Technical Difference between Bias-Ply and Radial

I know there have been several different threads created on this topic, but they always seem to be split down the middle or they're from years and years ago. Anyway, I am in need of new tires. I currently have G78-15 Denman Classic wide white wall tires on my Customline. I have priced out the Bias-Ply Cokers and the Diamondback Auburn Premium radials. There is obviously a significant price difference between the two. The question I am trying to answer is this: Is it worth paying the extra money for the radials? Are they going to offer that noticeable of a difference in ride quality an handling? I don't really drive the car in the rain, so wet weather traction isn't as important to me. I do plan on taking the vehicle on longer trips after I rebuild the Y-block though. Any advice or information would be greatly appreciated.

 

I have no interest in driving on bias ply tires........ever.

 

I doubt if this thread will help you decide any more than the others have. I've always had bias ply tires on something my entire adult life. I get along with em just fine.

 

Bias Ply tires only last 25,000 miles if youre lucky. If ypu eant to put a LOT of miles on your car, go with the radials. If you're looking for a certain look, go with the bias plies. I've never had any issues with bias plies. I plan on trying a set of bias look radials on my '40 next time around.

 

I need to remember to add the radial vs bias ply threads to this years 12 days of Christmas post.

 

Bias ply for traditional looks, radials for performance.... it's that simple.

There's a lot of reasons why bias ply tires are no longer used.

 

This won't be good ! Bias tires are traditional. Radials are not. Vintage Bias tires, usaully cost more than radials do. I've ran Bias tires on my Hot Rods for years, with no problems. I do have radials on our Nomad, but It's just a daily driver. Bias tires do look much better. New cars, with airbags, radials, etc. drive better, and are much safer. But they're not Traditional Rods either. { just my opinion }, but it's your car, so your choice.

 

Radials don't necessarily make a car safer...

A lot of safety concerns the driver of the accumulated parts.

 

It will always be radial tires for me. I drive a lot of miles and my experience with bias ply tires has been less than good.

There are people that want bias ply tires for the look, I get that, but really it has to be the individual's choice. You are the one driving the car and footing the bill.

 

If I had to run Radials I'd just go ahead and sell it, they would ruin the entire look of my car.

 

Nothing wrong with bias ply tires but if all you have ever had is radials you probably wouldn't be happy with them.

Bias ply tires may wear faster but the don't have a 7 year life span like radials. HRP

 

I have noticed, on a 50's car without power steering, radials make slow turning a lot more difficult, like in a parking type situation. My '55 Packard had some modern radial tires on it when I got it and they were replaced with bias wide whitewalls a couple weeks later, I was shocked by how much nicer it steered with the bias tires. It also looks a lot nicer that way. The bias tires don't last as long, and they do seem to follow in road ruts some though. That's the tradeoff. I still wouldn't go back to radials.

 

My 47 came with BF Goodrich TA radials on it. I'll probably switch to bias wide whites eventually. I'm just a little slow at getting things done, and plenty of life left on the Goodrich's, but I'll get there. I'll get a first hand appreciation for the differences the 2 types of tires have on the same car.

 

After decades of radial tire air pressures I've found that most bias handling issues are due to over-inflation. 28-30 is max, cold. In really heavy cars I go 32 in the front (dadgum Packard motors are heavy!). It's unreal how 2-4 over can narrow the contact patch, which then follows ruts and grooves and tar strips. Radials? Hell you can go to the max printed on the sidewall, unless it's a really light car. Anything done right will always work as well as it always had in the past. All tires have to be constructed to current load, wear and safety standards. That said, the only choice really renders down to aesthetics. FWIW, lots of CCCA folk run WW radials on their "war era" (39-48) tour cars, so there's that...

 

I have Firestones Bias Tyres on my car and our roads down here are crap compared to yours up there. They do "track" with ruts etc on the roads and you need to concentrate more down here. That said it is only a lightweight roadster and they have been on there for over 10 years now and I drive the snot out of it. My wife's 63 t/bird has radials for her and for the reasons above.

