as the tire would hit the inside of the fender when the car went up and down. I found that my fenders were not the same distance from the inside of the wheel well housings. Measuring from the outside of the right fender, at the top of the fender, to the wheel well housing showed 11 inches. The same measurement on the left fender came up with 10 inches. It may have been that my car was in an accident at some time and the fender wasn't shaped correctly when it was repaired? I had my bodyman reshape the fender and it is now fine.

Yes, Moonshadow has both the Richardson/Toronado front hubs and the Wohlwend rear ones. I treat myself to one Cord luxury per year. The Richardson hubs were my 1989 (I think) gift to myself. They were Lee's first production set, and he and Anna came to San Jose in his motor home to install them!

Josh,

I thought Moonshadow looked great with the aluminum wheels; and no, I didn't notice the offset. That said, I would rather be safe than sorry and double check the fit first. Don was more than accommodating with his offer to send me a wheel to test fit. Fortunately, I'm at the right stage in the restoration to make any modifications to the fender wheel openings before paint.

Don also mentioned that the aluminum wheels should be used with the Richardson joints/hubs and heavy duty rear drums. The idea being that the wheel/hub assembly would not be stiff enough if you didn't go all-in. I need to spend some time reading up on this one since wheel fatigue life may be compromised with weak, or cracked hubs. Does Moonshadow have the Richardson joints and HD rear drums?

Anyway, since low unsprung mass is important to ride quality I'm glad aluminum wheels are available.

Thanks

Jim, Moonshadow has Wohlwend aluminum wheels and Diamond Back radials. Was the increased offset evident? You saw the car at George Arakelian's place and in Auburn.

I am using Diamond Back's on my Auburn and a Corvette. Would recommend them. One thing you should bare in mind though. A friend had trouble with ply separation on his Diamond Back tires. The Diamond Back people told him it was the tire manufacturers problem, and the tire manufacturer said the tires had been altered thus no warranty. The tires should be purchased with the understanding that they have no warranty from the tire manufacturer in my opinion.
CORDially Mike

Mike,

There is a great deal of info out there regarding Cord wheel and tire options. I'm in the process of making that same decision too. While at Auburn this year, I had a chance to talk to a number of members who recommended Diamond Back over Coker for a number of reasons. I've also been considering aluminum wheels, but want to mount one with the Diamondback to make sure the additional 1/2" offset isn't noticeable. I also noted that the rear fender opening does get closer to the tire and the lower edge of the fender may need a tweak for needed clearance.

Another good source of wheel info can be found in the following ACD Newsletters:

Volume LVI . Number 3. 2008 Page 14


Volume LVI. Number 6 . 2008 Page 8


Volume LVIII . Number 4 . 2010 Page 8


Recommended tire: HANKOOK Diamond Back, Size 215-75R16

Mike:

I have run a set of Black Diamond radials with tubes on what I understand to be the heavy duty Cord wheel, for several years.

Bill McLaughlin

Well, that helps. Thanks, Tim and Pat. I do have some new wheels so that will be a plus.

Yes, i have been running radials since 2008. But first, i purchased heavy duty new wheels from "Mike" in california. I don't know if he is still in business and/or making the wheels. The experts feel you need modern wheels to take the strain of the radial tire. No tubes, and Coker recommends 41 psi.
I did the ccca caravan in montana in 2008 (1000miles), the cord convoy last year (1450 miles), and just finished the ccca nordic trek caravan last month (750 miles). I must be over 4000 miles total on them. The car runs straight down the road, and the tires hold the pressure.
Cordially, tim.

I am running (2) sets of Diamond Back radials and another car with Goodyears stock balckwall radials all without tubes, no problem.

Is any one running tubeless white wall radials on thier Cord? If so, what brand looks proper on the 37 Cord? Any thoughts on Radials with Tubes (Coker has some) would be welcome. Thanks