I was going to ask the same thing??? I thought maybe I logged into the wrong forum when people were commenting on radials looking better than tires that look like bias on a pre-war Ford... Then there was the SVO mustang thread earlier too. Not sure what is happening here.
Both have their own thing going on. I personally prefer the old style much better. Now lose the caps and rings and let us see that look. Oh and with the top down.
I like the "bias" look radials much better. I have a set of those on my 65 Corvette and really like them. Good job! Even though they're radials, and act like radials, they fit the look of old cars better IMHO. The only thing better would be real bias ply tires. That Coker also sells.
Hello, IMHO, there is no contest. The first shot says… “HOT ROD AND I MEAN BUSINESS.” The second says… “hot rod and please let me pass...” There is no substance for big and little tires as the first edition says it all. You made a good choice for those tires and wheels. The red rims and accessory hubcaps make it great. No doubt, the tires will handle either way, but there has to be some accountability for a roadster rolling down the highway. Substance and looks…the way to go in anyone’s hot rod. Now, the second is the one you probably chose, because someone mentioned it has a traditional look, which it does. Those bias ply style tires can go on your other full-fendered, sedans or station wagons. Not on a fender less roadster...YRMV Jnaki What ever the choice, your roadster has the cool look. The big radial tires make it look so much better as far as substance and looks.
I think its a shame to cover lug nuts up. They look so cool, especially when they are chrome.. Pontiac made lug nuts fashionable with there Kelsey Hayes 8 lug wheel-drum combo.. The tires look great... Radials with the sidewalls shaved also look nice..
I don't believe the bias look radials are really much skinnier, if at all. The tread width might be less, the section width looks about the same. The bias look radials are taller, and to me they look like radials with a bias type tread vulcanized on top, which I think is pretty much what they are.
I'm always about using components for a purpose when building street rods. The whole idea driving hot rods was to build something that was faster when you got it done, or as it evolved along the way. I hate seeing builds where people use stuff that obviously doesn't work. I recently saw a picture of a roadster where the builder had a supercharger on his engine. He topped it off with a carburetor adapter that held 3 four barrel carburetors. The adapter necked down to actually have an intake opening the size of one 4 barrel carb before entering the supercharger. It was rediculous, but I guess the builder thought it "looked unique". All it says to me is that the finished car is probably not very fast. I look at all the newer cars in magazines and see where someone has built a 1,000/1500/2000 Hp twin turbo engine and has the dyno results to prove it.......but no time slips. The owner has these wide but very small sidewall tires that won't flex and bite. Its gonna smoke the tires and it ain't going to be able to get off the line. To me, I appreciate a build where things logically "add up" to the final result. When I see that someone has adapted a more powerful engine in a vehicle, but uses tires that most likely can't support that level of power, .........well it just boggles my mind. I think the beauty of any vehicle is first about how well its mechanically designed to work, and the astetics should meld around those factors. Others seem to think the mechanical aspects should work around the astetic factors of a car. Guess thats why some think the narrower tread width looks better and some of us think the wider tread looks better. Nice car though!
This car is a late 50's early 60's build and at first had skinny tires, later the 70/80's look above, which just looks funny like a kids slot car.
I can't help it...skinny rear tires just look low performance. Depends what decade within traditional you wish to reproduce.
I still can’t get over the replies on this thread. The fat rear radials take the car right into 70’s or newer era. I thought this was the HAMB and a traditional forum? Anyway, car looks great and “right” with the bias look radials.
I bought a set of wheels that came with an old set of G-70-15 bias plys. Just for the hell of it I put them on my 69 el camino just to see how they handled. I have to admit they rode smoothly and the handling wasn't that bad considering they were 20 years old.. What I really liked is how they let you know they were loosing grip where as radials just let go, bias plys start to "sing". I think if these companies would put a little more into bias plys we could have our cake and eat it too.. By the way, my el camino has a fully updated suspension front and rear. I was really surprised at how well they handled..