Robert Smith Posted September 25, 2008 Report Posted September 25, 2008 Well, just ordered some Nanco bias ply tires... the right size and they're only runnin' $50 bucks a toss! A pal put some of them on his '39 Plymouth, says he likes them! They also look correct for the most part. Any body use these tires before? =R Quote
BobT-47P15 Posted September 25, 2008 Report Posted September 25, 2008 Never heard of 'em. The price sounds real right. If blackwall, you could get some of the wide whitewall rings (portawalls) to fix that. They just slip under the lip of the rim. Main thing is get em nice and flat. When I bought the 54 Plymouth last year, it had a set of "CountryPolitan" tires on it. I have no clue who made those either. Were bias play, narrow white stripe. I guess they wanted to give that "town and country" image. Quote
RHDSP15C Posted September 26, 2008 Report Posted September 26, 2008 I had a set on an old Valiant because they were cheap like the owner. I could never get them balanced and the car drove like hell. Bad rubber. Quote
old woolie Posted September 26, 2008 Report Posted September 26, 2008 About the only thing bias ply tires are good for is a swing for the grandkids. Unless you are looking for originality. As far as driving on them,they cannot begin to rival modern radials. Quote
Normspeed Posted September 26, 2008 Report Posted September 26, 2008 Well, I like the handling with radials myself. But with Robert we are talking about living the life...period correct! Go for it Robert! Actually bias plies are the stuff of automotive legend...legendary blowouts, legendary tar lines to hell, ... I recall a front wheel blowout on the Jersey Turnpike in a 40 Hudson that lifted my dad right out of his seat trying to get the derned thing straightened out and stopped. Quote
PatS.... Posted September 26, 2008 Report Posted September 26, 2008 Lots of Off brands are made in China...poorly For Nanco, check the DOT number on the tire for recalls...they seem to have put themselves out of business by the poor track record of their tires. http://keystonervs.forumco.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=670&whichpage=1 Quote
Robert Smith Posted September 26, 2008 Author Report Posted September 26, 2008 I was considering going to radials, however I couldn't find a radial to fit on the original 16" rims. Most tire stores said that they could put radials on 15" rims but, not 16". My friend down in San Diego has a '39 Ply Road King and has these Nanco bias plys... says they drive nice. I've never had any problems with bias ply, other then the slightly rougher ride compared to radials... I did have a bad inner tube once and that made the front left wheel go flat... in a parking lot. So, tossed on a spare and got home, bought a new tube and had it put on. Thanks guys for all the input, R= Quote
BobT-47P15 Posted September 26, 2008 Report Posted September 26, 2008 Rob, let us know when you get your new tires and how they do. Quote
De Soto Frank Posted September 28, 2008 Report Posted September 28, 2008 Robert, Since getting my first flat-head MoPar ( '48 New Yorker ) back in 1987, I've logged over 75,000 miles driving them on bias-ply tires; from dry-rotted 2nd/3rd-hand junk to new WWW's... Bias-plys still work; they don't have the handling qualities of modern radials, but if you don't push your vehicle beyond the limitations of it and the tires, you shouldn't have any problems. Coker Tire does sell a radial tire that is designed to fit on our old skinny 16-inch rims... l believe their 6.00 x 16" equivalent in radial is 600R16... Check them out here: http://store.coker.com/prod/600r16-coker-classic-3-whitewall.html Trouble is, they're not cheap; about $217 each, plus S&H. I spoke with a gentleman the other year who is running them on his '41 Buick convertible sedan, and he said they were great; he tours several thousand miles per year with the car. I can't say that I've ever heard of "Nanco" tires; Pat's suggestion about running a search on the Tire's DOT stamp may be good advice. What kind of driving does your friend with the '39 do compared to your driving ? If your driving involves much high-speed travel (over 40 mph), I 'd be a little concerned about driving on tires of questionable quality; at blow-out at-speed is not fun in any vehicle, much less a softly-sprung '40's MoPar. On my '41 De Soto, I've been running 6.50 x 16 bias-plys, Lester WWW's up-front ( worn front-end was eating tires, and Lesters were about the cheapest 6.50 tire), and Firestone 6.50 x 16 WWW bias on the rears. A number of guys who tour on bias made the observation that they had some consistent problems with Lesters going out of round and being difficult to keep balanced, and found Firestones or B.F. Goodrich to be a better-running bias-ply tire. The first new set of tires I had on the De Soto were Goodyear All-Weather diamond treads (factory-correct), which drove and handled decently, but were very noisy. I would not put them on a driver again for that reason. This summer I finally got my De Soto's front-end overhauled, so when the present Lesters up front wear-out, I will put some Firestones on there, to match the rears. I don't have the dough to try those Coker 600R tires... Well, that's a lot of hot-air from me... if your Nancos run good for you, then enjoy the ride ! De Soto Frank Quote
mackster Posted September 28, 2008 Report Posted September 28, 2008 The price is hard to pass, but like they say if it sounds too good to be true..... BTW whitewalls or blackwalls??????? Quote
