So I'm sure that this has been brought up before but I couldn't get a definitive answer. I am wanting to run pie crust cheater slicks on my coupe and would also like to run my Excelsior bias ply fronts to get the look right. The car will be seeing some track time so I want the combo to actually function. I am no stranger to the track but have never run an actual pie crust on the strip. Has anyone done this with actual track time? How did it act? What would you guys recommend? I'm all eyes. Thanks guys, Hack
From everything I have been told the main thing I have heard over and over don't do it. HRP It's be posted in the past. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/radial-and-bias-tire-mix.664878/page-2#post-7385460
From what I know and understand the main diffrence is how the car will follow grooves. Bia plys will follow much more then radials all be it a pie crust with the extra rubber could affect that. Currently I have a full set of bias plys with pie crusts in the back. Personally not a fan because they are not sticky enough. If you want radial pie crust search for some radial front there are some out there that are so close to bias plys, no one would ever know. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Rule of thumb. Radials to the rear. Not sure about cheaters but, here in the UK, you will fail your MOT (annual inspection)if you do not follow that rule. P.
I did it a few years before bias cheaters were available and had no issues on a car driven really hard. Your mileage, however, may vary.
Do not, I repeat DO NOT do that! I bought a used car in the early '80s that unbeknownst to me had radial tires on the back and bias ply tires on the front (I was too young to know the difference at the time). It felt like the car was floating in every which direction and almost made my stomach queezy. I took it to Goodyear to put some slightly "used" tires on it and the manager came out and said, "Hey dumbass, why are you running bias ply and radials together? I bet that was an adventurous ride." He could tell by the look on my face that I was clueless. Felt like a brand new car when I drove off the lot....
I've done this for nearly 40 years on one of my cars, and never noticed any weird handling. I always keep my tires aired up to spec.
My 32 Roadster has Hurst radial slicks on the back and Firestone bias plys on the front. The stiff sidewalls on the slicks make them behave just like bias plys. It's just fine, I've put about 4000 miles on the car with this wheel tire combo.
Had an OT '77 F100 back in the early '90s and ended up w/ some bias ply mud tires up front & radial mud tires out back. Never was an issue, UNTIL it RAINED. Hit the brakes hard, & the truck would try to swap ends. Lesson learned for me.
Just looking at the coker catalog,the Excelsior are radials! Are there bias ply Excelsior tires? Pete
Bump! Ok now I'm wondering if this is why my car is already kind of a bear to drive. Under hard acceleration you really have to drive it. I got the Excelsiors brand new from a friend and didn't even think that the could be radials! I just looked at the side and they say they are six ply. The rears are firestone 7.50 bias tires like everyone uses. ??
I have always been under the impression that 6 ply tires were for heavy cars like limousines and trucks,with the 2 extra plys in the carcass gave the sidewall more rigidity (Harder). I picked up a deal on 4 new 6 ply tires for my late model pickup and noticed right away the ride was much worse than it had been.HRP
I did some looking online and found the tire to be a Coker Excelsior 6 ply bias ply tire. 5.50-16. So what to you guys think about running these fronts with a set of Hurst radial 16 inch pie crusts. I am not above getting different fronts but if I don't have to I wont.
I ran bias fronts with my cheaters. They worked fine. 5.50s front and Hursts rear Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Until recently I would have told you not to do it either, having done two complete ground loops in a Cal-Look bug back in '83 after getting my new 135 radials on the front and being too broke for 165s on the back. Terrifying in traffic! However, when I got my bucket together last fall, I bought a new pair of Firestone 155's for the front, and I put my well worn (out) Hurst reaps on the back.... For three days before the ten year old slicks gave up the ghost. Out of desperation I put my 16" Halibrand no holes and brand new Coker Firestone 8.90 dirts on so I could do anything but walk. I slowly pulled out of the drive expecting the worse, and when it didn't happen, I pushed a bit harder. No problem on any front! It drives and handles about as expected, and doesn't follow grooves or have any "I'm going to kill you at any second" tendencies. That said, tomorrow I will be ordering a set of Towel City slicks to get my Americans back on and my Halibrands back on my RPU.
Doesn't look like anyone does... I can't spectulate on mixing bias and radials, never done it and prefer to keep it that way. That's why I'd like to find someone who's still producing bias cheaters...but if I don't, those Towel City slicks sure look damn good.
Radir makes a bias ply cheater. I have a pair of brand new 820/ 15 that Im going to list for sale in the classifieds soon
Buy the chetaers for the rear, and try it out. If everything is good, drive on. If the car acts like it wants to kill you, then you buy the fronts that you were going to buy anyway. Don't spend the money for the fronts until you know that you need them.
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