History of the tire, Development of tire dimensions, Series, Notations around the tire (bead tires, high pressured diagonal tires, diagonal tires (cross ply) with steel bead, newer diagonal tires (cross ply), older radial tires, normal tires, TRX-tires, rims, speed index, load index, Michelin vintage tires)
 
  In order to help us answer your requests more easily, it is helpful that you understand some of the "vocabulary" around the tire. They should help you to formulate email requests or questions.
 
  White wall and vintage tires
 
  Since Sir William Thompson produced the first tire out of rubber in 1845, the development of the "black flexible rings" was constantly carried on and ends today with the development of run flat tires (RFT).

High pressured diagonal tires with steel bead (Michelin)

PAX-system (Michelin)

  In all these years of tire evolution not only the form and profil but also the construction, mounting and the technical demand has changed. The first tires were not more than rubber rings around the rims replacing the steel rings. They were supposed to reduce noise and abrasion, and to roll off more comfortably (we are not yet talking about flexible properties). Modern low section tires are supposed to spring in, roll quietly, live long, run fast and straight ahead on even difficult underground (rain, snow, sand e.g.) and never loose the contact to the ground.

BFGoodrich Silvertown radial wide white walls

The legendary diagonal racing tire ENGLEBERT

Firestone diagonal tire with small and wide white wall ring

BF Goodrich Silvertown diagonal tire with white ring

  Some of the older tires were soon out of delivery. So tables of possible alternative dimensions were made, which showed tires with same outer and inner diameter but different series. These tables served as orientation; the freewheel of the new tire dimension had to be checked in every case, especially in deflection and releting of the front tires.

Diagonal tire STOP and SDS from Michelin

Michelin's diagonal tire with steel bead (til 1940) DR (Double Rivet, left) and SCSS (Super Comfort Stop S, right)

Coker-Classics with wide white wall or small red line

Michelin tire for bead rims: "Carpe" before 1914 (top left), RU after 1918 (top right), "Trèfle" after 1920 (bottom left) and DR after 1924 (bottom right)

  All these tires were produced according to the particular fashion with black side wall, with white letters, with white wall and black letters or with black wall and one or two white or red rings.

 
Cars radial tire of the 80-series from Michelin (top and right typ X (1946) and XAS (1965), bottom X TRA (1966) and ZX (1968))

Car radial tire of the 80-series from Michelin (top XWX and XVS, bottom XZX and MX)

Radial tire in low section from Michelin (MXV (1982) and MXW (1983))

  Nowadays most of the vintage cars are provided the low section tires of the 80-, 70-, 65- oder 60-series. But these tires are normally only produced with black side walls. Only for a speed up to 160 km/h it is sometime possible to get original white wall tires out of the USA. But these tire are normally not licenced for Europe by the techical supervision authority.

Radial racing tire, TRX-series (profiles TRX HR and VR from Michelin from 1975 on)

  Therefore we have developed an own process of vulcanizing white (or red, green, blue) raw rubber on almost every tire.
  In principle we can supply you with all the mentioned tires and even have some of them on stock. If you want modern tires with vulcanized white or colored walls we produce them for you; so it may take one or two weeks before we can ship the handmade tires.

Also newly produced: The Vredestein SPRINT CLASSIC,
newest tire technology for optimal security and most modern
comfort with classical profile and stylistic, elegant Side waqll design

  If you want some information about a certain tire dimension and its price please send us an Email to mail@oldtimerreifen-moeller.de Please understand, that we can not answer all questions about availability and price for all tires at once. Some prices may change daily due to change of suppliers etc.

high pressure and low pressure beaded edge tires (until 1925)

  Around 1923 rubber rings were developed that can be mounted inside and between the tire beads which made low pressures of "only" 2,5 bar possible. But their mounting was complicated, so after few years tires were developed to production stage that had bead cores of textile cord rings. These diagonal tires had beads that looked almost like those of modern tires.

Construction of diagonal tires with bead cores (without belt)

  In the middle of the 1930s tires were introduced that had - in addition to the cord plies - steel plies in the belt. They were first applied on trucks (because of the higher loading capacity), later also for passenger cars (for better form stability at high speed). The bias belted tire was born.
  But bias (or diagonal) tires have the disadvantage that the outer diameter increases due to the centrifugal force at higher speed. Furthermore diagonal tires tend to deform when not used for a longer time. Only after driving a while they become round again.

