The only radials that look good on pre 60's styled cars are the 16" versions. Just like the ones on Weasel's. The one thing thats consistant in this thread is the guys who are serious about the way a car looks will run bias. I completely understand why people run radials (I put radials on my wife's car for that same reason) but you CANNOT say that they are appropriate in the looks department. Now from a distance, looking at the side (not the front or rear) they don't look bad. It's only when you see them up close or notice how fat they are is when they look like shit. Bias; Radials; It's hard to tell the difference from a distance. I can't believe how divided this discussion will always be. We will never agree so why does this discussion continue to go on?? I actually think this is worse than Ford vs Chevy. Let the saga continue. BloodyKnuckles
I understand where you are coming from with the idea od it is your money dowhat you want with it. But in the idea that this board represents from my understanding is for one to be able to gather the useful knowledge of others in order to recreate a piece of the past. Unfortunately some of us choice to only take it to a certian level od the recreation due to the modern luxurys that many of us have been spoiled with. I am no exception to this I have aa new 12 volt wiring harness with a GM alt. and I have to say although I did this because I had the stuff to do it I wish I had not because I just do not like the way the Alt looks on my flathead or do I like the way the modern wires fight against the true character of the car. I will be looking at rewiring to let it look correct and I am looking at the Altenator/Generator that is available. So, I to will be a poser in that sense but it is ok because the only true traditional cars are those that have survived untouched. Everything from there on out will be traditional in the future..........lol............But all joking aside the HAMB is and has to be one of the best tools for building traditional style Hot Rods and Customs. With this being said I have to say to ask a question to which is better the answer will most likely be the alternative to what was once old because the whole idea behind industry was to improve upon what has already been done so this question should have been a no brainer.
If you're building a custom right, you shouldn't see most of the tire. You guys also need to take into consideration where you all are from. Some of you midwesterners think traffic is 2 people at a stop light. Traffic in NJ, CA, NY... totally different ball game. When you're rolling 80 mph down the NJ Turnpike at rush hour, having some extra traction could be the difference between getting there and not
This is another factor to really consider that is overlooked.............lol..... But I believe that you can get away with more on a custom than anything else .
Lockwoodcustoms: "because the only true traditional cars are those that have survived untouched" Bingo!
If a person wants radials why not let them have at it? The car needs to suit the owner or really the driver(s) of the car. I don't see the need for "my car looks just as good with radials", add excuse here.... I do not agree, and the majority of those giving examples are showing more of why a car looks so much better with bias. If the difference does not matter to you or you have use of or "need" a radial so be it. Radial tires won't ruin a good car but they won't help it any either. Depending on the car, era of build etc. it just makes the next car with bias look a little better. What is more out of place are these mid 60's up cars, PT crusiers, rat rods and other junk too new for their wide whites... I prefer and have driven daily on bias year round including Ohio winters over the years with no issues. Remember all the red brick roads? We drove bias on those on ice and snow... but bias are not safe??? There is nothing wrong with a bias tire if you want to run them. What matters is you have to respect the limits of the tire just as much as your 50-60-70 something plus year old suspension. What can be dangerous is a person that does not have such respect or experience. People used to rack/pinion steering, coil over struts and soft radials often don't take well to a to 17 inch steering wheel, manual brakes and bias tires at first. For example the wife will drive our 64 Fairlane wagon at some point, and being a 64 it has radial white lines. She has no major experience driving an old car, or any at all on bias tires. The idea was to take the easy way out in adapting the car to her to a small effect instead of beating my head against a wall trying to show her how to drive it. It looks like crap to me but it is better than the car sliding into a pole on wet road. Between that and Coker's ever climbing prices on bias an ugly set of Diamond backs went on the car. The next set may have to be the bias US Royals I wanted assuming she gets used to the car and they don't double in price again. Problem is I'm big on details making a car just right so inspite of my reason to buy radials I no longer like the look of car and have not wanted to work on it since putting them on it. Mixing radials and bias does not instantly make the car roll over or steer out of control. The driver does. It is NOT something I'd recommend generally but as long as you understand how the car responds if you wanted you can do it. I've done it on several cars as a kid for a lack of funds, the fun of hanging out the rear easy with bias on the back or the big and little look with what was available at the time. Besides ever heard of a drag car perhaps? A ProStreeter? Fad T? Those Mickey's are not radial casings. Got sportmans on the front? You don't have change your front runners to put on radial slicks at the track do you? They come with the disclaimer but how many do it without issue every track day? Another thing to think about is shaving the tires. Other than suspension and steering design flaws out of round new tires contribute to the fabled "Death Wobble" and have given bias a further bad name. My buddy's flatty powered 32 roadster was a decent riding car before hand considering what it is and the style of build. After shaving the tires it rides like completely different car. It is driven rain,shine, the snow even out of state right past the other "traditional" cars on trailers. It simply would not be to same with radials. Bias are well worth having on an old car for appearance and fun to drive on. It's up to you, like any part of a car a tire should be selected for your intended use.
