Early Ford V-8 Club Forum

EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Tires - Bias ply vs radial ply

Reply to Discussion | New Discussion << previous || next >>

Posted By Discussion Topic: Tires - Bias ply vs radial ply -- page: 1 2     TomO 03-01-2016 @ 8:16 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7256 Joined: Oct 2009 The radial tire has more tire on the road than a bias ply tire and you will have more scrubbing action. I like to set bias ply tires toe-in to 1/16" and radials at 0" to 1/32" toe in. Tom len47merc 03-01-2016 @ 5:17 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1165 Joined: Oct 2013 Bias plys initially wandered quite a bit for me on grooved pavement (for rain run-off, particularly concrete) in particular; however, after bringing the front-end and overall suspension back to as-new condition (per TomO's comments) I found this was much improved and wandering was little more than my modern cars on radials on the same piece of highway. Yes, modern radials will ride, handle and corner better/somewhat like modern cars, and likely last much longer depending on your selection. Really in the end comes down to personal preference for aesthetics and what you expect to feel and sense out of your 60+ year old treasure. I drive mine at the speeds and with the cornering it was originally designed and built for and find the bias plys a hoot. Again personal preference - I prefer the look too, as radials, including though to a lesser extent the radial bias ply imitations, give our cars a bit more of a hot rod/modified versus classic/original look. Steve oldasi 03-01-2016 @ 3:45 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 85 Joined: Feb 2010 TomO Once I put the radials on all wondering stopped, the hwy that it really wondered on was reported at one time being the busiest hwy for trucks in all of Canada murphy 1941 02-29-2016 @ 8:44 PM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 191 Joined: Nov 2013 Tom,may I ask why the toe in changes when changing from bis? And what would be the degree change? Because I am thinking of getting rid of my bis tires. Thank you, john (1941) super deluxe Early Super Deluxe 41 Coupe TomO 02-23-2016 @ 6:57 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7256 Joined: Oct 2009 You say that your car wanders a lot, so I would recommend that you check the front end for worn parts and make any repairs before you buy new tires. If you buy radials have the toe-in set for radials. Tom oldasi 02-23-2016 @ 4:03 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 85 Joined: Feb 2010 When I first started driving my '46 it had Bias ties and if the hwy was rutted with worn paths from heavy traffic it would almost change lanes, put on a used set of Radials on Merc rims (rims weren't different, just fit) and drove/rode perfectly, will never use Bias again TNation 02-22-2016 @ 5:19 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 22 Joined: Dec 2010 Thanks to all for the information. My '36 tudor wanders a lot when there are seams in the road and the tires are really, really old. I think I will go with the radials. Thanks again for responding. TomO 02-22-2016 @ 4:42 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7256 Joined: Oct 2009 The previous comments explained the benefits of radial tires. Radial tires have a shorter safe life (about 7 years) than bias ply tires (about 10 years). Radial tires cost more than bias ply tires. It is your car and money, so you have to make the choice. Whichever choice you make, I am sure that you will enjoy driving your car. Tom 1934 Ford 02-22-2016 @ 4:38 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 573 Joined: Oct 2009 Rule of thumb: Radials ride better, Bias ply last longer but the bias ply are correct if that matters to you. Both are unrealistically expensive in white walls. 1934 Ford's since 1972 42guy 02-22-2016 @ 3:42 PM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 108 Joined: Oct 2009 I have used Diamondback radials for over 10 years and they make the ride and handling great

<< previous || next >>

PAGE: 1 2

NOTE: YOU MUST BE A REGISTERED USER AND BE LOGGED IN TO POST (and reply to) messages in this forum. If you are a first time user, please click the CREATE A NEW ACCOUNT in the masthead above to register and Log In. After that, all you do is LOG IN to enjoy using this site.

DISCLAIMER: The V-8 Club does no independent testing of any of the opinions, thoughts or suggestions presented in the website on the Forum, in the Tech Tips section, or any section. A reader should consider the website to be a forum wherein differing solutions to a particular set of circumstances may be discussed. Ultimately, the selection of an item for an individual's vehicle must be based upon the independent study of the vehicle owner in consultation with people in the hobby and restoration experts.

EFV-8 Club Forum Home | Back to Home Page | Contact the Webmaster

Copyright © 2009 - EFV-8.org
Powered by < CF FORUM > v.2.1