Hahaha. saw the title and thought you were talking about these radials... But since we're talkin tires I spent my teenage years with radials on the front and bias on the rear of the 57 above and managed to keep the sheetmetal straight. I also enjoy detail as much as the next guy,but when it comes right down to it I'm performance oriented and there's just no contest there. Coker Classics (11 years old at that) get me there and back...
radials since 1947. yes bias "look" better and i agree i want to run them too..but i just cant risk it with my wife,4 year old , and 10 month old in the car doing 65 on the highway in the rain with the "text messagers" on the road next to me
for driving; radials for parking; bias solution: take two vehicles to the shows vehicle two has 4 bias tires and a jack drive there on the radials change to bias at the show do the show with the bias after the show change back to radials drive home problem solved can't see radial bumpness when car is moving car looks right at the shows with correct stance
See, if someone would just get their shit together and produce a 15" radial with a tread design and profile like those tires we could all be happy. (At least I know I would be happy!)
My 53 Olds with 760-15 B.F.GOODRICH - 3 3/8" WW These are the original size for this car, originally I felt they were too big, but they have grown on me. My goal was to make the car look like something built in the 50's. In the end using the original sized tires was the way to go.
Anyone who judges another persons car by the kind of tires they choose to run has issues. Anyone want to step up and buy me a set of tires that they believe I should have on all of my cars? No, I didn't think so.
And all the drag racers and hot rodders went out and bought radials the minute they could so they could get better traction and control. I think this would solve the debate on if they are traditional or not,take a read,and then look at the links on the bottom of the page that back up all the info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radial_tire
Here,I'll make it easier for the people that don't know how to click links: The first radial tire designs were patented in 1915 by Arthur W. Savage*, a successful tire manufacturer and inventor in Sand Diego,CA. Savage's patents expired in 1949. On June 4, 1946, a patent was filed in the French Patent Office by Michelin for a design which would eventually become known to the world as the Michelin 'X' -- the first radial tire. It was not until the late 1960s, however, that radial tire technology was embraced by the industry at large. Early on, Michelin found it challenging to sell the advantages of this revolutionary new concept against the conventional tire designs of this era. On the outside, radial tires were not visually distinctive. Nor were they inexpensive to manufacture. But they were vastly superior to conventional designs, and therefore eventually caught on. *Arthur William Savage (13 May 1857 - 22 September 1938), was a businessman, inventor and explorer. He is most famous as the inventor of the Savage Model 99,a famously innovative lever action rifle, which remained in production for over 100 years, and the founder of Savage Arms, a gun company. However, his most lasting and valuable inventions may be radial tires, and the modern detachable box magazine used in almost all modern military firearms. He also built and raced cars.
This is all about opinion and opinions are like assholes, everyones got one. So run what ya wanna run on your car and live happily ever after. My 2 cents is that radials look horrible on open wheel cars. Stuff em under a fender and they are just fine. No doubt they ride and handle better. My roadster however has had bias plys on it for ~5 years now and it's been driven thousands of miles a year.
Soon from the Boy's in the Rubber Room!!!!!!!!!!!!! Built on 235/75/15's Shown with "Vulcanized 1 1/2" White Wall" Also NEW FROM HURST Thank You! Adams Hot Rod Rubber/Hurst Racing Tires
Don't be fooled guys... the car isn't that nice in person... hell, the hood emblem is turned upside down. South America points down Rey.
asshole........ but you're right chris, was in a rush to get all the purdy chrome back on it. I am amazed at how your buddy saw that at night, he was probably trying to see if he could .........(ah shit he was a cool dude so i wont rag on him)..... but hey so when do you want me to go by and patch up that fender. i got jokes too
Your statement is not much different than saying I don't see you at any of the drag meets running that "Big"Olds . Or say at your own event? We were there in Nick's 32 on bias, in snow... possibly the exception to the rule .... While I did not drive any of my own cars there, I've never passed you in early fall let alone winter when I was. Hell I've never seen your car once other than in pictures on the Hamb. Not at Winks, any of the Arby's, any cruise spot, old drive -in, open house for any shop, none of the private shows, nothing not once. So what does that prove? Nothing really, you could been four states away or two blocks down doing the same thing... Looking at your posts you have much different ideas and interests... My point is while I don't think we would ever agree on much your car suits you as it should, my cars are built to suit me. The only part I don't agree with are those people giving others false information that bias are bad, unsafe or can not be driven on long distances as they always have been. There is a difference in the appearance of the car, even with the new Coker bias style radials. People who are truly interested in cars can tell... some are just easier to fool or simply do not care. At any show at least half of those attending can not tell a 32 Ford from any A, Dodge or Chevy coupe, a 39-40 Ford from a Willys or ... better yet a 4 door sedan 60 Biscayne, was a 59 Impala by every single "old school-hard core-I was there-hot rodder" who stopped to look it over at Stark County, let alone those few who could notice a bias tire from a radial to tell you it looks off... So while I don't care what another person does, the average public is not exactly a good judge of what looks right.
I'm not saying that radials are less drivable than bias. I'm just saying they look like shit... It's a personal opinion. If some dude is out there driving 100k miles a year on his radial white walls, good for him. That's rad... and frankly, probably worth the trade off in looks. But it doesn't change the fact that bias tires look infinitely better. The bore of the subject is that someone always tries to make a war out of it. I'm not interested in an argument at all. My opinion is my opinion. Other's are welcomed to theirs... and I won't judge them for it... ya know?
i dont know why i jump inthese debates? but anyway. both of these former cars of mine had radiels. the trucks were ground in junk yard tires to boot. and both cars had bias plys at one time. they both needed a lil front end work, and were scary with bias plys. yes bias plys to me look way better, but living in the northeast the roads are horrible, pot holes, ruts, frost heaves etc. and i was usually towing something. camper , bike and trailor whatever. the merc i could care less you barely see the tire, the truck yeah they didnt look great, but it handled like a go cart, and i drive like an asshole so they worked out perfect.. do what ya want but if you wanna be crankin down the hiway towing a camper at 70 plus then go with radials.. my .02
Before i sold my 39 ford truck i was running plys and one day at 70mph all hell broke loose when the rear driver shredded out on me.My little girl was with me at the time. The next day she was rolling with rads on her.End of story for me....Good day
bias plies are not the only tires to blow out or have tread fall off, have u seen past threads about cokers falling apart. shit can happen with any tire
I don't know that mine is Kustom with a "K", but more custom with a lower case "c"; in any event I think radials are fine, and don't even care that much for the wide whites in either style. Maclean wires with Pirelli Blackwall radials, and I think the combo looks good and business-like at the same time.
Diamondback radials on my Lincoln. I would never go to bias ply with this big of car. The radials ride so nice and look good IMO.
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