 

My biggest complaint with running radials on an old bias ply car is finding a tire the right height. Most bias to radial conversion charts I've seen recommend tires shorter than the original equipment tire. Example on my '60 Fairlane, O.E. tire is 750x14 and about 27" tall. To get a radial that is around that tall a 205 or 215/75R15 is required. Oh well...,
-Dave

 

After I switched over to radials, I could no longer spin donuts in the street. Took all the fun out.

 

A lot of it depends on how important having the "look" of the bias tires is to you.
Throw in with that, where are you going to take the car and who is going to see it?
Still from what I see the majority of the guys who scream Bias or else are the guys who would rather sit in the garage and look at their car rather than get in it and drive it a thousand or more miles to events and if you were to check the mileage on their rigs from year to year at the same events they haven't driven enough in the last year to warrant an oil change on mileage alone. The tires check and dry rot before they wear out on most of those rigs.
At 71 I remember those days of wearing out a set of bias tires on my daily every year just driving back and forth to work. I was doing alignments in a Firestone store in Waco Tx at the time and those few customers who faithfully brought their car in for tire rotation and alignment checks every 5,000 miles might get 30 K out of the Firestone Deluxe Champions that were pretty much the top of the line Firestone bias tire in 1971. Most people didn't get much past 20K and didn't expect it.
In an ideal world many of us would have two sets of tires on matching wheels. A set of proper bias tires for "those shows" and a set of look great at 40 ft radials to rock and roll on the long roads.

 

i growed up on bias ply

 

I see this (too) very simple: Either you're "traditionalist" or "modernist" (i.e. willing to compromise your allegedly "old school" or "traditional" ride with any and all modern crap like Mustang II, III, IV, ... or whatever Lexus suspensions, HEI, EFI, LED, Digi this, Digi that, Digi shit, Radials, etc.).
While Radial tires, IIRC, were introduced (in Europe) in mid-fifties, they didn't start finding their way to American cars until mid-to-late(?) '70s and therefor shouldn't be even a considered or discussed in the same thought process with "traditional" Hot Rod or Customs.

 

If you are looking for the ultimate in handling, fuel mileage, and tire wear...




...don't drive a 60-year old car.

 

The difference between bias and radial?
One look good on old cars and the others are radials.

 

When I built my first car, it was a T bucket, and I ran bias ply till one came apart, then Tom the Tire Guy told me to ditch them in favour of radials. WHAT a difference! It was a totally different car, rode better, handled better, I never considered going back. If you can, try both, then decide.

 

Built 1930 hot rod with Fstone bias fronts,( dirt track tires ribbed)..& 890-16 diamond grooved rears. Looked cool, drove lousey. Replaced fronts with bias 640-15,yes 640's, drove ok but soft 890'16 rears wore out quickly. Am replacing rears with 8" tread Towel City radial retread cheater slicks. I will hand groove them in a diamond pattern. If handles poorly I will put radials on front also. I'll give you the results.

 

If you are worried, or even concerned, about cost, modern radials from your local tire store.
If looks [ traditional] are important==.

I use radials.

Ben

 

the first tires I ever bought were bias plys in 1977. Kelly Superchargers with raised white letters. L-50-15's on 10 inch US slotted mags in the back, I forget what the fronts were. that was also the last pair.

I figure the only car I would put them on would be a fenderless A V8.... something along those lines where the tires would be a bigger part of the car and the look. to me there are very few cars where bias would be worth the trouble and expense.

 

I have pretty good luck with used bias plys. A used radial often don't last as long as it takes to mount it on the rim and install it on my vehicle. look at the load I just hauled on my pickup and trailer with Bias plys that are close to 20 years old. I hauled that load over thirty miles and a large part of it was over beat to death by chicken hauler trucks patched and potholed pavement. I additong to the tin there are 36 tires mounted on wheels in the trailer.