Guest garydcle Posted November 6, 2007 Report Share Posted November 6, 2007 I have been away from the forum for some time. I remember a lot of discussion on tires and at the time I didn't have a real need to know. Now I have a 50 Chrysler Windsor that I want to tire. I don't care to drive it over 60 and driving will be on occasion. I would like some pros and cons from someone that has been there. Which, ? bias or radial would be the way to go??? Thank you for any guidance Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted November 6, 2007 Report Share Posted November 6, 2007 that is a call you will have to make based on what you want the car to look like and how you intend to drive it... For one the radial will be lot smoother though may add some weight feel to the steering wheel due to to their profile..handling and ride will be great..the looks will be of the lower profile. bias will be back to norm in ride, steering and profile height..and as thus will keep that vintage look...cost...both are going to set you back a bit and the WWW's if you chose them are even a tad more.. Then you have those that believe that the vintage wheels may be a problem with the newer radials due to them more narrow and some even have enlongaged (oval) valve stem holes...armed with this and other input you will receive..you can make the call a bit more informed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueskies Posted November 6, 2007 Report Share Posted November 6, 2007 I had a set of Coker Classic WWW on my '50 Plymouth for the first 10,000 or so miles since I put the car back on the road. I loved the look of the tires on the car. When I was getting the car ready for the long haul to Tulsa in June, I rebuilt parts of the front suspension, replacing the tie rod ends, excentric camber bushings, etc., because it had a dart and wander that I didn't want to deal with for 3000 miles. I then took the car in to the alignment shop, and had them re-set everything to factory spec. The car drove as bad or worse than before replacing all the parts. I took it back, and they checked it all again, made some intuitive adjustments, and I drove the car again. No better. After the third time, they gave up and suggested I try some radials. I didn't want to go with the radials, because they didn't have a tire available in a short time frame with a big whitewall, and I didn't really like the tire that they had in stock. It was either bag the trip to Tulsa, or buy the tires, so I decided the tires were part of the cost of the trip, and had them put on. I drove the car home from the shop the night we were suppose to leave for Tulsa. On the way home, I ran the car up the highway, not expecting it to drive any better, and had already resigned myself to cancelling the trip. To my surprise, the car was smooth, noticably more quiet, the dart and wander were all but gone, it felt safer at speed, cornered better, stopped better, and all of the tire vibrations that I had before were gone. I pulled the car into the driveway, threw the bags into the trunk, and we were off on our cross country epic adventure. I have about 4000 miles on the radials now, and I won't go back to bias ply tires unless I plan to stop driving the car except for parades. When I wear these tires out, I will buy a set of radials that have the big white walls to get the look back as much as possible. But in the mean time, I very pleased with the change. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norm's Coupe Posted November 6, 2007 Report Share Posted November 6, 2007 Gary, As Pete mentioned. When it comes to handling there is a world of difference between Radial and Bias tires. I was rebuilding a nice 70 Chevy Impala in the early 90's. The tires that were on the car when I got it were good, but still the old bias tires. However, every little groove in the road would make the wheels dart. Everyone one kept telling me it needed new shocks, tie rods, etc., etc. Finally I put on a cheap set of new radial tires. Instantly, I could drive that car down the freeway, or any other road with one finger on the wheel. Those tires solved all the problems. My P15 coupe has new Coker bias wide white tubeless tires and it runs pretty straight, unless I get on a real uneven road. I am thinking about picking up another set of wheels to put radials on though. Car would be a lot easier to steer and give a better ride I think. As Tim mentioned though. Bottom line is what you like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Belvedere Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 I guess its a question of style over function. No doubt, radials do handle better but they don't have the period correct coolness of the bias. Radials tend to squat where they meet the road and they don't have that beautiful pie crust edge on them. Frankly, when I bought my car it has the bias and when I drove it for the first time, I was surprised that they were not as bad as I had read and heard that they were. If you have old worn out poor quality bias ply maybe they behave badly, but the only thing I don't really like is the way they tend to wander a bit at highway speed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Maxwell Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 Love my new WWW radials and wouldn't dream of going back to bias. Also, you can get WWW radials now that mimic the look of bias pretty well. Less "sag" and similar tread appearance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveplym Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 I will always prefer the radial tires. Ran Grandpa's P-15 for years with WWW Sears bias tires. Car always drove terrible. Would dart to one side then another. Changed to radials about 6 years ago. Car drives better now than it ever did. Should have changed to radials years ago. If you're gonna drive it much radials are a must. If it is a trailer queen or only driven short distances like parades and such the bias wide whites would be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny S Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 I went from bias to radials on my P18 and couldn't believe the difference. Quiet...almost as quiet at 40 mph as my Suburban. And any degree of wander was gone. All my Mopars will run radials ......... probably until Hades freezes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rockabillybassman Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 So what is the equivalent radial to a 6.70x15 'Stone with 3 1/4" whitewall? What about vertical profile? Our old Mopars need every bit they can get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
55 Fargo Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 P205 75 15 is 27.1 inches in diameter, this is very close to the 6.70 15 tire, which is 27.3 or you could go with a p215 75 15 which is 27.7 inches in diameter. The P205 75 15 tire is considered the radial equivalent for the 6.70 15 bias size tire...........Fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Maxwell Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 ...when you're running radials. The shop installing them might tell you that you do, but you don't. Mopar used beaded rims before Ford and Chevy. I installed mine without tubes and have put 1,000 miles with hard turns, long drives on hot days, cold days, hard braking etc and have had no problems and no leaks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Ed Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 I'll second that part Dave. I've got about 8K miles between the 16" radials on my pickup and the 15s on my coupe. Neither have tubes and no problems with either so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
