The Forgotten World Of Bias Ply

[fratzog lover]

I miss the squealing the bias ply tires would bark out. Especially hitting 2nd


My favorite bark of all time. :03 to :07

 

[Weggie]

I found an interesting article, written this past summer, about the history of Bias Ply tires and their longevity.

I’m only planning to drive about 500 or so miles per year. With the car sitting for a week to two weeks between drives. So I’m thinking maybe good quality Polyglas Bias Ply tires from Kelsey Tires might be a good choice for my car.. I have a Borgeson power steering system, so perhaps the Bias Ply “wandering” may be manageable when I’m sitting behind the wheel.

I’ve never owned a car that had Bias Ply tires before. So, if I get them it will be a new experience.

https://benklesc.medium.com/they-do...-the-forgotten-world-of-bias-ply-742c43672daa

 

[Nevada dan]

I like how the dents disappear and reappear and the left front hubcap gets put back on ,I still don't think a one legged mustang can catch a charger

 

[MoparDanMan]

The last car I bought that came with Polyglas GT's was my 1977 Road Runner. When they wore out I went with radials and have never looked back. Winters in Wisconsin were interesting, in the morning the tires would have a frozen flat spot that caused a thump, thump, thump until the tires warmed up. I miss those days.

 

[Danny Tuel]

I found an interesting article, written this past summer, about the history of Bias Ply tires and their longevity.

I’m only planning to drive about 500 or so miles per year. With the car sitting for a week to two weeks between drives. So I’m thinking maybe good quality Polyglas Bias Ply tires from Kelsey Tires might be a good choice for my car.. I have a Borgeson power steering system, so perhaps the Bias Ply “wandering” may be manageable when I’m sitting behind the wheel.

I’ve never owned a car that had Bias Ply tires before. So, if I get them it will be a new experience.

https://benklesc.medium.com/they-do...-the-forgotten-world-of-bias-ply-742c43672daa

Some guys that are into antique cars from the 50's and earlier like them but I can almost guarantee that You will not like them on any type of Muscle Car. To me unless it was a Resto Show car it would be a total waste of money. but it's your car so ?????

 

[Danny Tuel]

I ran g60 14's on the front and L60 15's on the rear on my Super Bee, drove them in rain and 6 inch's of snow never bought new just grabbed the used one's from behind the gas station wear them down to the cords and go get another set they didn't wonder and fallow ruts that's just your worn out steering box and drag link they are firmer than radials never had any come apart I cornered hard with them and smoked them down to the third layer of cord I ran 25lbs in the front and 18 rear and the fastest I ever got was 135 on the speedo running 323 gears don't know what that really was because of the larger tire but it was floating LOL , I run radials on my daily drivers mostly because it's such a hassle not to but all my trailers and my roadrunner have bias

Don't know that I would want to take the advice of a guy who would run 135 mph on the third layer of cord on a tire and yes they do wander you were just to busy with other things to notice it at 135

 

[stillrunners]

Never in my life have I ever had so many tires with belt separation and blow outs until the steel belted radial came along. Now when you could get radials without the freakin steel in them, I liked them. Used to run bias ply on the rear and radials on the front just to get away from the bias ply pull but soooooo many people said that wasn't safe. Well, the majority of the ones saying that crap didn't know how to drive! Now if your tires are over 5 years old the big box tire stores don't want to touch them. Also, never did see all that many big rig tire treads all over the damn place 50 years ago like I do now and usually it was recaps was the problem but now it's non recap radial truck tires doing it....and don't dare jack knife a loaded trailer with radials on it.....

Agree - bought my first - Firestone 500's andput them on my car in 1977 - blow out city. Went back to buying those Goodyear PolyGlass - best wearing tire we had - pretty much why they got discontinued - ALSO - those white letters were the best !!

 

[YY1]

Firestone 500's were known to be defective and were recalled.

As a child, I was riding in my mom's 1971 lesabre when a rear one blew out at 55 MPH.

The belts wrapped around the axle.

Looking back I can only imagine what might have happened if it had been the front.

We found a service station (relatively far from home, but mom had AAA) and they replaced the one tire only, with a new "721" under warranty.

Mom had to jump through hoops to get the other tires replaced. She was not a happy camper.
But eventually they were.

 

[Cranky]

Firestone 500's were known to be defective and were recalled.

As a child, I was riding in my mom's 1971 lesabre when a rear one blew out at 55 MPH.

The belts wrapped around the axle.

Looking back I can only imagine what might have happened if it had been the front.

We found a service station (relatively far from home, but mom had AAA) and they replaced the one tire only, with a new "721" under warranty.

Mom had to jump through hoops to get the other tires replaced. She was not a happy camper.
But eventually they were.

My BIL had a set of Micky's on his 98 Jeep that were 10+ years old and running to El Paso where the speed limit is 80 out in west Texas. I told him twice he needed to get new tires on it if he was going to keep running those speeds. I posted here about him running those speeds in that dang SWB bastid. No way I'd be driving it that fast even with new tires! Anyways, he didn't listen and a right rear shed the belt and it wrapped around the axle and that locked the E-brake and he crossed in front of an 18 wheeler he was passing in trying to get to the right shoulder. He said the driver of the 18 wheeler was hard on the brakes AND the horn as he managed to dodge him. He never was a very 'bright driver' and never have liked riding with him. I lost a 20 year old Micky on my trailer hauling a 3300 lb car but was running 55. There wasn't much tire left by the time I got the rig pulled over lol. That's a rare occasion for me to do something like that but at least I was aware of what might happen and took it easy on speed....and now my BIL is aware of what can happen!

 

[Nevada dan]

Don't know that I would want to take the advice of a guy who would run 135 mph on the third layer of cord on a tire and yes they do wander you were just to busy with other things to notice it at 135

I'm not giving advise the just sharing experience I thought he was asking about longevity not all of us had enough money to change our tires when they got a little discolored, back then radial were expensive and down right dangerous especially if you like heating them up burning out you see tires and steel have very different expansion rates and they will separate , I personally think the steel belted radial is the worst thing ever put on a car, I've seen and helped clean up many of accidents and dead people off the road because of them , I watched them blow up in my yard not even moving but that was because of age and sitting in one place so again if you replace them often and check them they will do fine but don't ignore those little vibrations telling you they are going to fail it's on you ,and the one thing I always do first is make those suspension parts new and tight and keep the brakes like new and I've got to disagree on the wandering and fallowing ruts again that's your sloppy ball joints and suspension parts I've driven on some of the worst roads with bias and they are straight as a string on them, so let's beat this dead horse a little more cause I'm sure I riled up some inexperienced people with my opinion

 

[dual fours]

I drove to Chryslers at Carlisle twice last year on new Goodyear Poly-glas GT's, F60x15 and G60x15. I thought the ride was nice, though it was a hard ride as in feeling every bump in the road. Maybe I had too much air in them or the 40/60 front shocks and the Super Stock springs. I had no trouble with the ruts or wandering. The steering was sharp and crisp.
The year before that I drove there on BFG Radials T/A, all that I can say is the ride was much softer.