1930 La Salle Tire Fitment Guide

1930 La Salle vehicles shown here use two sizes: 31X6.20 and 650-19, and both apply to the 1930 La Salle 340. Both are bias-ply fitments, and both mount on 19-inch wheels. Within the available 650-19 offerings, applicable rim-width guidance appears at 3.25 to 3.50 inches on the products that publish it.

That means the key first step is confirming which size your La Salle 340 is already equipped to use rather than assuming every 19-inch wheel setup is interchangeable in every detail. If your car is being restored, the tire size already associated with its wheels, body style, and restoration goals should guide the final choice before you decide between blackwall and wide whitewall appearance.

On a 1930 La Salle, 31X6.20 is an antique diameter-by-section size. The first number, 31, refers to the tire's overall diameter in inches, while 6.20 refers to the nominal section width. That is different from later sizing systems that emphasize wheel diameter more directly in the code itself.

Collectors often encounter this format on earlier luxury and pre-war American cars, so it helps to read it as a period sizing convention rather than a modern metric or passenger-car code. If your La Salle 340 is already set up for 31X6.20, keep that format in mind when comparing tires, because the code communicates the tire's physical proportions in a way that is rooted in its era.

On a 1930 La Salle, 650-19 is a numeric bias-ply size. The 6.50 figure represents the nominal section width, and 19 identifies the wheel diameter in inches. It is a traditional American sizing format widely used on classic vehicles before modern metric radial sizing became standard.

For a La Salle 340 owner, the practical value of that code is simple: it ties the tire to a 19-inch rim and places it in a well-recognized classic bias-ply family. Once that size is confirmed, the next decision usually becomes visual and restoration-oriented, since available 650-19 options include both blackwall and wide whitewall styles rather than a switch to a different construction type.

Within this year and make, the only model covered is the 1930 La Salle 340, and it is associated with both 31X6.20 and 650-19. There is no broader model split here where one La Salle body line uses one diameter and another uses a different one. The variation is within the La Salle 340 fitment itself rather than between separate models.

That gives you a narrower identification task than on many later makes with several distinct platforms in the same year. Instead of sorting through multiple La Salle models, you are mainly confirming which of the two accepted size conventions matches your wheel and restoration plan, then selecting the sidewall style that best fits the car's intended presentation.

Both sizes are bias-ply options for the 1930 La Salle 340, so this is not a bias-versus-radial decision. The real choice is whether your car is already set up for the 31X6.20 antique diameter-by-section format or the 650-19 numeric size. Both belong to the period-correct world of early 1930s luxury-car tire fitment.

A well-restored La Salle should follow the size that matches its existing wheel and fitment history rather than jumping between codes casually because both happen to use 19-inch rims. If your priority is visual finish, 650-19 currently gives you the clearest blackwall-versus-wide-whitewall choice, while 31X6.20 is best approached when that exact size convention is already the right one for the car.

1930 La Salle tires in 650-19 are available in both blackwall and wide whitewall styles. Firestone offers blackwall and wide whitewall versions in this size, and Lester also appears in a wide whitewall version. Those sidewall choices let the same basic size present the car very differently.

Blackwalls generally suit a more restrained, formal appearance, while wide whitewalls are closely associated with the upscale visual character many collectors want on a Classic Era American luxury car. For a show-oriented restoration, sidewall style can matter nearly as much as size because it strongly affects the finished stance and era impression of a 1930 La Salle.

Firestone and Lester both appear in the available tire selection for 1930 La Salle, specifically in 650-19. Firestone is offered in both its classic bias-ply and Balloon-style lines, while Lester is represented with a classic bias-ply wide whitewall option. All of the listed offerings remain within period-appropriate bias-ply construction.

That gives La Salle owners a useful mix of brand heritage and appearance choices without forcing a move into a different tire type. When comparing brands for your own car, focus on the exact size first, then look at sidewall treatment and any published rim-width or load details, especially if your restoration has a strong authenticity focus.

Published rim-width guidance appears on the available 650-19 products for 1930 La Salle at 3.25 to 3.50 inches. That guidance is attached to the 19-inch wheel fitment used by the La Salle 340. It provides a practical benchmark when checking whether an existing wheel matches the tire you are considering.

If your car is running 650-19, that range is the first wheel measurement to verify before final selection. Antique luxury cars often pass through decades of maintenance and restoration changes, so measuring the wheel or confirming it through a trusted marque specialist is worthwhile, especially before switching between 31X6.20 and 650-19 conventions on a 1930 La Salle.

Both 31X6.20 and 650-19 for the 1930 La Salle 340 mount on 19-inch wheels, so they share the same wheel diameter family. That makes them closer to each other than two sizes that require entirely different rims. Diameter compatibility, however, is only one part of the fitment picture.

Original 1930 La Salle wheels can often be evaluated for use with either size only after the actual rim width and current wheel setup are confirmed. The safest approach is to match the wheel to the tire size the car already uses successfully, then compare that against the published fitment guidance available for the specific tire you are considering.

A stored 1930 La Salle should be kept in a cool, dry, dark environment away from direct sunlight, electric motors, battery chargers, furnaces, and other ozone-producing equipment. Bias-ply tires are especially prone to developing temporary flat-spotting when they sit in one position for long periods. Clean floors, stable temperature, and protection from moisture all help preserve both the tires and the wheels.

