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

I think radials ruin a car no matter what car it is...you might as well put a tilt sterring colum on it as well...what happen to the danger that hot rods use to have. I agree with
allot that been said about all the other parts being dialed you should be good..but your merc is going to be so bad ass that it would be sad to see radials on it...I understand the
need to be comfertable and its your car and you have to be the one to drive it..
but my opinion I would say bias...

 

You'll need a SBC, billet wheels, velour interior, flip/flop paint and lots of other neat stuff to go along with those radials...

I got my license in '64 but waited until the 70's to drive because I wanted radial tires ...those bias plie were simply too dangerous.

 

I never understood subframing a car so it has tight power steering, better handling capabilities and disc brakes...then putting lame-o parking lot hero bias plys on it.

 

All the debate about this is kinda gettin old ...

Here is the skinny & down to the point ..

If yer Suspension Is good, Alignment is good, And the chassis tracks Straight ...YOU WILL HAVE NO PROBLEMS !!

If yer Chassis is a Fucked up mess, Suspension worn out, Bushings & tie rods loose, Or the Sub frame you & yer case of beer installed is crooked.....IT WILL RIDE LIKE SHIT !!

Now I am not talking about your Merc, Just talking in general..

99% of the people i have ever heard cry about Bias~Plays have been 1 of 2 types.

1) They dont make sure there suspension is tight & aligned.
2) They compare it to there daily driver BRAND NEW car.

I have run nothing but Bias~Plys on everything for the past 20 years,
'cept the new '55 Ford we just... & its cus it needs the front end rebuilt so once thats done & i get some Chrome Reverse Wheel Built, Ill switch it also.

 

I think you should get the bias ply . I know you will hate them and they will be very dangerous , so then you'll have to send them to me .

 

Unfortunately, when they were in style, the roads didn't have as many years of use on them. I had a set just a couple of years ago, and they wandered terribly. Sold them to a "period perfect" show guy and got radials. In my opinion...radials are much more suitable for todays roads. Just my .02!

 

If your suspension is perfect, bias plys will work fine. radials will still drive better.

 

It's in the year 2058 and the war rages on...............Tastes GREAT!...NO!...Less FILLING...NO!...Tastes GREAT!...NO!...Less FILLING!.........NO!...Radials SUCK....NO! Bias Plys SUCK!...NO!...Radials SUCK!...NO!...Bias Plys SUCK!.........NO!...You're FULL of SHIT!...NO!...You're FULL of SHIT!!.................!!!

 

RUN THE BIAS PLYS! they look so much better I run coker firestones upfront and radir m/t slicks on rear i cut rain grooves in them. I drive a least twice a week if not more only dif it does not corner as well as radials but its not a corvette !

 

I bought a nice, old set of 5 Goodyear Double Eagles [800-15 bias] for the 7 inch cop car wheels I had on my 49 ford coupe. Drove it 150 miles across I-80 from Omaha to DesMoines [crappy surface] to a goodguys event. I got down and kissed the ground when I got there! I was from one side of that interstate to the other and that was after I'd had the car in for final alignment.....twice, because I thought there was something wrong with the alignment the first time.
Swapped to radials when I got home and the car drove beautifully.
Flip side of the coin? I mounted up gum-dippers [bias ply] on my 33 ford pickup and it drove acceptably if not wonderfully.
To be fair.....the double eagles were so old and stiff, we had trouble mounting them on wheels....they were like thick gortex.
I'd mount up radials for my 34 ford coupe if they looked more like bias plies but they don't. I'll go with "gum dipped" again. The entire car is built along a 40s theme....radials just won't work on it.
If I had your merc [where the tires aren't as visible as a hiboy] I'd definetely go with Diamond backs or Coker radials. Let the traditionalists sneer while you actually drive your car.
Just my opinion.

 

Hey don't forget your Zippo Lighter. Even if you don't smoke.
It's cool to flip your polished Zippo when talking to the Guys an Girls.
Make sure thats it's full of genuine Zippo Lighter Fluid. Nothing feels finer than an Ol Zippo leaking fuel down your leg and over your Balls.
Stay Traditional no matter the cost.

 

One more...

while I love, respect, and have roots in tradition, is it so fuckin wrong to use advantages we have today? Some of you seem like you'll only torch weld on the dirt garage floor cuz that's how it's done. I mean really, WTF? If you put bias on to be "period correct" the radial guys pontificate how "I drive mine..." and the bias guys scoff at no soul for tradition to the radials. Get a fuckin grip already. I restore for a living. Either show or go has always been the way in all forms of car practice. Some of the pre to post wartime cars we do have radials since they're used as tour cars. The restored cars stay true to their beginnings. Some drive on both at different times. Some have no choice but bias. Some of my work is also mig welded, plastic filled, and urethane painted. No soul, right? Maybe if lacquer dried out nice and durable like it used to I'd use it. Maybe if the sun wasn't so damaging and we didn't give a rats ass about how long our work lasts I'd do all old style shit that can't take it. Then I guess I have "patina" right? Fuck it anyways. The bubbletop's gettin radials, the truck's gettin bias. Anybody that doesn't like it needs to remember 1 thing...I didn't build it for you, and we're here in the same venue so, hey man, what's up? Nice ride.

 

Can I get am AMEN!?

 

Radials are just plain ugly.

