why? Decided to put radials on the plymouth this summer. Would like to find some that look as close to bias as possible. What are you running? Got a pic? Thanks matt
hard to "look" like bias. i have run bfg wide whites in the past. they do not look like bias ply at all.... but they ride great. i'll stick to bias plies on my 50's cars, they're going to ride like a 50's car anyway. my newport i run radials though and it drives like a new car.
i love the way firestone bias-plys look, but on my grandpa's 55, he insisted on running radials. the best looking ones i could find were the diamondbacks. they offered a big whitewall, & there is no writing on them at all. i've seen some horrible radials that have too small of whitewall, or writing on the sidewalls. the diamondbacks ride nice too.
My 55 chevy truck is running BFG silvertown WWW they don't look like bias plys at all but ride grate. note they where on it when I got it. I run coker www on my 26 and thats what I'm going to run on my 28. pics in my alblum of the car and truck.
I found a big difference in they way my 57 buick handles; had to put front disc on it as I could out drive the braking capacity( was original) still hard to get one that looks like bias. on my 30 coupe I have found that a good tight front end makes more difference imo than running radial or bias( slightly modified banger)
If you're wanting whitewall radials that look like a bias ply, then your best bet is the Coker Classic series. Coker makes a 16-inch radial that has the narrow profile of a bias ply with the modern construction of a radial with five sizes to pick from. Here's a picture... www.cokertire.com
Cokers as pictured above, I have had great results with Coker, but its the only ones I have had. The Alliance dealer was a factor for me, but I also can't say enough about how well I have been treated by customer service, product reliability, free mounting and balance service, and Coker not only supports the H.A.M.B. but the industry overall. Just my experience, I know others have great products as well. ~Sololobo~
These are Diamondbacks but this style is only available in 16" diameter. I run 195/75R16 front and 225/75R16 rear on my '33.
I think part of the problem with radials is that the sidewalls tend to be bulbous. I do not have any problems with running radial whitewalls and on larger fat fendered cars the Goodyear WWWs from Kelsey Tire have an interesting sidewall pattern for an 'antique feel'. While the sidewall has character, they do not look like a bias ply and I would not run them on a highboy. They are available both in 75 and 70 series profiles. www.kelseytire.com
I have diamondbacks, they ride great, only problem is that the whitewall is trying to come delaminated from the tire in some places.
The Jalopy Journal
