Projects Radial or Bias Ply on a full-fendered A?

Trying to knock the "grandpa" off a stock model A.

I've always loved the look of WWW Firestone Bias Ply tires but will I be the only one that notices in a full-fendered model A? Should I consider radials? ...yes, I know, can-o-worms.

Any pics to share or cars with each? ...and recommendations for tire/wheel sizes? The car is currently stock but I do plan to adjust the ride attitude with a drop axle and rear spring adjustment (thoughts on that also welcome).

The car is staying un-chopped, fulled fendered 1930, and will get an 8BA in the future.

~ Carl

 

what wheels are ya running?
a stanced stock body like this looks absolutely perfect
I could see this with WW tires (bias)

 

Yup! That's the stance! I currently have the stock wires and I'm thinking about getting smoothies.

 

Bias.

 

I've collected a batch of 35 wires over the past few years that I have been collecting parts for my 31 Vic project but think it is going to get some simple 15 inch Ford Pickup steelies and caps with rather plain radials. I've got some long road trips planned for the A as soon as it is done and a lower price set of radials might be a lot more prudent although they may not have the complete traditional factor working.

I may decide to go either way and mount proper size bias on the wires to be able to run a couple of different looks.
I've seen cars that belong to a few PNW rodders that "get it" that have a set of tires and wheels appropriate for the event they are going to or for how long the road trip is. Bias tires and wires or steelies and caps for Billetproof and traditional events and a set of mags and radials for Goodguys and long road trips.

 

I am looking at going to wires on my A. (i think those are 17" rears and 16" fronts in that picture)
I have a set of new (couple hundred miles) WW Coker Bias on 40 ford 16" rims that I might be talked into a trade on... i also just bought a set of 1940 ford deluxe caps and beauty rings for them as well. (PM me if you would like to discuss)

IMG_20180304_111438210 by Chappy444 posted Mar 8, 2018 at 9:03 AM

 

Bias look radials!

 

I've run 16" wires with bias tires on my banger powered pickup for about 10,000 miles and they are fine . Also ran them on my avatar which was a V8 60 powered Model A with no problems. A stock Model A is a 50-55 mph car, I'm putting radials on my flathead powered coupe but it will be more of a driver than the pickup.

 

55Styleliner, Perfect! What size and make tires?

 

Bias ply. HRP

 

Here in SoCal they're grooving damn-near every highway they redo. And they're almost dangerous with bias plies.

 

HRP, what size are you running in your avatar? Can you post a better pic?

Beaner was telling me 700x16 rear and 550x16 front fill a full fender nicely. Anyone have photos of that combo?

 

Bias ply Firestones on '40 steels for local
And Excelsior radials on '35 wires for distance driving.

 

I agree with Stan Back, I have bias plus on my '32 Roadster and driving the 50 miles to Pomona for events is a challenge. The roads are not compatible with bias tires. I'll have Excelsior radials on for the LARS in June. Won't have to worry about parts falling off on the freeway.

 

Have you guys with Bias plys tried messing with the air pressure on the grooved roads in CA? There were a few roads I had trouble with but it was never that big a deal and I thought the Bias plys actually tracked better than the BFG 60 series I had on front when I bought my last SoCal car.
Just curious if things have changed that much or not, really... Not saying the pressure is the answer.

And honestly, I'd have no problem at all running Bias look radials on a rod... Fenderless or no, if I thought it would keep me in the seat and off the trailer more. They look so good now anyway.

 

I've got bias on my A, and radials on my 47 coupe, and to be honest I'm not really sold in the radials, other than they are less bothered by the rain grooves. At one time on another post (maybe more than once) @porknbeaner has mentioned how radial tires really should be used on a chassis designed for them, that they offer no performance advantage on an older chassis designed for bias ply tires, and with my experiences I'm a believer, they really don't. Short side wall radials tend to upset the chassis more when you initiate a turn than bias tires do, and offer less road feel as well. They may ultimately offer better road grip performance, but at the cost of feel. Radials also transition into a loss of traction quicker too, so they may maintain grip better, but when you cross the limit they go quickly, while the bias tires may start to slide sooner, but the transition into a slide is more gradual, and with the improved feel it's easier to keep things at the edge. And while the bias ply tires don't like the rain grooves, the issue really is not that big of a deal. I drive the fwy's around here all the time, 70 - 80mph, no problem. Basically, you just don't fight with it, let it do it's thing and it stays perfectly in control, it just feels weird as the tires follow the grooves around. The bottom line is, I'd stick with bias plies on your A, the radials offer no real performance advantage, and the added cost is hard to justify.

 

I’ve got nothing against bias and I love the look. But, I tend to like my tires round so I typically run radials.

To each his own.

 

FWIW, I took the 5.60 and 8.20 15 bias Firestone’s off and put the same size radial look alikes from Coker on. Balanced easy, round, and drive a lot better either on the studded tire grooves in Seattle, or the heat sunk ruts in Tucson.

 

Phil,
Nice to see this post, how is the A-Roadster doing?

Back to the bias’. Most of what I own/drive have bias ply tires on them.

There have been times when I thought that a radial would be better on certain cars, but for the most part these cars have been all over the place on all kinds of different roads. (See thumbnails)

Lots of discussions on here about “Tars” but if given a choice of radials and polyester cords, I’d do the cords.
PM some pix of the A-V8.
CK.

 

The are Coker Classic Bias Look Radials. 7.00/16 rear and 5.50/16 front.

 

I haven't used the bias look radials yet, but my input is that bias besides having a better look hold on the road better. BUT, that means they're softer and wear out faster or if you let them sit for years the sidewall tends to breakdown internally and they get kinda squirrelly after that. It depends on how much driving you want to do with them and how cheap you are. I'm pretty cheap and tend to keep tires awhile.

 

Depends on how you're planning to drive. If you're just going to put around to the neighborhood cruises just for the look of it go bias plies. But if you plan to take long runs down the freeway buy some radials. The difference on the road is night and day. With bias the car drives you but with radials you drive the car. Good luck with what ever you choose.

 

growed up on bias ....

 

650x16 bias ply Firestones front and rear on KH bent spoke 16x4 wire wheels

 

I've got the world's respect for the Beaner, but in all my studies of suspension theory, design, and past art I've never encountered a single principle which works differently for crossply (bias) tyres than for radials. So if a suspension system is designed for crossplies, how exactly is it different from a suspension system designed for radials?

I'll say this, though: the advantage in early radials – I'm talking Michelin Xs and such – was that they could sustain greater slip angles without losing traction. This was because all distortions accompanying a slip angle happened largely perpendicular to the ply, whereas in crossplies the same distortions involved cyclic tensions and compressions which, among other things, caused heat in the tyre carcase; and that, among other things, shortened tyre life.

In a way you could see the later low-profile radials as an attempt to regain the old high-performance crossply's resistance to slip angles and consequent feel, only without the heat-inducing ply construction. Personally I think the sweet spot is around a 50 or 55 series. More painted-on than that gets a bit silly.

People don't understand slip angles any more. The word "drift" used to mean something different to a sideways burnout, and it involved slip angles, i.e. a drift was getting a car to travel in a different direction to the way it's pointing without there being any skidding, purely due to the way the tyres twist as they go round.

 

I'm learning a lot guys!! Thanks!!

~ Carl

 

4.50 and 7.50-16 firestones,look the part and make it a little lively on the hiway,but they stay.


Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

"look the part" they sure do!