If the car will sit for months at a time, maintain proper inflation and either move it periodically or support it in a way that reduces continuous load on one contact patch. That is particularly worthwhile on a heavy pre-war luxury car like a 1930 La Salle, where static weight and long storage intervals can be harder on the tires than actual road mileage.

Tires on a 1930 La Salle are usually aged out before they are worn out. For a collector car, a sensible rule is to begin close inspection and professional evaluation once tires reach about five to seven years of age, and to treat around ten years as the point where replacement deserves serious consideration regardless of tread depth. The DOT date code, if present on the product, is the reference point for age.

That timeline matters because a lightly driven La Salle can look fine at a glance while still carrying rubber that has hardened, cracked, or become less trustworthy. A car used mainly for shows, tours, or weekend drives should still have its tire age tracked just as carefully as a regularly driven classic, since time and storage conditions matter more than mileage.

Tires on a 1930 La Salle should be inspected before every drive and again before any longer outing. Look for sidewall cracking, irregular wear, cuts, bulges, and any sign that the car has lost pressure while parked. On a low-use pre-war car, those checks are more valuable than assuming the tire is fine because the tread still looks fresh.

A longer tour or parade drive is also a good time to inspect the spare and to check valve stems closely, since age can affect those components just as much as the tire itself. Regular inspection turns small storage-related issues into maintenance items instead of roadside problems, which is especially important on a 1930 La Salle used only occasionally.

A 1930 La Salle 340 would have been fitted in the bias-ply era, not the radial era, so either of the sizes associated here belongs to the correct construction family for the period. The available fitments for this car are 31X6.20 and 650-19, both bias-ply and both built for 19-inch wheels. That aligns with what collectors expect to see on an American luxury car from 1930.

Original tire fitment on a 1930 La Salle can still vary by body style, market history, and restoration choices made over the decades, so marque clubs and factory literature remain the best way to confirm what is most correct for a specific car. Once that is settled, the next authenticity decision usually becomes sidewall style rather than construction type.

Correct tire fitment matters on a 1930 La Salle because judges and knowledgeable enthusiasts notice size, construction type, and sidewall presentation immediately. On a Classic Era American car, a bias-ply tire in the proper size family supports the car's original visual character in a way a visibly modern alternative would not. Whitewall width and overall stance can also influence how authentic the finished car appears.

For a show car, the goal is not just getting a 19-inch tire onto the wheel but choosing the size code and sidewall style that look right for the car's intended standard of restoration. Event rules differ, so it is wise to compare your choice against the judging expectations of the specific marque club or concours where the 1930 La Salle will appear.

For the 1930 La Salle in 650-19, Firestone appears in both Classic Bias Ply and Balloon lines. The listed Firestone Balloon products publish a 3.25 to 3.50 inch rim-width range, and one wide whitewall version carries a stated load figure of 1430 pounds at 36 psi. The Firestone Classic Bias Ply blackwall offering in the same size is listed at 28 pounds, while the Balloon 3.50-inch whitewall version is listed at 31 pounds.

That makes the comparison less about basic compatibility and more about presentation and the level of published specification detail attached to the tire you prefer. A 1930 La Salle owner comparing those Firestone lines should look at sidewall style first, then use the published rim-width and load information to make sure the chosen version suits the car's wheel setup and intended use.

1930 La Salle tires can be suitable for normal road use when they are the correct size, in sound condition, and properly inflated, but they remain bias-ply tires on a pre-war luxury car. No speed-rating letters are published here for the available 1930 La Salle sizes, so the practical limit is usually shaped more by the tire's condition and the car's age, brakes, suspension, and steering character than by modern high-speed expectations.

A well-maintained La Salle is best driven with the manners its design era intended rather than treated like a later high-speed touring car. Before any sustained highway trip, make sure the tires are fresh, evenly inflated, and free of structural concerns, then judge cruising speed by the overall capability of the car rather than by modern traffic pace alone.

Inflation pressure for 1930 La Salle tires should follow the guidance for the exact tire size and the car's original specifications rather than borrowing numbers from another size. Within the available 650-19 offerings, one Firestone Balloon wide whitewall lists a maximum load of 1430 pounds at 36 psi. That figure is a tire rating reference, not a blanket operating recommendation for every 1930 La Salle tire.

The best practice is to start with the factory recommendation for the car when available, then make sure the chosen reproduction tire's own published limits are respected. Pressure should always be matched to the exact size on the car, because a 31X6.20 and a 650-19 should not be assumed to use the same setting simply because both fit a 19-inch wheel.

Before taking a 1930 La Salle on a longer drive, inspect every tire for sidewall cracks, cuts, bulges, embedded debris, and uneven wear, then confirm all pressures while the tires are cold. Check the spare as carefully as the four road tires, since pre-war cars often rely heavily on spare readiness during tour use. A quick wheel and valve-stem inspection belongs on that list as well.

Tires are only one part of a proper departure check on a car of this age, so they should be considered alongside brakes, steering, cooling, and general fluid condition. A 1930 La Salle rewards deliberate preparation, and tire inspection is one of the simplest ways to reduce risk before putting time and distance on an early luxury car.