I've got a set of 18" Wheelsmith wire wheels with 6.00/6.50 Radial tires. The tires are now 6 years old with about 5000 miles, the manufacturer recommends replacing them. There are only 2 tires available in this size, one is Radial and the other is Bias-Ply. The car has a Speedway 4" drop axle with a 2001 Blazer rear axle. Is there that much benefit from a Radial or would Bias-Ply be acceptable?
I like the bias look personally on vintage builds. Disadvantage? Well, they wear out faster than radials but at less than 1k miles per year driving you’ll be ok. Bias generally age better than radials.
The truth! The truth from my perspective is the radials are $1800.00 a set and the bias-ply are $550.00 a set. Both tires are from Coker's. Tire wear shouldn't be an issue, the car only weighs about 1300 lbs.
It would be a no brainer if were a modern car, it would have to be radials. Tossing a set of tires with 5000 miles because they are too old hurts a lot less when they cost $550.00 vs. $1800.00.
It depends on whether you're going to drive your car (radials). or just sit and look at it (bias-plies).
I'm not a big bias tire fan simply because even the best bias tires rarely give you 25,000 miles. On the other hand unless you are actively running the car in Vintage races I'd go with proper bias tires this time around. A gent I visit with just about every October at an event 60 miles from home runs those Excelsiors on his blower Bentley that he lives up to Blower Bentley reputation in. His running buddies say that he is the guy you have to keep up with on the road rather than wait on as he wheels that thing and he is said to put a lot of miles on it. Truth be known, If I had the money I'd have two sets of tires, A set of Diamond back road trip tires and a set of bias "show" tires to stick on for specific shows maybe even carrying the Bias tires in my tear drop to change out at specific events.
That's a no-brainer in my book. But I think I'd try to find a supplier with a better reputation than Coker's (before the shit storm starts, check out the threads on here complaining about them. NOT the kind of business I want to support). YMMV
I saw some place that they're now saying you can run a steel belted radial up to 10 years now before replacing. of course the reality is... it's a grenade with the pin rattling around loose. it's always a gamble even with new tires. I should know. with big trucks,.. driven 4 million miles and I've had a lot of new radials and low mileage radials fail as well as the ones with tons of miles. but honestly, I prefer a good bias tire because if they disassemble usually it's not such a risk of damage to the body.
I’ve had bias plys on several cars and basically couldn’t tell the difference in drive ability, imo radials look horrible on traditional styled hotrods and kustoms
I got bias ply on my merc to quote @Moriarity ” smooth as a gravy sandwich “ The milage thing was no bother to me as I drive the car less then 10k a year so with the 4 year “ life span” of a radial it’s a wash . Plus they are cheaper then radials by a mile as you found out .
If you want to bend the HAMB rules there's these: "American Classic" bias look radials, "Auburn Deluxe" bias look radials. I'm running the American Classic's and love them. I know ... BOO HISS!
So a 6 year old tire on what's essentially a pampered, dressed, well stored, lovingly driven car, are considered dangerous? And it only weighs 1300lbs? OF COURSE THE MFG SAYS REPLACE EM! No, seriously, do you feel endangered? Any plans of steady state 100MPH runs? I'd bet a coffee you keep the tires cleaned and "fed" with tire dressing. Bet a 2nd cup you didn't have the car live in the hot sun 40hrs a week in the work parking lot for 6 years. I dig the idea of safety but I don't walk around with a seat belt on. Sorry, somebody had to say it...
I would think the limiting factor would be the 18" diameter. I am on the fence on what I believe about the whole throw away your radials at 5 years deal. I think it goes along with the zinc in the oil debacle. Manufacturers don't want the liability for an inferior product.
I agree but disagree I don’t have a pic but my buddies came back from a snowmobile trip 7 year old trailer tire the tread separated blew apart torn the fender off and screwed up the trailer and car behind him . He ended up with a few fines . Trailer is stored in his barn and might get 2k of use a year .aluminum trailer with only 2 snowmobiles fitting in it , so light weight as well . So yes , not every radial is a ticking time bomb but why chance it .
