I'm putting a set of inexpensive radials on the '53 ($68 a piece) and I'm reusing the Portawalls that are on the old bias 670-15 bias plys that are on there. I don't even care about the performance benefit of the radials, I think the bias plys handle just fine at the 65mph tops I'll drive, I just can't justify paying $168 a piece for the original style ones. Even though I much prefer the looks of the original style 670-15 Firestones, it's a driver, not a show car and that's $400 difference. Yikes! That's alot of gas and cheap beer.
So what's your point? You have to have tires to drive your car right? Did you read the recent thread about portawalls? there may be some advice in there to help you protect your investment. Here it is incase you haven't already read it. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=721288&highlight=floppers
With my HAMB discount I was able to get letter series bias ply wide whitewalls from Coker for around $110 each. Nobody looks down to notice they are G78 as opposed to 670 or whatever. It's at least a middle option.
When gas prices go up, tire prices go up. It's a petroleum product. Vegetable oil also goes up when gas prices rise. Funny. At the bike shop all our tubes doubled in cost this year. Tires went up about 10%. I sell $120 bicycle tires that weight less than a pound. Most decent tires for bicycles are $50. How does that make you feel?
Tyres and wheels make the car - they are a once in 50,000 mile purchase if you drive them easy and keep your wheels straight. $200 with HAMB discount is only 0.4c/mile. Ummmmmmmm - seems a reasonably obvious choice to me.
You guys in the states make me laugh - Wait till you live somewhere else and see what the price of tyres are. You guys are fortunate - I want some 235/75 x14 tires $450 plus local tax here in NZ. They are on ebay at $230 plus shipping. These are not cheap so I suppose it is all relative - Tires at $68 each new - thats unheard of in this part of the world - Be grateful and enjoy. Oh and new tires beat old ones - ask me - I lost a 22 yr old tire at 65 mph and the results were not pretty - no lose of life but seversal family members shaken - mag wheel damaged - panels damaged and a road congestion second to none.
50,000mi on bias-plys? I've NEVER seen that many on bias-ply tires, but that HAMB discount is awesome.
Yeah, a blowout at 65 sounds kinda scary with no power steering and 3 other old tires too. Glad to hear you made it through ok. As far as how lucky we are here in the good ol' U.S. of A., I couldn't agree more my friend...on so many levels
When I worked for Firestone in the early 70's I think the top of the line Bias tire was rated for 25,000 miles. The cheap bias tires were rated at about 15,000 then.
Tires make or break your look. Tires are the only thing keeping you connected to the road at 65 MPH Tires are asked to do a lot for a very long time. Why would they be cheap ?
I don't think you get a whole lot of tire for $68 ... I am not saying they are unsafe or anything ... But I have gotten to the point where I would rather buy a better tire and enjoy the ride, handling, quiet, and longer life. Especially since the local place charges like $30 a tire for mounting and balancing. In your situation, I see your point. You can be out enjoying that $400 in other ways while the $68 tires last you at least a few years.
I agree completely, but I'm betting the $68 DOT approved radials still handle and drive better than the $168 670-15 bias plys...just a guess though.
You would probably guess wrong. I have to ask is your suspension built to properly handle the radial tire? MOPAR Muscle did a test with bias V radial tires back in the 90s. They discovered that a muscle car with a stock suspension actually handled worse with the radials than with the proper bias ply tires. Something about the old springs not being up to the job whth the different forces applied by the radial over the bias ply tires. Makes one think how much of what we believe is driven by hype?
That is interesting...I've had old cars in the past that had old bias-ply tires on them, and when I replaced them with radials the handling, ride, and amount of road noise dramatically improved. That was just my opinion anyway.
One thing to remember about radial tires is they track far superior than bias ply tires and on some vehicles that cause the alignment to get knocked out. Example was a 62' chevy 2 with a 4cyl/3sp that the entire front end was rebuilt except steering box and the alignment kept coming out and the tire guy said try some bias ply tires and they worked,why because the radials were tracking too well for the vehicle. And just to be 100% sure we put the radials back on and sure enough it had to be re-aligned so back on went the bias ply tires. We are talking about 13" A-78's? really narrow.
2 wide whitewalls from corky today $550 w ship Kool no longer is cheep and i got wheelsmith wheels from speedway the KKOA coupon give me free ship on those in about 1969 i could buy 4 michelin radials for $100 I thought that was expensive then, silley boy i was
If you lived closer I'd sell you these for about $50 each and they're effin Goodyears! I'm not even bothering to start doing mods to make my car 'cool' or 'custom' until I get some bias ply Wide Whites.
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