Sources for dating and use of scale tires

[dusty_shelf]

I have a number of builds in mind.  They will all essentially be gassers and street rods of the 1960s-early ‘70s era.  I want to be sure that the tires used are correct for the period.  Modern kit releases of vintage/classic cars tend to include more modern tires.  That is, they are taking cars from the 1930s-1970s and providing rubber from recent/present day.

Is there a good source(s) for identifying and dating tires that we often find in kits?  Some are branded and with tire style and size.  Others recognized only by type (poly, radial, etc.) and wall (white, pie crust, etc.).  It would be good to know the general application.  Standard from factory on certain makes/models?  What about those for drag racing or rodding?

Thanks.

[stitchdup]

if the kits in the original box you could use the copyright dates and box info on older usa kits as some of the older johan and amt said what the tyres included were, but they may just give you a general time frame.  most of the newer tyres dont seem to be branded on us manufacturer kits but the japanese kits are. I think most of the japanese race car kits have plain slicks, but some include decals for them or there are paint masks available too.

I wont start onto the aftermarket as there are hundreds available in resin, plastic, rubber and prints for pretty much any application you can think off. some are great and some might as well be tap washers so if the pics are poor i'd avoid them. the best guide with aftermarket is if they go the trouble of getting clear pics of the detail on their tyres then they are most likely proud of them and put in the effort to get them right. If the pics are poor then the product is usually poor.

to find out what tyres go on what your probably best to use a site like michelin or coker tyre that might list the applications they suit

[Mark]

Sixties and early Seventies street rods will almost invariably have bias-ply tires.  Few new cars used radials until the mid-Seventies.

As for the drag cars, check period photos and not pictures of restored cars or modern "tribute" cars, or worse yet, modern build "street freak gassers" which generally mix parts and themes from multiple eras.