Ford Model A Tire Pressures

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Ford Model A Tire Pressure

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Our very own Dougal Cawley is a big fan of the Model A, owning 2 himself personally. One early Model A runs 21" tires, and the other 1930 Model A Tudor sedan fits 19". Tire Pressure suggestions may vary depending on region, climate, era, tire, surface, and taste, to name but a few contributing factors.

For 19" tires he fits either the Lucas or the Michelin D.R. However, when it is being used for trialling, the D.R is the only choice! The attraction to the Michelin DR as a trials tire is its soft malleable carcass that offers exceptional grip with its period knobbly tread pattern, which really gets you up the hills. These tires tend to be run by Dougal at 28psi.

For 21" tires Dougal fits the 4.40/4.50 x 21 Lucas. The Lucas offers a good period tread pattern, while at the same time being incredibly good value. Having used the alternatives, we cannot justify encouraging people to spend the extra money on the other tires, from our experience we don’t consider them any better on a Model A Ford than the Lucas. The early 1928 light weight Roadster he runs at a tire pressure of 30psi.

Our Old Timers Tire Guide offers 35psi for all models. In our trawling through internet forums on the subject, The majority of Model A owners from the states often seem to run 35psi. In the UK we are happy at these lower tire pressures on a Ford Model A as it absorbs more of the shocks from the road.

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Model A Body Styles

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Ford Model A Sedan

The sedan, particularly the two-door sedan, was arguably the most prevalent of the body designs. It was essentially the family saloon of Model A bodies, and for $495 for the two-door and $570 for the Four door, it was excellent value and offered complete luxury following the Model T.

Ford Model A Convertible

For the Ford design team, the Model A Coupe remained an important popular body shape.  It was both an attractive vehicle for the ladies and a highly flexible vehicle for businesspeople of the day. Some versions featured a rumble seat in lieu of the boot, giving the option of an extra two seats for the inclement weather traveller. The Sport coupe (shown above) looked very much like a cabriolet with it’s fabric roof and landau irons, but was in fact a fixed roof.

Ford Model A Phaeton

The Phaeton offered full four-seater open-air motoring at a relatively inexpensive price of $395. In the case of inclement weather, full side screens might be installed. Ford introduced the DeLuxe phaeton in June 1930, which was a premium two-door automobile with two separate seats instead of a bench seat and was upholstered in leather.

In 1928, the Roadster had to be a big hit with young girls and gentlemen. It was a low-cost sporty open-air automobile, with a starting price of $385. The optional rumble seat converted the boot into an extra two seats, which was a popular option among Model A owners.

Ford Model A Cabriolet

The Cabriolet model did not appear until March 1929.  It was a luxury roadster with wind-up windows and a rumble seat as standard.  A slant windshield type was introduced in late 1931 and is now fairly scarce due to low manufacturing numbers.

Ford Model A Convertible Sedan

The A-400 Convertible Sedan was debuted in May 1931.  It was a five-passenger vehicle with a one-of-a-kind design. With just 5093 vehicles made, it remains extremely desirable because to its leather inside and luxury attributes.

Ford Model A Pickup

The Pickup was a popular commercial vehicle that was available with either a closed or open cab. The open version had what appeared to be a convertible roadster but was really fixed. The design shown in the 'Waltons' TV series was the 28-29 closed cab.

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Michelin Double Rivet

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"Double rivet," or D.R., is the name of a tread pattern that initially appeared with the first generation of automobile tires, beaded edge tires. In 1925, this tread pattern was retained for the first tires with bead wires. With its vintage look, this tread design was very ground-breaking at the time. It also served as the idea for the first radial tires.

We recommend operating a pre-war Ford Model A at 30 psi. That would apply to both the 1920s Cammy Model A and the 1930s side valve variant. Tire pressures of 30 psi will be greater than those advised when these vehicles were initially manufactured. However, it is worth noting that in the 1920s and 1930s, there were a lot more loose surface roads, and it was impossible to sustain the high speeds we do today, therefore greater emphasis was focused on absorbing the shocks of non-tarmac roads.

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History of the Ford Model A

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The vintage Model A Ford, a successor for the iconic Ford Model T, went on the market in December 1927. The Ford Model A was a lot more sophisticated automobile than its predecessor, but it was also more powerful, with its 3.3 litre four cylinder side-valve engine providing 40 horsepower, which was double the output of the Ford Model T. This gave the Model A Ford a top speed of 65 miles per hour (sometimes). A three-speed sliding gear gearbox replaced the Ford Model T's planetary gears, and there was also a coil and battery instead of magneto ignition, and a brake for all four wheels. The first Model A Ford was built on October 21, 1927, and the automobile was released to the public on December 2, the same year. For 1928, nine distinct body types were available, and as manufacturing ramped up, this number grew to no less than 18 for 1929. The Model A Ford output totaled 633,594 vehicles in the 1928 calendar year. The ungraceful appearance of the Model T Ford was abandoned, and the widely expected Model A Ford, with updated aesthetics, a larger range of colours, and, of course, competitive price, helped secure its popularity.

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Ford Model A Tire Pressure Tables

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Ford Model A Tire Pressures by The Old Timers Guide

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Ford Model A Tire Pressure & Fitment Guides

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