I know there has been a lot of discussion here on pros and cons of tires but mainly on bias ply V radial ply. On my Hudson I have always used radials with wide whites. The last set of tires were some hybrid WW's from Vanderbilt tires,made in Mexico. They were supplied here from the same guy that imports the Diamond Backs and from memory he supplied these as he had no stock of DB's at the time. I didn't realise what a shit tire they would turn out to be and have lived with them. The car tended to wander a lot and had a vague feel to the steering as well as a thumping sound on lines and ruts in the road. We are getting the car ready for a road trip and as an experiment changed over the tires to similar size generic radials and Lindsay who is working on the car said the difference between the Mexican radials and the conventional ones was like chalk and cheese. Far better road handling, steering feel etc. So I am now looking at the DB 1 from the Aussie distributor .They are rated at UTQG 440 AB with a load rating of 1601lbs and speed rating of 97 which is 112mph. With wide whites they should be run at 40-44 psi. The current catalogue for Diamond Back shows the current designation as UTQG 460 AA which I guess is some improvement. I think the supplier here has some old stock he is trying to unload and my other option is to order direct and get the latest version. The Hudson will be coming to USA in April and I can do the changeover in LA at Huntington Beach before hitting the road for 5000mi. So after all this long winded explanation I wondered what experience others had had with Diamond Backs WW radials. I will be using a 215/70R 15 and hopefully with the 2.75 inch whitewall. Coker doesn't appear to do an acceptable tire in 215/70R15 with good ratings and no 2.75 inch whitewall.
I have diamond back and they are great tires. I recently got cali tires and they are the same grade and process of making them as diamond back. cali tires are a lot less money and are a lot quicker to get. I will get cali tires next time.
I've had several sets of DB tires, put lots of miles on them, and had no problems. White walls cleaned up well & stayed nice & white. Well worth the money, IMO.
I have cars with DBs and Cokers. I prefer the DBs. Their white walls clean up much easier and haven't yellowed.
Agreed. I've always used DB, and went with Coker this time, and the quality of the white wall is poor. Also, DB will white wall any tire brand. I had Hankook truck tires on my '32 3-window. (Sorry, no Hamb-friendly pics, but you can check my website).
I've had a set on my '47 that has been on there for probably ten years or better. They are still holding up nice, I would buy another set.
I have not yet owned a set of Diamond Backs personally but I have put them on several cars that I have not owned and everyone has given me a good report on them ( my clientele is small and exclusive, not in my circle not on my list LOL). I am going to suggest that you got a crappy set and I hate to say that at all. I don't like to see anyone having a bad experience with anything car related. If it were me I would give diamondback some feedback on the tires that you purchased. They do welcome feedback on their tires and they are a family operation so whomever gets your experience is in the loop. This will probably not get you a new set but you just never know.
Been running Diamond backs for years on my off topic car. Great tires and I'm gonna order a couple more for the spring. (thanks for reminding me)
I've been running WW DiamondBacks on my '51 for many years and will order a new set this year. When the '40 is reassembled, WW DBs will be ordered for it also.
I bought my roadster as a mocked up but not completed project over 10 years ago, and it had a set of Coker/BFG bias WWW on it that the prev. owner bought new several years before then. They're still on the car and somewhat bumpy and ill handling as far as following grooves worn in the roads, etc. Going to replace them when I can afford it, planned for this year, but other, more urgent things have soaked up lots of cash lately. My plans are to replace them with DB because of the experience of one of my friends who had a set on a '46 Ford and curbed one enough to peel out a chunk of white rubber about 2'X3" in the sidewall (but still not down to black rubber) and it never peeled any further. He has since sold the car, an AFAIK, the guy, also an acquaintance and friend I don't see as often still has the tire on the car. This is enough, when added to how much better my '40 Ford coupe (with radial BWs) is at road manners, is enough for me that when I finally replace those on the roadster, it will be DB WWW.
Have the second set of DB on my avatar now. Drove the first set for 25,000+ miles and 13 years. I was bragging about the first set to my buddy on a trip to the LSRU 5-6 years back. On the way home, I threw the tread off the LF tire. I replaced them with another set of DB and have 15,000 on them so far. Great tires, just need to keep track of the age and don't brag about them.
If you are going to buy them in LA check out Performance Plus Tires in Long Beach. I have bought wheels and tires off them in the past, good service and prices. Good luck with your road trip.
My DB's are on Coopers. Very happy. I also had them make the ww 3/8" smaller.. Not a problem for them.
I believe that they make them when you order them, and that it takes a couple weeks to get them to you. So don't wait till the last minute.
Our experience with diamond back tires wasn't too pleasant. 2 out of 4 Michelin tires had the vulcanized whitewall split,the tires were about 2 years old when we noticed the problem. It doesn't effect the tires performance but looks like crap.HRP
I have cars, more than 8. Several different brands with the diamond back white wall, some with the optional raised white outer.All great
Same question the people at Diamond Back ask,I told them I always run 32 PSI and check the tires on a regular basis,during the summer more often. They suggested a higher air pressure and they way they talked they inferred I ran the tires too low on air. HRP
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