 

i just put 4000+ miles on my firestones (round up / viva ) wouldnt have it any other way !




personaly I dont think bias are as bad as every one claims and the ones that do prob never even ran bias.
i followed a car with ridials all the way to texas and i noticed he had the SAME problems with the road I did.botom line is radials arnt going to make a fucked up road flat if a lane is ruted change lanes or move to the side of the ruts of the 4000 miles i drove ONE time the road shifted me to the side real hard a so did it to the car a head of me and he had raidials .

the look is most definatly worth the sacrafise and it aint what every one claims!

how many of the complainers even drive there cars i see a whole lot of trailers after the shows i go to if you want comfort buy a new caddy i never new hotroding was saposeto be comfortabull?

 

I think it's hard to predict how it will handle. My sport coupe was a handful with bias plys especially on the truck routes with their ruts. I switched to radials and it was night and day.

When I did the roadster I was just going to have to live with it but I was pleasantly surprised. It drives fine. The front tires are actually old stock Firestones found on Ebay. They came spiral paper wrapped! I'm sure all the sky is falling guys are shuddering about that but they have been great.

The hard part is investing all that cash on a maybe.

 

Just buy a new car and get it over with.

 

I have Coker Classics on my 40, and i drive the hell out of it. I do watch myself in corners and drop the speed accordingly but again a 40 is no Canyon racer. I have absolutly no tire shake or anything like that and cruise comfortably on the highway at 70 -75. This is with 5.60 15 in the front. very little contact patch. You will be running quite more tire on the Merc Im sure and that will help out too.

 

Im with Gambino, radial tires will not make a fucked up road flat!. I drive the shit outta my cars and they all have bias, always have, always will. Some people just flat out cant drive or drive there "daily" car to way too much! What it comes down to is this, who the fuck cares! If you put radials on, some of us will think your a puss, if you put bias on, some will think your stupid. I have personally driven through biblical rainstorms, damn near hurricane winds, sweltering heat and snow, all with bias and I know quite a few who have also. In those instances, it wasnt the tires we shouldnt have been driving on, we probably shouldnt have been driving anything at all on those days. So, go for what you know, its your car, do what ever you damn well please!

 

Man..this thread got pretty heated..

The Merc is gettin bias plys, no question. I was just looking for an idea as what to expect driving them daily.

My current daily driver is a blown Pontiac powered Model A with no fucking windows, so I think I can handle the Merc even with bias plys.

Thanks guys, -Abone.

 

SUCK is a relative term. BUT, they suck enough to where I'd never put them on a fendered car. On an open wheeled, traditional car, I'd bite the bullet, and run Bias. On anything else? They suck. "IF" you have to have Bias, get ONLY Firestones

 

Say what you want, but I've driven legally since 1964 and I don't remember ever having to true new tires as a matter of course, and that even includes the ones I had recapped.

Aside from the lousy mileage (tire, and fuel) of bias plies, I don't remember anything particularly bad about running them (I can honestly say when your gas taxes were actually repairing roads and not social engineering, the roads seemed to stay in much better shape, though). They may have not handled as well as radials, but they certainly weren't "scary". That said, when belted bias became readily available, I used them. The same could be said for radials (except for Michelin with their Xs, I never tried them before radials became common, I don't remember why. I swear by Michelin tires now, about the only thing the frogs make I'll buy).

Sounds like the currently available "modern" (and high priced) bias plies have some very real quality control issues, reason enough to run better tires.

 

I run the coker classics on my merc and with it dropped 4" or so it handles just fine, plus the look of the 3 7/8" WW can't be beat. I'd so go for it. I just got back from a thousand mile trip and no issues.

 

I love my bias plys...99% of the time they're super, but mine DO sorta suck in heavy rain... not so much because they're bias ply, but because they don't really have any side siping in the tread to let the water escape... likes to hydroplane pretty quick... I'd never put radials back on, but i DO drive ultra cautiously when the roads are wet.

 

6" wide old ass firestones sat under my truck the whole time i had it.
drove daily to school.
drove it wherever.
started, stopped hard.
locked them up more then i should.
drove it in the winter, 5" of snow.
(but if your running stock 49' F-1 brakes, you are gonna slide through a light)

Yeah, i think you'll be good.

 

Wow! I never seen or heard of anyone who cared. If it snows...throw some truck tires on the rear, or chains. That's just weird to me. Sorry. I ment no harm. It just made me laugh a bit. Run the damn things. It ain't a drag car. They slip a little more when it rains, and they smoke like crazy on a burn out. Just run 'em

 

I've got a set of Bedford's. May put them on for the Pile Up! Anyone run this brand of tar?

 

I bought radials from Diamondback for my Fleetline. Nice tires, I plan on driving the Fleetline a lot though.

 

Thank God. Radials would ruin that car. really. Just this past weekend, I was looking through some picture threads and pondering how many cars, and even open fender cars, have radials. They look like shit...plain and simple.

Glad you're sticking with the bias. Your car will thank you.

 

I run Firestones on the 32 Roadster mostly for looks. It rides better ofter new kingpins and needle bearing spindles and rebuilding the drag link.

BUT.......on my other cars, there is a company in SC, near Myrtle Beach called DiamondBack. They make an excellent radial and I use them on my 50 and 49 Willys Jeepsters. Have run them for 5 years with no apparent wear and the ride is "Boulevard". The style of the new ones is almost bias looking.

They are also a small company so when you call or go you get to talk with owner or family.

Give them a look, they are in your neighborhood.

Nice ride..