So, I've currently got cheapo eBay radial ww's on the old girl, and while playing around with ideas of Caps or no Caps i got to thinking about my old 47 Buick. It had Firestone WWW bias plys on it that were on it for who knows how long, the old find it in a shed with em on it, pump em up and they held air so figured why not? And they looked GROUSE. However, They also had their cons, like when driving in Melbourne weather, rain and a tram track, i all of a sudden found myself skiing hahaa. No matter, Hurts to be cool. So, to the point, Im thinking bias ply WWW firestones mainly just cause i like the imagrey of them, Cokers are fine etc, but figured if im gonna spend decent i may aswell chuck what i really want on, right? Which leads me to the next question and the main one for the post - Will they go alright on the Hearse or will it look silly? When i was thinking of it, i mainly found photos of the Tyres in question when, not on a rod, on early 50s and late 40s sleds, bombs, etc. I tried looking up which tyres to run earlier when i was umming and aahing about the firestones but found no real definitive answer. Currently the tyres on it seem to look right and it just seems cool, kinda how i picture tanks for the most part. Do i leave it with my original plan as is, or will the WWW Firestones with no caps be a tasteful compliment to the car? Picture of said car to help make up the decision and maybe some info on where the cut off date for the tyres is. Cheers Jackson
You can't have period correct if its radials period...they weren't available...they are an inspired tire... Update...it has been stated radials were available in 1959 and possibly earlier...the consensus also is they were cost prohibitive and the Manufacturers weren't pushing them...so the Hotrod/Custom crowd went with what they were accustomed to...my apologies...J was right I wasn't there...he was.. I think WWW Firestone Piecrusts would look great on it. Chrome reverse suit both Hotrod/Custom and WWs...Steelies with Full Caps that work is another option... Widths of WW in 1960 were changing...as in narrower but still far more substantial than what your running... The Photoshop Thread Team could do a couple mods before you shell out coin...they do not disappoint...Others will chime in that can also help...for a Hearse it has pretty nice proportions...
Good point! That slipped my mind completely, one of the wheels it came with had an original biasply on it! I'll have a snoop for the photoshop thread and see what can be done! Its a cool old rig, took ten years to find, needed everything and only has one sibling left remaining! Ive got a brief thread about it on here somewhere. More in depth build on instagram profile of the same username here. Cheers Jackson
Hello, There is no question that radials are the superior tires as far as daily driving is concerned. Grip, traction, cornering ability, able to run on hot temps without worry, etc. (All facts known to everyone.) As far as "period correct" not even close, unless you want to be in the late 60's early 70's era. But, Michelin did invent the radial tire before most on the HAMB were born. So, there is that. Those that build the HAMB style hot rods do not like radials, just to be on the same page. For most, the hot rods are not the daily driver types that get cranked up every time a doctor's appointment in any weather is necessary or an upcoming long road trip to relatives' houses across the country. Plus, radials were not the tire put on old roadsters and coupes back in early history. Sure, it has been done, but for the most part, everyone here has a modern SUV, station wagon, truck, or even a ordinary sedan with radials they use on a daily basis. So, why is it that the Ford F 150 trucks are still sold as the number one car/truck (or sales for the last 40+ years) and they have radials? Jnaki If you are going to use radials, use them. The comparisons are there for everyone to see. For your hearse, it doesn't matter as they were not the best selling car/truck anywhere. So, people won't think badly of you if your hearse is sitting on any street with radials. Most people will be shocked at the idea of a hearse with its own history, let alone radials vs. bias ply. HAMB hot rod guys/girls like to be accepted on the site with their hot rods and customs, but that is the HAMB. So, the choice is only yours. Don't worry if you have radials and are safer. You will not be given minus points in a daily driven car show... YRMV In 1959, if radials were lower cost and the availability of those tires were in every shop known to man/woman, then we all would have used radials. The big sedans like my 1958 Chevy Impala needed a lot of handling help. But, we went with what was available. The technology was there, it just was not as popular as bias ply tires like the 14 inch Firestones that had a contract with most car factories. IF Michelin had made inroads into a factory sponsorship or nice contract with USA factories, then we would have used radials and that would have been… “Period Correct.”
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...otoshop-threads.300531/page-917#post-14606706 Here is that Thread Jackson...
So, I gave you information that was true but not because radials weren't available, they were...as @jnaki stated he was an active consumer, Driver, and Hotrodder... That said 9 out of 10 Hotrod/Customs were running Bias...so technically they are period correct to the Hamb... I updated my post to reflect that... The other thing I will say is cars like yours can run radials with a non bias look without standing out like a sore thumb... There is another radial The Auburn and one Coker makes a bias look Radial as well...
Radials were fairly new when I was changing tires as a teen in 1973. I knew Michelins were around, then saw Goodyears and Firestones. I run Hankook radials on my '59 with the WW turned inside. I'd consider a radial over bias ply with a car of more weight then mine for sure.
The radial tire was patented in 1914. Michelin owned Citroen and that was the first car to come standard with radials in 1948. The first american car to come with radials was the 70 Lincoln Mark lll... Michelins.
Really appreciating the history lesson here and also the various inputs from different perspectives. I've got alot more of an idea now instead of just photos and assumptions, cheers guys! Jackson
I’m running a set of the Coker bias look radials on my 32. Much better than the Firestone bias plies I had originally. You’ve got to close to tell even without fenders. Expert here will spot it in a minute, but not most others. Not that any tire handles well with 5:60’s and an F code Yblock in front and 8:20’s in the back. They weren’t cheap, but they were round and balanced well on wire wheels. Your car, your money, your call.
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