De Soto Frank Posted September 28, 2008 Report Posted September 28, 2008 Okay, a little Googling has turned-up " Nanco" as a product of the Nankang Rubber Co., one of China's largest tire mfrs. I went to their US distributor's site ( Tireco.com ) and searched the Products section ... the only 16" bias ply tires I could find were listed as "light-truck tires"... they do offer both 6.00x16 & 6.50x16 bias-ply highway treads, but these appear to be 6-ply tires, which could ride a bit stiff on a passenger car. (Passenger car bias tires were / are usually 4-ply) Let us know what size/model tire you wind-up with Robert, and how they perform for you. Quote
greg g Posted September 28, 2008 Report Posted September 28, 2008 Check out KONA tires, some folks are using them to good result in 16 inch sizes on their Studebaker trucks. http://www.american-omni.com/brand/brand_results.php?colname=22 Quote
Don Coatney Posted September 28, 2008 Report Posted September 28, 2008 My uncle William Curtis Coatney wrote this letter to my dad around 1940. My dad was in the process of moving from Indianapolis, Indiana to Bloomington, Indiana a distance of about 50 miles. Interesting notation about the tires of the day. Quote
Powerhouse Posted September 30, 2008 Report Posted September 30, 2008 howdy all... CHEAPO TIRES PLEASE! I see my ol' pal Rob has been talkin tires. Well, I've been runnin on nanco 650x16 blackwalls for a few months so far and they are great. I don't do much highway and rarely over 55 on the back roads here. They handle just fine. CHEAP and not the best looking...but they look period correct for bias blacks. well, that is with the exception of made in china on the sidewalls...but i ground that off.... Quote
Powerhouse Posted March 11, 2009 Report Posted March 11, 2009 OK...so, I've had my tires for about 6 months now...daily driving....up hills and whatnot, but not much freeway experience. After driving on the freeways for about 2 hours (North County San Diego to San Pedro) the other day, I noticed my front tires were worn on the center two treads. I think they might have been a bit over inflated...but still they shouldn't have worn down so quickly. CHEAP tires...is exactly what they are...so I'm not totally surprised. Also going to the same event in San Pedro was Rob Smith...he had the same problem with front tire treads wearing down. I think they are just too soft. SO, now with my inspection coming up at this month's end (so my car can be a Californian)..I have to get 2 new tires! I don't have the doe to throw around as I used to...but I'm not buying those softy NANCRAP tires again! The rears seem fine though? I plan on getting a couple tornell 650x16 highway tires for the front. There about $90 a piece...Tubes are around $12 each...shipping at $15 a piece...and then there's the mounting(free at my shop)...and the balancing??? somewhere else( we don't have to balance our tires here) Quote
radioguy7 Posted March 11, 2009 Report Posted March 11, 2009 Well, all I can say about Bias ply tires is....until you have caught a tar line in the road and it tries to pull you off the road to certain death. You will not appreceate modern radials. Do yourself a favor and go with radials, much safer and a much better ride!! Quote
BobT-47P15 Posted March 11, 2009 Report Posted March 11, 2009 There should be some "cheap" radials out there......usually those with the lowest treadwear rating. I have used regular everyday radials on the skinny rims.....with no problems. I did put tubes (radial) in them while I ran them. Or, you might check various tire stores for good used tires taken as trade-ins. No more than we tend to drive these old cars, a good used tire will last for a while. Quite a few late model cars use 16 inch tires nowadays.... Quote
tjustice Posted March 11, 2009 Report Posted March 11, 2009 I put, Good Year Wranglers, 235 75/R 15 black wall out on my '41 ply. Style wise they look like originals and while I haven't driven the car much, yet, they seem to ride very well. I did pay about $110 a piece though. Quote
Powerhouse Posted March 11, 2009 Report Posted March 11, 2009 any tips on what size radials would be for 16 inch wheels??? Quote
steveplym Posted March 11, 2009 Report Posted March 11, 2009 i went to radials and do not regret it one bit. Had bias tires on both my Plymouth and Chevy truck for several years. Radials only for me for now on. I bought radial tires for about $75 each a few years ago. Now my P-15 has 15 in wheels, but I don't see why you couldn't get 16" tires. Quote
Powerhouse Posted March 12, 2009 Report Posted March 12, 2009 I just am wondering what size I would need for the 16 inch rims....I see alot of info for 15 inch rims...but no info for 16 inch. I wonder how the car would run with front radial and rear bias ply.... Quote
steveplym Posted March 12, 2009 Report Posted March 12, 2009 I ran front radial and rear bias for a few years. You shouldn't have any problems as long as you don't run bias/radial on the frt or rear. Just keep them seperated. Quote
Captain Neon Posted March 12, 2009 Report Posted March 12, 2009 I have 16" radial tyres on my P15. Unfortunately, the car is currently in Minnesota and I do not have direct access to the car. Switching out my old bias-ply tyres for radials was one of the best decisions I have ever made in regards to my P15. I just took my P15 to my local tyre dealer and after a little pleading and stubbornness, I got them to find a set of 16" tyres that were a close fit. I will do some digging and see if I might find a good replacement for the 6.00 x 16" bias ply in radial measurements. My tyres are actually light-duty truck tyres, but with more 16" rims on the market their might be some new options on the market nowadays. Quote
steveplym Posted March 12, 2009 Report Posted March 12, 2009 I found these on tirerack.com for about $82.00. I'm running 215/75R15, these are 215/75R16. You would probably need tubes as well. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Kumho&tireModel=Road+Venture+APT+KL51&partnum=175TR6KL51&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes&place=3 Quote
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