Bias Plies... Errrrrggghhh!

My next Hotrod will have radials... and air bags... and anti-lock disc brakes... I'll wear a helmet when I drive it...

Radials are for old men.

 

anybody know of a WWW radial that has the right "pie cut" edges, I am also looking to replace my OOOOOOLLLLLDDDDD bias plys.

 

Hey! Leave the old men out of it!

Whipersnapper!

 

After that said what are the best looking white walled radials?

 

And then ?

 

I use bias tires on my cars that look better with them. I use radial tires on the cars where a bias tire isn't needed to maintain a period look. For me, the bias tires require a more conservative driving style and more attention to road and weather conditions. I've got a few cars so I haven't put enough miles on any one set of bias tires for rapid wear to be a problem. I thought this post was about tires. Where did I go wrong???

 

DE SOTO, I'm with you all the way. I guess the word "traditional" may lose something in the translation. Maybe our idea of traditional is slightly different than on the east coast. Remember, things aren't always as they seem. Current day magazines and books can only point you in a direction of "traditional hotrods and kustoms" I'm still trying to figure one thing out.... What does lack of paint have to do with driveability??? I'm guessing it doesn't have a whole lot. Cause your truck hasn't seen a paint booth in years but it sure sees a ton of road time.. When the post has come to picking another guys car apart, the point has been lost.

 

Have a 63 1/2 falcon futura sports convert, factory 260, 5lug, 4spd.. and yes ive driven old cars before, whats your point?

 

I don't run bias-plys because they are damn expensive. I'm a cheap SOB.

P.S. It's also far easier to say you always run bias-plys when you never have to run them in snow.

 

I went through three sets of Coker Firestone 6.00X16 bias plies in a year and a half on my '47 Ford rag top. Switched to Coker B.F. Goodrich bias plies and have had much better luck. I also have a set of 7.00x16's the Coker BFG's on our '39 Zephyr convt. and they have held up nicely so far (just over a year).

 

The amazing part of this whole deal is that guys get so wound up over.............tires.

It's getting to be like discussing politics and religion. You will never get everyone to agree.

 

Yep. "We have met the enemy and he is us"

Pogo

 

Bias ply tires are cool for traditional look,but for durability and ride radials is the answer.Your front end may need some work more than you think.I've got Radial Diamond backs on my Caddie and its lowered and has est. 30k miles on the tires.They still look great.My front end has all new parts though and is alighned and checked atleast once a year.There are some older front ends out there that can't handle the stress the radials put due to better grip and even some older original wheels.Some poeple forget that in the Older days replacing tires every year and tune up every year was common.Even though the bias tires are new from Coker they still have the same old technology.

 

Thanks Ryan for the cleaning up.This one of the reasons why I don't go on the Hamb alot because of the negativity and one sided answers.Hopefully it will get back to the real reason for the Hamb,Help and give info.and Make good freinds to all fellow Hot Rodders!!!

 

Ya know I was thinking about it, I think people are approaching it differently. There are 2 distinct different groups here, the hot rod guys, and custom guys. I think by and large more custom guys will care a tad less about the engine or tires they are running...for the most part if you are doing it right, people only see half of 2 of em and more than not customs dont pop the hood @ shows haha.

Hot rod guys, you see the whole deal. And yes, for that I think bias looks way better, radial wide whites just dont fit. But for a custom guy (which I am whole-heartedly) it wont matter as much so I will want the better technology and sacrifice a bit of the looks to get a more modern ride. Hell, I cant see out but 8" of the windshield, I need all the help I can get to arrive safely at each destination.

 

Wrong!!! Tires are critical on a Custom. To me, everything has to work, no shortcuts or compromise. And the engine as well (even though you don't pop the hood open), it's just as important as the rest of the car. I could care less if someone is running Radials, but don't pretend otherwise.

Ken

 

I have a suggestion ...

If you put a rubber snake on the roof,
the birds will not poop.


Regarding the tires:

Bias-ply, if set up correctly, are a joy to drive. I had them on my Falcon for years. They WERE slick in the rain, and wanted to flex and roll through corners, but they were nice and comfy around town and on the highway. They looked 1000x better than the cheap radials I now run.

Bias-plys are manditory on a fenderless car. Don't believe anyone who says otherwise.

On a closed fendered 1960s+ car, the choice is yours. Depends on how you use your car.



**Group hug**

 

Well said Haring......

I just got back from @ 500 mile trip with my A pu......4.50x18 Excesilors and 7.00x18 Firestones.....rode very nice, handled well, unless the road got rough....and you just can't beat the look of bias tires on an open wheeled rod.....

 

I recall in the sixties when radials started to be heavily marketed, one of the big selling points were the considerably longer tread life and better handling. But there can be a big difference in handling between the two.

I switched from the OEM Dunlop radials on my 64 MGB to a set of Goodyear fiberglass belted tires and hated the difference. The car handled like crap and completely lost its ability to handle rain. It was like driving a bar of soap on wet glass! But it wasn't the tires, it was the car, the suspension, and the setup. That car was setup for radials and switching to belted-bias tires was the wrong move.

Today's belted tires are probably better than the ones made in the fifties and sixties. The rubber compounds are different as are the belt materials. I wouldn't be surprised to see a belted tire nearly match a radial for tire life and handling, size for size on a lightweight hot rod.

 

A little off topic , but another question.

I understand a typical set of bias ply tires with the tubes and rim liner cost a little under $600, right?

How often do you have to replace the liner and tubes? I'm guessing they probably outlast the tires 3:1? 5:1? I just can't imagine plopping down $600 a year for new tires.

I am no where near ready to order tires and obviously do not have any experience in this matter.

 

Someone told me that the Excesilor is a radial. Is that true?

 

An oil thread...with tires.

umm...I've run just about every setup you can imagine, and there's no pat answer. I've had radials go away after 15K miles (Eagle NCT's) and BP's last over 25K miles (8.20 x 15 WWW's on a '56 chrysler).

Radials do ride better, but a set of BP's with a ton of air in them will handle like a short-sidewall radial.

If you're interested in ride quality - whythehell are you runnin' a slammed ride? Get a minivan and fuggedaboutit.

 

Someone is wrong.........

Mine say bias-ply right on 'em.....

 

I have at least 10,000 miles on my current set of Coker bias-plies ... I just rotated 'em today, and the fronts actually looked pretty good. This is with the stock F-100 I-beam axle that's well-aligned, but worn.

 

Yikes ... after reading this, maybe I should head back outside and uncross 'em ...

 

Could you please clarify? It's just that I'm a little confused because every owner's manual I've seen (1960's and even up to the 80's) says to rotate bias plys crosswise and radials front to back.

 

Arrgh....didnt say "everyone". Tires in my book arent critical on a custom, a nice chop, flowing features and super low stance are a ton more important than the tires. If anyone is going to crawl on thier bellys to see if my front tires are radials when its aired out...go for it. But in no way is it as critical as on a hot rod. Do they look better? Sure. Worth it? To me? Nope. And out of all the custom guys I know, Id say conservatively 5% run bias for the period correct look.

 

i always run bias plys at 26 psi in the front and 24 in the rear. i have never had any problems like wearing out a set of tires in a year.
then again you get what you pay for, i have always bought coker tires because they are a good looking tire and they are cheap.

 

It seems to me that the guys that love bias ply tires generally have tons of stuff to do within 10 miles of their house.

Where we live you hafta drive 3-5 hours to get to any "traditional" shows where bias ply tires are even appreciated.