How bad will bias ply whites suck to REALLY drive??

run em all the way around and ive never had any trouble, but as far as "And I don't think any state has worse roads the good ol' Ca." you obviously havnt been to many places lol.

the highways are so bad in spots over here that ive actualy pulled over multiple times because it felt like i was actualy losing at least one tire. and im not talking a flat, like losing a fucking wheel/tire.

 

Depends on the tire. They have good and shit bias plys now, just as always. I had a set of the repro Goodyear 6.50s on a Falcon, and they were great, smoother ride than radials, smooth up to about 85, terrible cornering as you might expect. Now I have a set of the 5.20 14 Premium Sport lowrider series on my Comet, and when you spin a wheel in the air, you can see how out of round they are and that's the way they came. They are decent to about 60-65 mph, after that the car vibrates bad. They look cool, but I'll probably go with radials for freeway use.

-KK

 

I drove the piss outta my shoe on a set of lesters before I tore it apart. That was in northern michigan where the roads blow ass and it was not bad at all. The question is , .... do you really like driving? LOL . Strap on a pair and just do it . swaZZie

 

It sure wasn't radials that came on all of the muscle cars of the 60's and early 70's and we drove the hell out of them.

gary

 

I never got sleepy driving my 3W with bias plys. I was always on the edge of my seat on the two lanes (no concrete freeways) with the deep truck grooves, waiting for it to change lanes when I'm meeting that Peterbilt doing 70 mph hauling 60 tons of grain.

And don't forget to read Article 8, Section C, Paragraph e, on page 32 of the Traditional Rules Handbook: If you run bias plys you must listen only to an AM radio, ABSOLUTELY NO IPODS!!

 

I got 70 series goodyear polyglas on my ride. When you first pull it out of the garage it feels like there square for about the first two or three miles. After that they smooth out and it aint bad. These tires have a flat and square tread print and they don't corner for shit. Nostalgic look is kick ass. A few good points and a few bad points>>>>.

 

it's all I ever drive on!

 

im sure you put millions of hours into making that car look as cool as it does, do you really want to make the mistake and put radials on it? im sorry, i just can't imagine putting radials on an old car after putting so many hours into customizing it. to me, putting radial whitewalls on an old car ruins the whole vibe of creating a traditionally stlyed car. and to answer the question, get bias plys, if you think they are THAT bad, i really don't know what to tell you...

 

You trust me right?? We both have big cars, we both drive THOUSANDS of miles to car events each year. No one will be able to tell you the bias plys ride better then radials, they don't, period. It's just a matter of how much you are willing to put up with if you choose bias ply. I've had both on the exact same car and the bias plys sucked big time. I kept putting them on and trying them then taking them off and putting the radials back on. There is NO comparsion in the quality of the ride.

If bias plys are so great the automanufacturers would still be using them, right?

Bottom line is, you want looks or drivability?

See ya at the HAMB Drags if not before.

 

man....i really hate to say it, but put radials on it. If you were someone different asking the same question about the same car, i would say bias but you drive your cars alot.

 

White Knuckle driving is traditional! Bias ply tires and no radio to distract from the driving pleasure.

 

As I've said before...

(Quoting myself from 1/05)

"If you're not going over 50 that often, use 'em... Above that, they fucking SUCK DONKEY COCK... BELOW that, you're a PUSSY if you don't run 'em....

NOTHING beats that sound they make in a fast turn... At night, radials MASTURBATE in hopes that they could make a screech even CLOSE to the sound of a pissed-off X-ply tire going around a turn....."

I hope that helps....

 

radials are for girls, under a 100 mph you will be fine

 

Another thread on bias plys?? My opinion, bias all the way! Nothing like the perportion and pie crust of a Firestone bias! From my experience no matter what type of suspension you have, if all your bushings are new, good shocks, and your alignnment is good etc... you shouldnt have a problem.

 

Hey wait a minute - haven't Diamondback Classics just announced a radial that looks similar to a bias ply and aren't they located in Conway SC? They'll put W'walls on almost anything - - hmmm.... yep here it is in their current ad "We even make radial whitewalls that look similar to bias ply tires". I guess the crux of the matter is their definition of "similar to". 1-888-922-1642 www.dbtires.com

 

Had bias on several cars with no problem!

 

I think you will find they aren't to bad. There on my old olds and are pretty good at 90 mph. You feel every crack but not unsafe, just a different fell to em.