47heaven Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 I was curious to know if today's bias ply WWW's are prone to have blowouts as much as they did back in the 40's and 50's. I have the bias ply WWW's and I wonder if they are made with better quality and are stronger than before. I've been hitting the freeway sometimes at 70 mph and I cringe to think about a front tire blowout and if it will be controllable or will I flip over? Also, my tires tend to catch the grooves on the freeway and pull the car, which gives a scary feeling. I try to stay away from the grooves as much as possible. If they are too common, I'll get on the surface streets or the older highways. The new radial that David says look almost like the original bias ply sound attractive. The only thing is that I paid a lot of money for these tires and I'd like to get some use out of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norm's Coupe Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 Darin, as far a blow outs go, I don't think it makes any difference between a bias tire or radial tire. I put many miles on cars prior to the introduction of radial tires, just like a lot of others have. I never had a blow out with a tubeless or tube type bias tire, and only one flat tire that I can remember. The flat was caused by a nail. The only people who had blow outs were the same people who have blow outs today. Either they were running with worn out tires, dry rotted tires or improper inflation. All three of these conditions can also cause a blow out on a radial tire as well as with a bias tire. When I first went on the road selling in 68 there were no radial tires. Put lots of highway miles on company cars with bias tires at 60 to 70 MPH highway speeds between the late 60's and the 70's pre radial. Also in 1966 when I was stationed in France I took my 65 Dodge over with me, and it had bias tires. In France there was no speed limit on the freeway that I took to work every day. If you only drove 70 MPH on that freeway you'd get run over by the French drivers. They would pass me like I was sitting still when I was doing 90 MPH. So......I would not be afraid to drive 70 MPH on a bias tire. As an added note. As a kid barely able to keep gas in the car and the car running, I even drove around on tires showing the cords and small eggs on them. Still never had a blow out. Just made sure I didn't run over any sharp objects. I knew lots of guys back then that did the same thing. Even so, I wouldn't recommend anyone doing that today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobT-47P15 Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 I currently have 6.70x15 bias ply wide whites....and they do about what the others say....dart some due to grooves in the roadway, etc. I feel the looseness in the steering......the steering box has some play and none of the front end components have been replaced. One time a few years ago, I ran some used 2.05x15 radials and did not feel the front end play....could drive it 70 mph and feel comfortable. The only thing was that those tires made the car sit about an inch or so lower than the bias tires. If buying new radials today, I would get 2.15s instead of 2.05s. I used tubes in mine because they are mounted on those 1955 model wire wheels which might leak air. So to avoid the problem, the tubes have proved good. Radials make the steering wheel a bit harder to turn when going very slowly, or maneuvering into a parking place or some similar activity. You need to make sure your rims are clean and smooth where the tires seal against them. I just put some used radials on stock Plymouth 15" rims that were rusty.....and they all leaked around the bead. So they now have tubes. Stems to fit oval holes can usually be found at truck places. Just my observations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
builtfercomfort Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 I found a place that sells what seem to be good-looking 16" wide white wall radials in narrow tire sizes- I have my eye on them for my 39 Chrysler. They also sell 15" and other sizes. http://widewhitewalltires.com/diamondback16inchradials.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest garydcle Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 Thanks Guys that is what I wanted to know. Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueskies Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 By the way, I still have my Coker Classic WWW, and want to give them to a new home. If anyone wants them, they are yours for the cost of shipping... Send me a PM if you are interested. Tread is still like new, they have about 10,000 miles on them with very little wear. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueskies Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 Send me a PM if you are interested.Pete I have three takers for the tires, depending on shipping costs, in order of PM's sent- 1st- Ed (dodgepu1946) 2nd- Richard (Mr Belvedere) 3rd- Keith (mikk506wa) The tires are Coker Classic G78's. If Ed decided he doesn't want them, Richard is next in line... I'll part with the tires for free + cost of shipping, but think it would be great if the taker of the tires donates a nice contribution to the forum. The continuted operation of the forum is more important to me than the tires... Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Ed Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 I agree Pete. I will certainly donate if I take them. I am due either way to make a donation. If you need it I will donate a fan motor to your 50 as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 Most generous offer of Pete and is only fair to contribute..this site works like a well oiled machine... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Normspeed Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 Speaking of contributions, maybe my cookies are corrupted or something, but when I go to the contribution info, it shows nothing contributed since March 2007. I think I sent a few meager bucks after that. Do you folks see the same date? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Ed Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 Mine shows the same. And it shows I was right and am way overdue for a donation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 to be honest with you..there should be two donations after my last one shown posted...for some reason this page has not been updated... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Ed Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 I just sent GTK a PM about how to go about an auction with funds raised going to the forum. I've got my old spot light and a 1941 plymouth owners manual that could both go on the block. I know we used to do the auctions on the old site and they went over well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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