Thread: My next move with hiboy's metamorphosis

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Originally Posted by joeybsyc

Don, those tires look perfect on that car....are they Coker Classics? Thats the only brand I have been able to find in the L78-15.. While they look good, I really like the "piecrust" edges of the bias ply firestones better, but it doesn't appear they make a tire as big as the L78-15. Btw, what width are your front wheels? Mine are 6", and I'm wondering if they're too wide for 560's. Oh and Dave, I'm not arguing or claiming to know more about anything than you or anyone else...I respect your opinion as well as the opinions of everyone else, regardless of how old or young they are, how many cars they've built, driven, or owned... I know I'm not alone with that thought either, as this always has seemed like a site where everyone's opinions are respected. Many people have strong opinions against original style bias-ply tires, and I am just speaking from personal experiences with musclecars when I say I've never had a problem with them. Maybe they DO suck on a 2500lb hotrod. I don't even know how my car handles with radials on it at this point, which is why I intend to put some break-in miles on it with the radials I have, before deciding to switch over to bias plys, admittedly done solely for the "look". Do you have any experience with modern reproduction bias plys as opposed to genuine original old-tech bias plys from 30+years ago? I've heard the way they are now made is vastly improved over the original technology, so maybe the repro ones I've used are better than the originals they are reproductions of? Just a thought...

-JB

Yeah, put three sets on customer's stuff last year, two from Coker's, and another brand X set that were total junk!!!! The Coker's are a bit bettern then the bias tires we grew up with, or perhaps they seemed better because the suspension is so vastly improved....

I've used Coker repro Firestone Wide Ovals from Coker, and Goodyear Polyglas repro's from Kelsey... both have seemed pretty good on the cars I put them on. I did have a 69 SS396 El Camino with repro firestone redlines that seemed to "sqirm" more than other bias plys I've used, but it still wasn't to the point of being "scary". I can already tell that just being IN a topless, fenderless highboy is a few steps closer to "scary" than driving a 1969 anything though, so I can sorta understand your thoughts on bias plys on a hotrod... Like I said, everything I have experience with putting bias plys on has been considerably larger and heavier than a highboy roadster. What suspension setup changes do you make when using bias plys instead of radials? Oh, and if I get you a new Camry, will you run bias ply wide whites on it as a compromise?

Excuse my ignorance - but what is different about the 'look'.

Higher sidewalls?
Tread pattern?

Why hasn't someone made a bias looking radial?

Originally Posted by SBC

Excuse my ignorance - but what is different about the 'look'.

Higher sidewalls?
Tread pattern?

Why hasn't someone made a bias looking radial?

I think you've answered your own question.
A little squarer at the transition from tread to sidewall as well.

I doubt if there would be much of a market for a bias looking radial.
When you get down to it, there's not really that much demand for bias-plies and if it wasn't for Coker and a couple others, the bias-ply troops would be out of luck....

Here is what Coker Tire says about it

http://resources.coker.com/tire-tech...ial-tires.html

mike in tucson