traditional hot rod

Walking the aisles at SEMA 2016 is overwhelming to say the least. You'll see hot rods, customs, muscle cars and just about everything in between, so it's easy to glaze over some of the cool stuff. On that same token, you really have to dig deep to see the entire show and scope out all the cool stuff. One of the cool spots is the "Art Walk" a special area that features automotive artists, including this year's featured artist, Ed Tillrock from . His pencil sketches are out of this world, and as it turns out, his son is quite the hot rodder. Ed Tillrock III has built a number of hot rods, but recently put the finishing touches on a 1929 Dodge Brothers Senior Six Sport Coupe, named "Sinister 8". This distinct hot rod has a bunch of period correct modifications, making it an excellent traditional hot rod. The car rides

The Ford Model A sure does make for a good traditional hot rod, and it was hard to miss Colby Martin's recently-finished highboy sitting just outside the Central Hall at SEMA 2015. He was set up in the SAN (SEMA Action Network) booth, and had folks eyeballing his super slick creation all week long. The car is traditionally styled, with a beautiful color combination, a killer Chevy W-motor (a 348 with three deuces to be exact), and of course, Firestone Deluxe Champion blackwall tires from Coker! He mounted 600-16 tires up front, and 750-16 tires out back for the perfect rubber rake, in combination with the Ford Wide Five wheels. The chopped top is spot on and the car sits just right on '32 Ford frame rails. The beautifully finished hot rod is proof that SEMA guys are car guys, too! This has been a long term project, and Colby was certainly proud to debut it at the biggest automotive trade show in the world! Check it out!

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.

When you're building a hot rod, rat rod, slammed custom or jacked-up gasser, you'll likely have a vision for the car's stance long before you consider it complete. You might even have the stance planned out before you ever get started. The right suspension setup certainly plays a role in a car's stance, but allow us to be the first to say that tires and wheels rank highly in the stance department. The right tire and wheel combination can make an undesirable car look cool, and the wrong tire and wheel combination can make a cool car look awkward. In the end, it's up to the owner of the car to determine the overall look, but we're throwing TEN killer cars and trucks out there to provide some inspiration.

Our tires roll under some of the coolest hot rods in the world, and one of them landed on the cover of Ol' Skool Rodz this month! We got our March 2014 issue earlier this week, and loved seeing our American Classic whitewall radial tires crusted up with salt from Bonneville. If you like hot rods, you need to check out Ol' Skool Rodz!

Winter time for us southerners is quite tough! We struggle to make it through the winter without getting cabin fever, but Southern California hot rodders can get out all year long! In fact, one of the best hot rod and customs shows in the world happens in January, so it gave us a nice break from the cold. It's called the Grand National Roadster Show, and it's a hotbed for the coolest customs, wildest hot rods and baddest gassers in the country. The best part about it? A huge percentage of the cars roll on Coker Tire products! This year, we attended the event with a camera in hand and grabbed a bunch of great photos for you guys to enjoy!

Last summer we decided to hold a Cruise In event, in conjunction with the Coker Tire Challenge. It was a test to see if this sort of event could be manageable and fun on a small budget. It turned out to be a great event, so we planned for two in 2012, one of which occurred last Saturday, April 21st. It was an incredible turnout of nearly 500 car, with thousands of people roaming the streets of Corkyville!

This coming weekend is time for the annual Lonestar Round Up in Austin, Texas. It's a hotbed for traditional hot rods of all shapes and sizes, so folks from all over the place are making the trek to Texas for this awesome event. One such fellow goes by the name "Squindo" and has a thing for Kustom Art...that's Kustom with a K if you didn't notice. He's a master at pinstriping, hot rod art and wicked paintings, but he's a hot rodder at heart. He and his crew stopped by the office