Straight Sided Vintage Tyres
Brass Era Tyres
Straight-Sided Brass Era Tyres
- Straight-sided tyres, developed during the Brass Era of car production (before the use of nickel, when most radiators were made of brass), represented a significant advancement.
- Earlier Brass Era cars often used Beaded Edge or 'Clincher' tyres.
- Many European and budget American Brass Era cars, including the Model T Ford, continued to use Clincher or Beaded Edge tyres.
- Straight-sided tyres remained popular well into the 1920s, the vintage car period.
- Some commercial vehicles still use straight-sided tyres today.
- A major innovation of straight-sided tyres was the incorporation of wire in the bead, preventing them from slipping off the rim.
- Straight-sided tyres for Brass Era cars are also referred to as split rim tyres or high-pressure tyres.
- Straight-sided tyres from the Brass Era require a minimum pressure of 60psi, a standard for all tyres of that period.
- The split rims of Brass Era tyres (see picture) were detachable from the wooden wheel, allowing for diameter reduction during tyre fitting.
- Straight-sided wheels feature a removable flange on one side to facilitate tyre fitting.
- WARNING: When inflating straight-sided Brass Era tyres, exercise caution as the flange can detach with extreme force!
Straight Sided Tyre Rim Sizes
Straight Sided Vintage Tyres
This style of straight sided tyres (oldtimer tyre) was very popular with the American market, and in the mid twenties some European manufacturers.
Straight (wired) Sided Vintage Tyres
The Tyre Technology of Straight Sided Rims Explained
| These oldtimer straight sided tyres differ from beaded edge tyres in that a solid wire in the bead ensures the bead cannot stretch and will always have a diameter slightly smaller than that of the rim. |  |
Split Rim
Straight-sided vintage tyres (oldtimer tyres) are fitted to a rim which has a detachable flange on one side, or a split rim which can be reduced in diameter to aid removal and fitting.
Straight Sided Tyres FAQ
A: The split rim and straight sided are actually descriptive of the rim technology for these high pressure tyres. They both need to use the same tyre technology, and be run at high pressure with good quality inner tubes and flaps.
A: You need high pressure. There is a clue in the name they are some times called high pressure tyres. We would suggest a minimum of 60psi, but predominantly 65psi and up to 70psi depending on the car. Higher pressure is less likely to fail.
A: Yes you need to fit the best quality inner tubes you can get with flaps to stop the inner tube getting trapped between the tyre and the rim