Tell me your experiences with bias-ply tires...

[7T2]

Looking to run some period-correct looking wheels and tires on my 57 for certain shows, and decent radial whitewalls seem to cost a fortune all of a sudden, which has me thinking about running some reproduction bias-ply tires which seem to sell for about half as much. Anybody racking up any kind of serious mileage on something like this? What are the drawbacks, aside from ride and handling? Do all bias ply tires require tubes? Can any shop mount them?

[Papa-J]

All I remember about them is that they look great on pre 70's. They do not perform as well as radials at higher speeds because they where made to lessen ground impacts and change shape with the surface around them so at high speeds feels like your riding on calcium filled tractor tires. this makes it also harder to handle at higher speeds. with that said if you are cruising at a lower speed they will last just as long as radials but just remember there are obvious differences that i don't know about considering they have put alot more time into radial technology for a good reason. I'm thinking safety. far as i know they all take tubes and cost about 130-150 bucks a tire.

[chevyrestoguy]

They won't ride as nice as a radial, as you well know. And as Papa-J said, the high speed stability is not nearly as good as a radial. They can also be a bit dicey on irregular surfaces because bias plys tend to follow the grooves in the road. If you're not careful, the vehicle will dart like a bloodhound tracking a scent. Because of the advances in tire technology, I have never seen a bias ply live as long as a radial. Also, the standard automotive bias ply tires do not require tubes. When you start getting into the larger truck tires, then tubes were required.

The bias plys look cool on a restored vehicle, but I won't ever buy a set for a vehicle that I'm going to drive a lot. The introduction of radial tires was one of the biggest advancements in the automotive industry because you have a tire that's safe, more stable, quieter, and more comfortable.

[MrTucker]

If your truck is running on an original drivetrain, running at high speeds wont be a problem

[mr48chev]

My last full set of Bias tires came off the 48 in 1983. Those were E 60x14 on the front and N50 x 14 on the back.
I installed thousands of them on peoples cars in the early 70's and they didn't give a lot of problems then outside of not getting nearly the miles out of a set of tires that we take for granted with radials. the best Firestone bias tires we had were rated for 25k in 1972 when I worked there. And a guy had to work at getting that by keeping them rotated and inflated along with keeping the alignment perfect.
They also cause a bit of difference in gas mileage but that probably wouldn't be a big issue with a primarily show truck. As the others said they drive a bit different too.
If you don't plan on averaging a huge number of miles a year and like the look I'd say go for it. If you decide that wide whitewall radials are more what you want take a look at the Diamondbacks as folks running them seem to be pretty happy with them.

[OrrieG]

I ran them on my 64 Chevelle and 59 Fleetside. Switched over to radials because of less noise and better ride quality. Also no flat spots to go thump until they warm up. These truck original came with bias tires that required tubes. I believe the need for a tube relates to the type and quality of rim to get a good seal, a lot of the old wheels are not designed with a bead to act as an air tight seal.

[dicer]

Bias ply tires are what the race guys wanted about 10 years ago. Personally I think they are a better tire. The reason the radials recieved so much press, is its a much cheaper tire to make, so like the food sweatners if its cheap to produce the product, they want to make it sound like the cats meow. About like all the new cars and trucks that don't have a true roof, and how the side panels are seamed to the mini roof section, and then plastic strips added to cover the seam. No big advantage to the end user, but much cheaper to put together.
The side wall on a bias ply tire is stronger and stiffer, and less likely to de bead on a high G turn, radial tires will roll in a strong turn, since they have less side wall support.
And theoretically they are radiused on the contact area, thus have less contact patch.
There are multiple reasons that racers wanted bias ply tires.
As far as tire life, that is controlled by how well the suspension system maintains alinement, and the tire rubber formula, not so much if it is a bias ply or a radial. The best tire is the skinnyest tire you can mount on the rim.

[lakeroadster]

I am running bias plies on my old (ford) hot rod truck and I haven't experienced any problems. I run them purely for their look.

And, back in "the day" that's all anybody ran 'cause that's all there was. It's definately doable and the look is classic.

Just don't mix radials and bias ply's. I had a '70 Nova in high school that had bias ply G60-14's in the rear and skinny radials in the front, you would go into a corner and would think for sure the back end was coming around every time. What can I say, back then money was tight and I made due with what I could scrounge up.