MECHANIC REPORTS ABOUT INSTALLING CLASSIC B737-300/500 NOSE TIRES ON A NEXT GENERATION B737-800. CLASSIC NOSE TIRES THEY HAD INADVERTENTLY INSTALLED; HAD TIRE COVERS INDICATING THEY WERE NEXT GENERATION TYPE.

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I ACCOMPLISHED SVC #1 CHK AND FOUND BOTH NOSE TIRES NEEDING CHANGE. I POINTED OUT TO XXX THAT BOTH NOSE TIRES NEED TO BE CHANGED. XXX PICKED UP BOTH NOSE TIRES AND EQUIP AND STARTED TO CHANGE #2 NOSE TIRE. WHILE HE WAS DOING HIS FINAL TORQUE ON THE #2 WHEEL ASSEMBLY; I STARTED ON #1 TIRE BY REMOVING THE ASSEMBLY FROM THE ACFT AND ROLLED IT TO THE GOLF CART. THE REPLACEMENT TIRE AND WHEEL ASSEMBLY WAS CAPPED WITH YELLOW COVERS AND THOUGHT THAT XXX HAD CHKED BOTH ASSEMBLIES OUT. INSTALLED WHEEL ASSEMBLY ON ACFT X; TORQUED WHEEL ASSEMBLY ON AND SAFETIED. THE ACFT WAS MOVED; SO I PUT TIRE PAPERWORK IN MY POCKET AND AFTER TOW CAME IN; GAVE PAPERWORK TO XXX. MAKE SURE TO CHK TIRE DATA PAPERWORK BEFORE INSTALLATION ON THE ACFT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: NOT CHKING TIRE PAPERWORK AND SIDE OF TIRE; FOR BEING INSTALLED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: REPORTER STATED HIS COMPANY PROCEDURES TELL MECHANICS TO USE THE COLOR OF THE WHEEL COVERS AS AN ACCEPTABLE GUIDE FOR INSTALLING THE CORRECT WHEEL/TIRE ASSEMBLY. BOTH OF THE NOSE TIRES THEY INSTALLED HAD WHEEL COVER COLORS INDICATING -800 TIRES. ALTHOUGH TIRES COME WITH SIDEWALL STENCILING FOR THE TYPE OF ACFT TO BE USED ON; HE DID NOT REALLY NOTICE. THE -800 WHEEL ASSEMBLY IS A HEAVIER; BEEFIER PART THAN THE ONES USED ON THE -300/500 CLASSICS; BECAUSE OF THE DIFFERENCES IN LOAD CARRYING CAPABILITY OF THE -800. BUT; EITHER TYPE OF WHEEL CAN BE INSTALLED ON EITHER TYPE OF AIRCRAFT NOSE AXLE AND OPERATED WITHOUT ANY PROBLEM. REPORTER STATED HIS STATION GENERALLY DOES NOT STOCK B737-300/500 NOSE TIRES; ONLY NEXT GENERATION TYPE B737-700/800/900 TYPE. THE PARTS TAG ON THE WHEEL; ONLY IDENTIFY THE WHEEL; NOT THE TIRE OR THE ACFT TO BE USED ON. THE TIRE/WHEEL/BRAKE SHOP DO NOT ALWAYS FOLLOW THE COLOR GUIDE WHEN THEY RUN OUT OF A CERTAIN COVER COLOR.