# 1971 Simplicity Sovereign 3314V Tires



## douga (11 mo ago)

From Beaufort SC: I took my Sovereign wheels with old Goodyear 23x12.50-12 Terra Tires to the store to have new valve stems installed. They ruined one of the tires while breaking the bead and provided (gratis) what they thought to be the equivalent replacement Carlisle 23x12.50-12 Multi Trac CS. As you can see from the photos, the new tire has no resemblance to the old. Old tire diameter is 23". New tire diameter is 21". I am concerned about 1) destroying the look of my antique and 2) wearing out my differential over time. Can anyone recommend a higher profile original looking tire for the Sovereign with a true 23 inch diameter to closely match the original? I will need to take this back to the tire store and request a solution. Thanks in advance for any advice.


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## Bob Driver (Nov 1, 2017)

It's really tough to find those old school "Chevron Bar" tread anymore. They were the common tread on lawn tractor tires back in the 70's. Everything seems to be "turf tires" now days, with the growth of zero turns for the homeowner market. Tires today are like dimensional lumber where a 2 x 4 isn't really 2"x4". 

How bad is the bead damaged? Did it break the steel bead cord, or just damage the air seal? If it's just the air seal, can you run a tube? If it broke the bead cord, you're going to have to replace both tires to match the tread and size.

A lot of guys, with vintage LT's, go with AG tread because they like the look on vintage equipment and they can't find the "Chevron Bar" tread anymore. You're going to have to be a pretty sweet talker to get the Manager at the tire shop to pay for those


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## douga (11 mo ago)

Bob Driver said:


> It's really tough to find those old school "Chevron Bar" tread anymore. They were the common tread on lawn tractor tires back in the 70's. Everything seems to be "turf tires" now days, with the growth of zero turns for the homeowner market. Tires today are like dimensional lumber where a 2 x 4 isn't really 2"x4".
> 
> How bad is the bead damaged? Did it break the steel bead cord, or just damage the air seal? If it's just the air seal, can you run a tube? If it broke the bead cord, you're going to have to replace both tires to match the tread and size.
> 
> A lot of guys, with vintage LT's, go with AG tread because they like the look on vintage equipment and they can't find the "Chevron Bar" tread anymore. You're going to have to be a pretty sweet talker to get the Manager at the tire shop to pay for those


Thank you for your advice. Very helpful background also on the "chevron tread". The ruined tire has a 5 inch split in the sidewall, so its unserviceable. My tractor is used exclusively for mowing a centipede lawn in sandy soil so I suppose the AG tread could not do too much damage. I do like the look.


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## Bob Driver (Nov 1, 2017)

douga said:


> Thank you for your advice. Very helpful background also on the "chevron tread". The ruined tire has a 5 inch split in the sidewall, so its unserviceable. My tractor is used exclusively for mowing a centipede lawn in sandy soil so I suppose the AG tread could not do too much damage. I do like the look.


So they more than likely "zippered" the side wall trying to set the bead. Easy to do (and scary) if that was a OEM 50 year old tire. I learned a long time ago..... If you had brought me a set of really old tires (I always look at the date code), the only way I would have done the job would have been to install tubes. If you absolutely insisted on staying tubeless, I would have only broken down the outside beads and used a spreader tool I made to just replace the valve stems. I would have gave you the tires back to set the two beads back on your own. I've had enough of those "holy crap" moments with old tires zippering to know what's likely going to happen, especially if they've sat over the winter flat, and you break down both beads. A regular automotive tire shop doesn't change that many really old tires, so they didn't have a clue of the risk


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## Vigo (Oct 8, 2021)

Are those tires inflated to the same pressure? A lot of these bias-ply tires with wide tread grow by a huge amount based on inflation pressure. You can basically pick your tire height based on pressure if you have a tire with wide tread that isn't built as a radial.


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## douga (11 mo ago)

Bob Driver said:


> So they more than likely "zippered" the side wall trying to set the bead. Easy to do (and scary) if that was a OEM 50 year old tire. I learned a long time ago..... If you had brought me a set of really old tires (I always look at the date code), the only way I would have done the job would have been to install tubes. If you absolutely insisted on staying tubeless, I would have only broken down the outside beads and used a spreader tool I made to just replace the valve stems. I would have gave you the tires back to set the two beads back on your own. I've had enough of those "holy crap" moments with old tires zippering to know what's likely going to happen, especially if they've sat over the winter flat, and you break down both beads. A regular automotive tire shop doesn't change that many really old tires, so they didn't have a clue of the risk


Thanks Bob.... sounds like you have a lot of experience with these. The tire shop eventually destroyed the second tire also and installed a matching new one which I agreed to pay for beforehand. They were glad to see me gone, and I know better now about how fragile vintage tires are. I'm very happy with the new ones and no longer care about that "antique" look.


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## douga (11 mo ago)

Vigo said:


> Are those tires inflated to the same pressure? A lot of these bias-ply tires with wide tread grow by a huge amount based on inflation pressure. You can basically pick your tire height based on pressure if you have a tire with wide tread that isn't built as a radial.


The new tires came from the shop at 25psi. I deflated them to 12psi for daily use. There was no noticeable difference in shape or diameter with these at either pressure. Thanks for the idea though, Doug SEE 2














Pics


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## Bob Driver (Nov 1, 2017)

douga said:


> Thanks Bob.... sounds like you have a lot of experience with these. The tire shop eventually destroyed the second tire also and installed a matching new one which I agreed to pay for beforehand. They were glad to see me gone, and I know better now about how fragile vintage tires are. I'm very happy with the new ones and no longer care about that "antique" look.


I lowered my expectations for tires a long time ago... My current standard is round, black, and holds air for more than a week. Those new rear "shoes" do look good on your Sovereign. That's a fine looking machine for 51 years old.


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