Originally Posted by
tarwheel
No, these were folders. However, I had bought them a while back and stored them folded in my garage for a year or so. That may have made the bead stiffer or put a funny kink in them. Sometimes tires just vary. Even my mechanic had trouble mounting them, and he thought they were just a set that were on the small side within their range of variability.
I'm told that thought the rim's bead may have a consistent diameter from manufacturer to manufacturer, it is not necessarily so that the outer lip of wheels are consistent from maker to maker; that it is just easier or harder to put the same tire on different wheels. Makes you wonder.