The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Bias or Radial

If you change from Bias to Radial, does it
steer harder ? thanks

My 1951 3100 steers and rides really nice with radials .

I think the steering would not have any noticeable change while driving. The radials Would give a smoother ride, I would think.

I have radials on my firetruck(20" rims) and it is so much better that it is unbelieveable. I can't speak for the 15" or 16" sizes, but it makes it much easier to turn, drive and simply roll the truck(we've pushed it by hand when it didn't have a motor) than it was before the radials went on.

Just my opinion..

The radials track better than bias ply tires. Under-inflated radials might require more effort in turning the steering wheel when sitting still.

Last time I used Bias Ply tires was about 20+ years ago, I would never go back.
I'll happily give up some authenticity for radials.

I certainly don't miss tramlining and the awful wet weather grip that Bias tires seem to have.
JMO.

I put some reproduction bias tires on my all-original low mile show truck, and I just can't believe how mushy they are. It feels like the dang tires are going to come off the rims when cornering.
If you are going to drive it, radials are the only sensible choice.

Thank's for the imput, I going to go with radials. Don

I have a set of Firestone Deluxe Champion bias-ply on my 49 half ton. Very happy with them. The new rubber compound is somewhat different to the old bias-ply and it does not flat spot overnight. They still track like bias-ply always have but its no problem to me.

On my 53 I had radials. Very nice at highway speeds but a real arm full when parking. At times I was worried about braking something in the steering set up.

For my kind of driving - 2000 miles per year, speeds of up to 55 mph - bias-ply suit me just fine.

If you want to go to the expense Coker tire have original looking radials. BTW have had both on my 54 and much prefer radials. ron

If the classic looking radials weren't so expensive I'd probably change over but paying twice the cost of the bias ply??? I just bought four new 600x16 Coker bias ply tires @ just over $100 each and radials would have been $211 each.

Cooper SRM II Radial LT (Light Truck) 215/85/16

It has less than 6" tread width, high profile, blackwall that has a "natural appearance" (minimum side bulge).

From $106-$120 each plus shipping ($60-$80 shipping for four) and usually no tax if shipped from out of state.

It's not a bad looking tire but not close enough to original appearance. The diameter is a bit over 2" larger so I'd have to watch out for those speeding tickets. After rehabbing my steering box, shocks & drag link plus getting the caster set right, the old coupe drives pretty darn good now, even on bias ply tires.

You are supposed to run tubes in these when you change to radials right? 1954 Chevy 3100, original wheels.

I have one set with tubes (in use for 6 years), but it has been correctly pointed out that this is not warranted by Cooper (which means nothing, see below). My dealer gave me road-hazard warranty and no if/ands/but regarding the use of tubes.

My next set will be tubeless on a set of original wheels that are in excellent shape.

"What is the warranty coverage on my tire? (from Cooper's website)
All authorized Cooper Tire dealers can determine warranty eligibility on Cooper tires. Cooper products are backed by a workmanship and materials warranty that our independent tire dealers administer on a regular basis. Any tire that is deemed to have an eligible adjustable condition as determined by one of our independent tire dealers shall be processed according to the terms of the Cooper Warranty Program. Our independent tire dealers make the determination on what qualifies as an eligible adjustable condition, and handle all warranty returns. Cooper Tire does not warranty road hazards. Please direct any warranty related questions to your Cooper dealer. To find a dealer near you, use the dealer locator on the Cooper Tire web site."

I bought same (as above) size Michelin's from Tire Rack sent to house, went to my fav used/new tire store guys, mounted, down the road.