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| | | | Joined: Apr 2009 Posts: 181 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Apr 2009 Posts: 181 | Hello again - this relates somewhat to Scott's50's recent post on radial vs. bias, but a different twist on it. Tire manufacturers say don't put radials on the front and bias on the back. Some local tire dealers I know, say 'don't worry about it' - but NEVER mix radials w/ bias on the same axle & if you have tandem axles don't put rad.s on 1 axle and bias on the other. Does anyone have advice or experience on using rad.s on the front and bias on the rear? As always, thanks for the great help......Jaycoop
1955 GMC 630, 1959 GMC W660, 1958 Chevy Spartan 80
| | | | | Joined: Jul 2001 Posts: 3,887 Cruising in the Passing Lane | | Cruising in the Passing Lane Joined: Jul 2001 Posts: 3,887 | radials on the front only can contribute to oversteer and control problems at critical times
you should check your area laws, which just might contradict the local dealers who are obviously not paying attention to the makers requirements, ALL of whom recommend against mixing, and state that if it's necessary the radials must be on the rear only .... my advice would be don't mix'em, the various ratings [speed, load, pressure] will be different
Bill | | | | | Joined: Jan 2008 Posts: 4,963 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jan 2008 Posts: 4,963 | Back in the 80's it was common to have radials on the drive axle and bias on the steering axle. In fact I did that on my fleet until I figured out that putting radials on the steering required different alignment specs. I still prefer bias on my 350, 450, 550 and 600 series GMC. They were built for bias, and the stiffer sidewalls on the bias don't follow the ruts in the road like radials. Having a mix on the same axle is a violation of federal law in the US. | | | | | Joined: Apr 2009 Posts: 181 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Apr 2009 Posts: 181 | Thanks guys for the informed feedback - that's exactly the type of info I needed; I won't go with radials on the front....
1955 GMC 630, 1959 GMC W660, 1958 Chevy Spartan 80
| | | | | Joined: Apr 2006 Posts: 48 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Apr 2006 Posts: 48 | Some people might wonder what happens if you mix a bias and a radial on the same axle. Well..........I once had a '64 impala that had the original style bias ply spare tire. I had a flat on the left rear, changed to the spare and went on my way. It took a few miles before I realized why the car way driving so weird. The other three tires were radials! The rear end of the car was all over the place. No wonder it is a law. | | | | | Joined: May 2005 Posts: 74 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: May 2005 Posts: 74 | My '62 one ton has radials on the front and bias in the rear, truck drives fines around town and on the highway. Top speed is about 50 mph. | | |
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