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Radial vs Bias Tires??

Doubleclutch

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I have a 73 Road Runner (just acquired) with aged bias tires. They are dry-rotted and on wet pavement its like ice skating. Its a very original survivor car. New Bias will give better ride and New Radials better safety. I'm leaning toward a set of Radial T/A Goodyears. Low speed driving only 60-70 tops. Thoughts or comments on practical experiance welcome.

Chuck
 
Radial tires have significant performance advantages over bias tires. Radial tires result in lower fuel consumption and have longer tread life. They have a larger contact patch or footprint on the road, providing better traction and handling. Radial tires cost more than comparable bias-ply tires, but the extended tire life and fuel savings makes using radials the more cost-effective choice.

I run Cooper Cobras, I've been very pleased with them.
 
First off, stop driving on really old bias ply tires. They are extremely dangerous and are prone to fail at the worst possible times. They are a danger to you and everyone else on the road.
New bias ply tires would be better, but unless you are trying to make your car a perfect 100 point car for really serious national shows, a new set of top brand radials is the only way to go. Places like Coker Tire sell radial replacement tires that have the look of the original stock bias ply tires if that's what you are looking for. I run B F Goodrich T/A's on a couple of my cars and I love 'em. Some guys prefer other brands, but don't skimp on tire quality. To me, tires are the most important piece of safety equipment on a car.
 
Radials give a better ride and better safety than bias plys. They actually do everything better with the possible exception of brutal straight line hooking up and radials are not really far behind.

Radials hold the road better, because their construction allows them to keep the contact patch of tread on the road throughout a much wider range than that of bias ply tires. It's a no brainer really.
 
Bias for trailer Queens only. I use Cooper Cobras.
 
Ditto on not using ANY old rotten tire! I have used and currently use Cooper Cobras and BFG T/A's. No complaints.
 
im looking into getting Coopers for the GTX, (cuz i have bias plys on it now--dont ask lol), but i have heard that they suck in the rain. any truth to this, fellers?
 
im looking into getting Coopers for the GTX, (cuz i have bias plys on it now--dont ask lol), but i have heard that they suck in the rain. any truth to this, fellers?
I've used Coopers on several of my cars/SUV's over the past few years, I'd highly recommend them. And, as stated before, bias-ply are only good for museum or track cars.
 
GET RID OF THE BIAS PLYS....I prefer the BFG Radial TA's over Cooper Cobras, I tried the Coopers on my old Dakota R/T, they didn't last very long or wear very well, but that's just my personal experiences/preferences, not any scientific study or good examples, the same size BFG TA's seemed like the had better braking, lasted a bit longer & seemed to handle slightly better... Unfortunately BFG doesn't make the Radial TA's in P295/50/15 sizes any longer & IMHFO the P275/60/15's aren't wide enough for my taste, on the rear of my RR or any late 60's B-Body {I have a like new pair of the P275/60/15 BFG's sitting in my shed}, I like the wider tire & stance much better... they also make a decent Comp TA's for superior handling too, good for dry conditions, but they don't last too long regular driving, better compounds, but maybe 1/3rd-1/2 the life of Regular BFG Radial TA's, I had them on my 1994 25th Annv. SLP Trans Am, they were hand down "way better", than the original Good Years GT's that came on the car... I may end up swapping to different size/diameter & brand/style of rims & tires, when my current tires are worn out on my 68 RR... There is allot of great tire technology out there today, unfortunately the 15" tires selection & available sizes, I don't like anything bigger than a 17" rim diameter & the 15"ers will be a thing of the past, pretty soon I fear... When I find something that works well, I stick with it, I've had BFG Radial TA's since the mid seventies, on most all my street cars, I've never had any issues, it's kind of Brand Loyalty I guess or maybe me being stubborn as hell & not willing to except change in my life...LOL... When I go to the track, I either use BFG G-Force T/A Drag Radials 325/50/R15 or some older M/T Drag Radials that can be street driven too, but won't last very long, but they do handle/corner slightly better than the BFG G-Force Drag Radials thou....
 
225/70 14's on the front. 295/50 15's on the rear. Coopers. Got caught in the rain on the freeway. No problem. Safe tire for the street. Likes triple digits when dry. Track straight and smooth.
 
im looking into getting Coopers for the GTX, (cuz i have bias plys on it now--dont ask lol), but i have heard that they suck in the rain. any truth to this, fellers?
I've had both Cooper Cobras and BFG T/As on various cars up here in the Seattle area, so as you can imagine I've been caught driving in heavy rain a time or two. They aren't horrible in the rain, but they aren't really designed to be a rain tire, so they won't be as good on wet pavement as an all season tire. You just have to be a little more careful.
 
Coopers are sold as all-season. A friend lives in Seattle, says it hardly ever rains.
 
Probably a lot of folks today who never even rode in a car with bias plys! Got to say I kinda miss driving down road and having the bias ply grab a seam in the pavement and whip the car over a few feet just for the heck of it. (right...) Makes you respect the dudes who were street racing in the 60s and 70s with those things.
 
Probably a lot of folks today who never even rode in a car with bias plys! Got to say I kinda miss driving down road and having the bias ply grab a seam in the pavement and whip the car over a few feet just for the heck of it. (right...) Makes you respect the dudes who were street racing in the 60s and 70s with those things.

I remember the days!!
 
Probably a lot of folks today who never even rode in a car with bias plys! Got to say I kinda miss driving down road and having the bias ply grab a seam in the pavement and whip the car over a few feet just for the heck of it. (right...) Makes you respect the dudes who were street racing in the 60s and 70s with those things.
Thank you. Although at the time, we never gave it a thought... just put G70's in front & fat Mickey Thompsons in back, and let 'er rip !
 
Thank you. Although at the time, we never gave it a thought... just put G70's in front & fat Mickey Thompsons in back, and let 'er rip !

yeah it was what it was, back then, you do what you have to at the time, my first few cars had nothing but Bias Ply Tires, when I started making decent cash I stepped up to Radials & haven't ever looked back...
 
According to my new friend, an old Chrysler mechanic and engineer from back in the day, certain cars were designed to ride on bias ply tires and by putting radials on causes a few issues in itself. if your suspension is all stock. I personally would do not like the bias ply but if you have manual steering supposedly it's the way to go. I run M/T sportsman great look, grip and sound awesome during burn outs ;)
 
Probably a lot of folks today who never even rode in a car with bias plys! Got to say I kinda miss driving down road and having the bias ply grab a seam in the pavement and whip the car over a few feet just for the heck of it. (right...) Makes you respect the dudes who were street racing in the 60s and 70s with those things.

What I remember about nylon bias ply tires is that they would develop a flat spot if you left the car outside on a really cold night. They would smooth out after they were driven a few miles and the tires warmed up. I remember my older brother driving us to school in the winter in his old Ford and it was a little rough until the tires heated up a little. Only you old timers out there will remember riding on those old thumpers.
 
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