Posted by Keith in Washington on Wednesday, December 05, 2001 at 7:06PM :
In Reply to: Re: 230 engine rebuilder posted by Marty on Tuesday, December 04, 2001 at 10:47PM :
The 11.00X16 fit very nicely on the Flatfenders. No lift required. The 4.89 gears will reduce your engine RPM about 17% to go the same speed. The Michelin 11.00X16 will reduce you engine RPM about 11% to go the same speed (This assumes that you have 9.00X16 tires which are 34" diameter and the Michelins are 38" diameter.
My truck with 4.89 gears and 34.5 inch tires has the following speed vs RPM
40MPH 2000RMP
50MPH 2500RPM
60MPH 3000RPM
I would suggest that a unbalanced flathead six would do 50 to 55 MPH under good conditions but you will trade top speed for even worse hill climbing speeds.
I personnaly would opt for the 11.00X16 tires on my flatfender as the gear change may be too much for my hilly driving conditions. If I did significantly more horsepower I would do both.
I have several hills that I climb with my PW with 5.83 gears that I can not get up in 4th but in 3rd I am winding out the engine at 25MPH. It would be nice to have a gear splitter. My WC 53 with 4.89s and a V8 will go up these hills with out blinking.