I would agree with trailer tires, my experience is if they've got 5 years on 'em, they won't make a several state trip, local maybe, but not a couple 1000 miles, you'll be changing them somewhere along the way, and for me that means in the middle of the desert somewhere. And they tear things up when they blow, before you can get to the side of the road. But trailers sit in one spot for months at a time, and I believe that's what does those tires in. I think if you raised the trailer up off the tires on jack stands this wouldn't happen. And if you drive your car at least every couple of weeks it's not going to happen either.
Coming from a sled guy, those trailer tires have to be among the most abused rubber to ever touch a road. "...only 2 snowmobiles..." so there's close to 1500lbs, plus the trailer, plus the gear, fuel, gas cans, blah blah blah. Load ratings? Teeny weeny vs a car tire. Apples to pecans. This is only a 1300lb car that's loved and pampered not some daily forced into use and environmental abuse. If I could scare someone into spending 1,800... Sorry, no, I wouldn't, but point made.
I think it's funny that some of the same guys that argue about drum brakes being as good as discs, are some of the same guys arguing in favor of radial ties! At least @Moriarity is consistent here!
IMO bias ply tires are a better fit for these older cars with older suspension designs than radial ties are. They not only look better, but the way they handle matches up better to older suspension designs. Not only that, they provide better feedback to the driver when they are pushed to the limit in cornering speed, and when they lose traction they are more controllable than radials, which tend to have less feel to them and when they let go it tends to happen real fast. I can feel when I'm getting to the edge with bias, which I can't as well with radials, and I can hold my line better with bias than I can with radials. Though I do agree that the wider radials have more tread width on the ground and do have the traction advantage. And rain grooves, yeah bias tires wander on them and radials don't, but it aint so bad. Relax Francis and let the tires do their thing, you're still in control.
Old tires=are old an dry,dryer if outside all the time. Don't try to run on any thing* with dry cracks showing . As each has there own likes,well I'm happy with my radials, on my old hotrod 28A powered by a Thunderbird Y-292 v8,,no one can tell the def. between radial an bias,as I drive by them. A bit smoother an with more $ still in my pocket. Thats my take on tires,,, I love old hotrods. I built mine in 1959,still drive it. At a show, if some one is bent over looking at the tires, they are missing out on what hotrods really are.
Are the tires showing any signs of degradation? On what surface and temperature is the car stored? 6 years is short for classic tires that are often stored in the dark, inside, out of the weather. The rule of thumb I always heard was 10 years. Granted on an open car there are some extra dangers, and if you want to follow the 6 years go ahead, but it seems like an excessively short timeline when tires can sit in a warehouse for a good portion of that.
In 2005 I finished a 1930 Model A Tudor and put radial tires on it. At that time I had never heard anything about production dates. I drove the car for about 12 years with the same tires, never had any issues. I sold the car and the guy's still driving it with the same tires, they are now about 17 years old. Last year I purchased some BFG radials that were 10 years old, they looked new and the rubber was still soft with no cracks. I had them mounted and one had a flat spot that would not smooth out. When the local tire shop unmounted the tire most of the bead was stuck to the rim. This when I started being anal about manufacturing dates. I need a 6.00/6.50 R18 tire, is Coker the only one that has tires in the size? I haven't had any luck finding any other tires.
I'll agree 150%. Letting a tire, any tire, sit unmoving in contact with soil for extended periods of time allows the organics in the soil to leach up into the tire, attacking the rubber. If a lot of moisture is present it accelerates the process. Here in the NW that's a real issue and if you look, you can SEE the damage. Wet concrete is almost as bad, only it's the alkali that does the damage. Dry concrete is much better, but if you move the tire and see a damp spot where it was sitting, it's not really dry is it? Putting a vapor barrier under the tire will help. And trailer tires aren't the best-built tires either. Most are built to a price. But this will affect ANY tire...
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