What are those tires? Where did you get them? How much did they cost?? Those are some seriously good-looking whitewall radials!
DiamondBack Econovan radials - available in 16" diameter only. I run 195/75/ 16s at the front and 225/75/16s on the rear. The wheels are 1936 Buick Roadmaster 16" x 5" on 5.5 with early Ford wire wheel hubcap adapters http://www.dbtires.com/2009_catalog/hi/23.htm
I live in NJ really close to NYC so i get all the asshole drivers and shitty roads to drive on and i do perfectly fine with bias plies and drum brakes, my 30 weight nd oil and so on
That's funny, I could of sworn I seen your ass running Radials at the Roundup in Austin this past year??? Was that you or was that another short and wide guy I seen trying to squeeze out of his chopped '51 Plymouth??? Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!
not again!!! kustoms are built to look cool, traditional kustoms are built to look cool AND look like they were built in the time period the builder is going for. therefore I'll try my hardest to keep my car as traditional as a i could(within my boundries of limited funds), I consider wheels/tires a major aspect in the car's styling, therefore I won't run radials on a traditional kustom. Living in NJ near NYC is not a good excuse to run radials.
It's funny how many of these hard core bias ply lovers I have never seen at any event driving their bias shod kustom or hot rod, a couple but not many.
i never look at the tires anyway. i run what i buy cause that's what i want. you are right denise...they don't walk the walk but i don't care because they don't sign my checks...your car looks good and frankly 99 percent of the people looking at your car don't know if it's radial or bias ply cause it looks good the way it is.
I guess it all depends! Can you photoshop a radial wheel/tire combo versus a bias ply combo? I've got a couple rodded trucks with radials, and one of them is a custom looking chopped channeled 48International Harvestor with a rear rolled pan etc, and I happily run radials on it. But on my OEM 48Fordf1 with a camper shell--its totally 16" OEM wheels with bias ply. I just --myself--wouldn't be happy with the looks of this truck with radials--period! I have absolutely no doubt. So--like I said -- it all depends/ sometimes its good either bias or radial- they both look good, and sometimes not. Good luck Tom
Tires should have nothing to do with money, and everything to do with driveability for some and looks for others.
Leave me alone. See, what happened was..... The bias plies on my Plymouth are wore the fuck out after 30,000 miles. So I didn't have the time to install my new tires so I used my wife's DeSoto's radials. These are Diamondback WWW. I have no interest in ever, ever running those again, especially on my Plymouth. They are fine on the DeSoto. I did not enjoy having them on my Plymouth, not one minute. BloodyKnuckles
I will tell you this, when Boobie has his Bias Ply tires on that man can rack up some miles. If you are from the South East then there is no doubt that you have see his car anywhere from New York to Florida. He definitely gets around in that thing. Now does he put the miles that Denise does (over 100k) on his car? Well, no but nobody on this board probably does either. But that's more of a time off topic rather then driving your car on period tire issue. I know for one that I would love to drive all over the country to attend shows but I do not have the time off work to do so. In turn, I fly to shows a lot of times to be back to work first thing Monday morning. If I did drive cross country and to different parts of the United States I would want to run Bias Plys because I would also be the guy that would want to run a flathead. I mean shit, on a lot of cars that run a full hood you'll never see the engine but that does not mean I am going to run a ram jet 502 and say I drove an true authentic hot rod across country. You cna see there is a difference even on a full fendered car as far as Bias and radials go. If your running radials because they drive better and you put a lot of miles on your car then that's awesome. Lets just not pretend that nobody can tell the difference from ten feet away. Creature comforts.....just like a modern engine, vintage air, or MII independent suspensions. What ever floats your boat. It just may not float my own.
I drive my 39 with the bias ply's and I drive the car hard anyone from around my way can verify it. Even though I may not have been seen at any of the shows does not mean it is not being driven. One major reason I can not go to every show from here to Cali is because I have a wife and kids that come first and the other dilema is I have a flathead that likes to heat up after driving it for a while so until I get that issue taken care of you may not see me to far from home .......lol.... . Although I am going to try and get to the Jalopy Showdown this coming year which will be my first time ever going there as long as I get the heating problem taken care of on the 39 or if I am lucky I might have my little Model A truck which is also running "Bias ply tires" ready for the that show.
I ran some coker radials that wandered like bias plys......best of both worlds? Now I have Diamondbacks and anyone who doesn't like them on my truck can kiss my hairy ass.
When I look at a "tradional custom", and the only thing I can bitch about is his/her tires, then I guess they nailed it....but really, how often does that happen? All I care about your tires are, that they have tread on them, they are round, and they hold air.
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