Comparison bias belted tires    --    radial (belted) tires

  Finally in the 1950s the first tires with radial ply carcasses were developed. With them the principle of separation of function of the tire flank and the tread is applied. The flank has to be flexible and springy and sustain high temperatures; the tread has to be form stable, resistant to nail punches, and low in abrasion. Also the development went from the flat base rim and the multi-piece rim towards the drop-center rim (at least on the passenger car sector).

Principle of separation of function of flank and tread:
for diagonal tires no separation (at stress deformation of the
contact area); for radial tires separation (Deflection only at in the flank)

  All these tires have a ratio of height to width of 100% (beaded edge tires) to 80% (diagonal or bias beaded edge tires and the first radial (ply) tires). But the development of ever faster cars accompanied by an anlargement of brake systems led to ratios of 70%, 65% and 60%. Nowadays ratios of even 30% or 25% are produced because of increasing demand of the sports look (tuning) of cars in the last 10 years. But technically speaking tires of 45% or less do not follow the principle of separation of function any more!
  Especially in the last years the development of tires has not been linear. In the middle of the 1970s tire producers developed the TRX series with a perfect co-ordination between tires and rims so that deflection and placement were optimized.

Comparison of strain distribution when loaded:
left normal radial tire, right TRX tire

  The newest developments are the CTS system from Continental which prevents the spinning of the tire on the rim (the bead together with the rim changes its shape when truned around; it topples slidely towards the inside and the outside at each revolution) and the PAX or RFT system which allows driving in an almost normal way without interior pressure due to a puncture. But all of these systems are still in a state of testing because most of them demand other mounting techniques and machines (and more time) than normal tires. Only the RFT system (Run Flat Tires) seems to be almost accepted; it allows the omission of the spare wheel (so more space for car designers, less car weight and so less fuel consumption).

 
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Load index LI
 

Index	max kg		Index	max kg		Index	max kg		Index	max kg		Index	max kg		Index	max kg		Index	max kg
0	45		30	106		60	250		90	600		120	1400		150	3350		180	8000
1	46,2		31	109		61	257		91	615		121	1450		151	3450		181	8250
2	47,5		32	112		62	265		92	630		122	1500		152	3550		182	8500
3	48,7		33	115		63	272		93	650		123	1550		153	3650		183	8750
4	50		34	118		64	280		94	670		124	1600		154	3750		184	9000
5	51,5		35	121		65	290		95	690		125	1650		155	3875		185	9250
6	53		36	125		66	300		96	710		126	1700		156	4000		186	9500
7	54,5		37	128		67	307		97	730		127	1750		157	4125		187	9750
8	56		38	132		68	315		98	750		128	1800		158	4250		188	10000
9	58		39	136		69	325		99	775		129	1850		159	4375		189	10300
10	60		40	140		70	335		100	800		130	1900		160	4500		190	10600
11	61,5		41	145		71	345		101	825		131	1950		161	4625		191	10900
12	63		42	150		72	355		102	850		132	2000		162	4750		192	11200
13	65		43	155		73	365		103	875		133	2060		163	4875		193	11500
14	67		44	160		74	375		104	900		134	2120		164	5000		194	11800
15	69		45	165		75	387		105	925		135	2180		165	5150		195	12150
16	71		46	170		76	400		106	950		136	2240		166	5300		196	12500
17	73		47	175		77	412		107	975		137	2300		167	5450		197	12850
18	75		48	180		78	425		108	1000		138	2360		168	5600		198	13200
19	77,5		49	185		79	437		109	1030		139	2430		169	5800		199	13600
20	80		50	190		80	450		110	1060		140	2500		170	6000		200	14000
21	82,5		51	195		81	462		111	1090		141	2575		171	6150		201	14500
22	85		52	200		82	475		112	1120		142	2650		172	6300		202	15000
23	87,5		53	206		83	487		113	1150		143	2725		173	6500		203	15500
24	90		54	212		84	500		114	1180		144	2800		174	6700		204	16000
25	92,5		55	218		85	515		115	1215		145	2900		175	6900		205	16500
26	95		56	224		86	530		116	1250		146	3000		176	7100		206	17000
27	97,5		57	230		87	545		117	1285		147	3075		177	7300		207	17500
28	100		58	236		88	560		118	1320		148	3150		178	7500		208	18000
29	103		59	243		89	580		119	1360		149	3250		179	7750		209	18500

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Michelin vintage tires