 

Jeff, I have been running bias on the 57 and it has been fine but with factory susp. the 57 is way better then the 29 for driving at speeds, maybe its the extra weight. but not nearly as good as the wagon. I am not going to tell you not to but I know you and you may not be happy with the long drive with them. (around town no problem).

If you decide to go radial. go to the tire store and fine a nice tread style (very car like) on a narrow tall tire then call Diamond back and have them put the whitewall on that specific tire (its how I did the wagon and got a non-agressive tread look).

Also, Coker makes a nice radial that looks like bias (a friend here has a set) but they are blackwall. take those and have the whitewall on. most would be hard press to tell the difference. (they look like a bias ply tread and sidewall)

 

Radials for the win... That's a long drive. Bias plys will make the car more junky than it actually is.

I'm ordering a set of the BFG's this week.

 

I haven't ran them for decades. I do remember that we never got much over 12,000 on a set.
Nowdays you have to take it up the butt to buy them so why pay more to go backwards?

 

I might as well post my .02...

Drove 2 49 Packards last year, both in good repair, drove em back to back, 1 with bias, the other radial. No contest. Period. As we drove through an expressway interchange area (lots of waves and ruts from trucks) the bias tires didn't know what lane or groove to follow. Had to fight it pretty bad. The radials handled it better to the point of just knowing it was there. In S.E. MI our roads are pure garbage. Some places have holes big enuff for families to live in! Truck traffic makes it worse. Grooves never get fixed. The bigger cars are even more prone to tracking ruts and truck grooves but I've not seen 750-17 radials I posted last year about a drive in a Duesenberg roadster. White knuckels? Some places were just fuckin frightening. Once again the front end was in perfect order just the nature of the car/tire combination. I had a 47 Caddy conv with bias 'stones on it. Big fat heavy car. My buddy's radial car drove way better but not worth the difference in overall look.

 

I've never run anything but bias ply tires. Drove from Minneapolis to Austin on 'em and left in the snow.

I don't buy the "there's a reason they still don't use them on new cars" blah blah blah ... then there's also a reason they still don't use buggy spring suspension etc. Are you a pussy or a hot rodder?

Just kidding ... use what you want. No doubt radials will ride smoother, it's all a matter of priorities and what you are willing to compromise.

The merc looks cool - it's a cool car either way.

 

The first time you have to stop fast in the wet on bias ply's you'll wish you had radials. Would you really wanna take the chance of balling up such a beautiful car because the guy in front of you could stop faster than you can?

You don't sound like the sort of guy who wouldn't drive it when it's wet.

 

I like mine. The only time I really notice them is when I'm going over steel graiting like on a draw bridge. They wander around a bit on that. Maybe I got lucky but mine don't even bounce around at 70 mph down the highway.

 

i have a set of silvertowns and i dig them. i do agree with making sure the steering components are in good shape though. i drove a 48 olds for a little while that had silvertowns on it but, suspension was shitty and it sucked. at that time, i blamed the tires. after driving my truck, i know it wasn`t.

 

I think there's a big difference between 15 and 16 inch bias plies.
The 15's have a better balance quality I think,
as long as you spend a little money on a good brand.

I've got some 6.00x15 denmans I love on the front,
they don't have the look of the 16's but they drive bitchin
(on a hot rod though not custom)
I'll put 15's on the 40 though once I lower it a bit.

TP

 

I think it all boils down to, do you just want to look at your car. Or do you want to drive it. Bias plys look great and they don't drive THAT BAD. Radials don't look as good but they drive a hell of a lot better.

 

The Coker Classics are a polyester compound,,,kinda like the tire between the regular bias ply and the radial,,,

They ride well and handle much better than the skinny bias but still have the look of a bias ply tread that we all like. HRP

 

Go bias. You'll be glad you did.

 

Not to sound like a jerk-face HRLC, but if that was the case we would all be sitting in electrically-adjustable bucket seats with butt-heaters instead of big ol' tuck n roll bench seats... among a million other "upgrades" the car companies have been coming up with over the years (think electronic EVERYTHING!) I think a lotta people on here are happy to tinker with ancient technology like carbs, mechanical gauges, hand-crank window regulators, and bias-ply tires, etc. Otherwise we'd all be driving billion $$$ streetrodz (yeah, I used a "z" on purpose). Sorry Boyd (RIP).
-ns