New Firestone Dirt Track Sizes are Perfect for Hot Rods!

And when we say NEW sizes, we actually mean OLD sizes that hot rodders have been asking about for years! Back in the '60s, '70s and '80s, it was very popular to use Firestone Dirt Track tires on the rear of a highboy hot rod, and 11.00-16 sizing was quite common. Very famous hot rods rolled on these massive 11.00-16 or similar Dirt Trackers, including the Limefire roadster, the Eastwood & Barakat Sedan, Jake's Coupe (think Pete & Jake's) and many more. Firestone Double Diamond Dirt Track tires were also a key ingredient for Tom Prufer's perfectly proportioned hot rods. [products] Along with the Firestone Dirt Track 11.00-16 rears, we are now producing Firestone Dirt Track 11.00-16 rears, which are very similar in overall dimensions, but offer more wheel fitment options. While the 11.00-16's are certainly more authentic to the era, we know that finding a set of wide real-deal 16-inch ET III, Halibrand or American Racing wheels is difficult and expensive. The 11.00-15's allow hot rodders to get the same look with a much more common and affordable 15x10-inch wheel. [caption id="attachment_6378" align="alignleft" width="720"] Chris Staneck's red '32 Ford roadster is rolling on Firestone 11.00-16 Dirt Track tires, paired up with Firestone F560 145R15 blackwall radial front runners. The rubber rake, in combination with the car's dropped axle and other suspension tricks offers the perfect hot rod stance.[/caption] Customers had been asking for these tires for quite some time, but it was a long process to re-create these tires. In most cases, our tires are built using original molds, which have been refurbished to today's tolerances and standards. And when an original mold is not available, our relationship with Firestone allows us to use original drawings, in order to build a new mold. In the case of the Firestone 11.00-16, neither of these artifacts were available, so we were forced to reverse engineer the tire. To do so, we sourced an original tire from the '60s and made new blueprints from it, so a new mold could be made. [caption id="attachment_6381" align="alignleft" width="720"] This vibrant '32 Ford five-window coupe is owned by Jason Crooks and features a Firestone 11.00-16 Dirt Track and Michelin XZX 145R15 combination. The new Dirt Track tires give this car a lot of traditional hot rod style, even though it is a contemporary build with LS1 horsepower and slick modern features. [/caption] Our development team spent months to re-create these tires, but the entire process was years in the making and yes these tires are MADE IN THE USA! We are proud to announce that Firestone Dirt Track 11.00-15 and 11.00-16 tires are now in stock and ready to ship to your door. The tires measure 30.60 inches in diameter, with a 11.75-inch tread width and 15-inch overall width. We suggest mounting them to wheels that are 8 to 11 inches in width for the right look. These are tubeless tires with 4-ply nylon construction, but be advised that if you're mounting them to magnesium wheels, a tube is suggested because the porosity of the magnesium may lead to a slow leak. If you choose the 11.00-15's please look through our inventory of Rocket Racing wheels, which offer old school looks and 15x10-inch sizing to perfectly fit these new tires. [caption id="attachment_6377" align="alignleft" width="720"] Ed Gromer's freshly built '32 Ford roadster shares a similar profile and stance to the red roadster in the background. These guys have a formula that really works--few inches out of the windshield, couple inches out of the grille and make it sit low. The 11.00-16 Dirt Track tires add to the aggressive hot rod stance.[/caption] We spotted several cars at the 2015 NSRA Street Rod Nationals sporting our new Firestone 11.00-16 Dirt Track tires. All three were 1932 Ford highboys, and the stance created by the 30.60-inch overall diameter rear tires is timeless and cool. All three cars also featured 145R15 radial tires. Mixing bias ply and radial tires on the same vehicle is something that we do not suggest, but it sure looks good in these cases. Take a look at the cars with our new Firestone Dirt Track tires--we think you'll like 'em! [caption id="attachment_6379" align="alignleft" width="720"] Here's another look at Jason Crooks' Deuce five-window. The raised rear wheel openings position the car a little lower than the average '32 Ford hot rod, but the distinct rubber rake from the 11.00-16 rears and 145R15 fronts bring it back into perspective.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_6380" align="alignleft" width="720"] One last look--get yours now![/caption]