hey youall. i got a wheel on rim axel and brake assembly from trash now i have 16" rims on rear of chopr and on sidecar. anyone know what kind of auto tire will fit on 16" bike rim. i cant go any wide than 4". the tires will be the biggest expense . metal for frame came from scrap yard $10, tub will be made by me, rember im a master woodworker. mounting hardware is tie rods and ends and othe assorted steering linkage donated by local wrecking yard.remember that im operating on a welfare budget. 2 more questions 1 does the sidecar hane to be mounted on right side in USA. 2 what safety equipment must passenger use ei. helmet, seatbelt, im in new york
This topic came up recently on the sidecar list, and was researched by one of the sidecar pro's on this site, from one of his contacts in the tire industry. Note, what you do with the information, is your own business, and you take total personal responsibility for anything bad happening, ie a tire blowing up off a rim when trying to seat the tire, due to the difference in car rim vs motorcycle tire sizes.
Diameter of rims:
Indicated/Actual Diameter MC/Actual Diameter Car
15"/15.080"/14.968"
16"/15.978"/15.968"
17"/17.080"/17.188"
18"/18.080"/18.188"
Lower than 17 inch the car rim sizes are 0.032" smaller than the nominal size,
Thus, a 15" rim has a rim size of 14.968"
and a 16" rim has a rim size of 15.968"
But bigger than 17" the rim sizes are 0.188" bigger than nominal size
a 17" rim size has a rim size of 17.188"
and a 18" rim size has a rim size of 18.188"
You basically are going to need to surf some of the online tire places, Ie http://www.tirerack.com and see what size tire will fit on your rim in terms of rim width (there is recommended limitations as to what will fit depending on the width) and tread cross section width. Then, roll the dice, and take a gamble that it may or may not work for your particular application. Note, tire installers in the know, more likely than not, will not attempt to mount a car tire on a motorcycle rim, due to the risk involved.
If your Sporty has a spoked wheel, bear in mind that the added weight of an automotive tire may torque the heck out of the wheel spokes. Also, for your front wheel, it's unlikely you'll find any automotive tire with a narrow enough tread cross-section available to fit.
Probably your best bet is to try to source some dirt cheap 'Barum' brand 16" square cross section tires, originally used on the Velorex/Jawa's. Avon also has marketed a sidecar purpose motorcycle tire in the past, i'm not sure whether in 16", or 18" sizes though.
Hi!
Try on of the spear "DONUT" tiers if you want. I was thinking to change my 19" to automotive "donut" tire to lower my sidecar.
Good luck!
Let us know!
