<VV> Bias vs. radial

[kenpepke at juno.com]

John said [in part]

Please elucidate ONE case where bias-ply tires on an automobile are better
than a radial?
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I remember the radial tires in the mid 70s.  A set came on my new '75 Buick Electra.  They squeaked and groaned, they lost air, they wiggled and wobbled ... they blew out.  Replaced with a new set of bias tires the big Buick rode better, handled better and saved me from constantly running to the gas station for air for years.  

Around the turn of the previous century the original balloon radial tires were replaced with stronger, longer lasting bias tires.  It has been many years since modern cars first started coming from the factory with radial tires but it has only been a few years since NASCAR switched to radials because before then the radials just were not 'raceable.'  

The old bias tires were replaced because the owner noticed there was little or no tread left.  Even today most radial tires are replace due to failure rather than worn out tread.  Having said that I must point out that the front Michelin tires on my daily driver, an 89 Fleetwood, lasted the guaranteed 80,000 miles before they failed and the rear are still OK at almost 90,000!  That is not the average case.

Materials and development has come a long way in radial tires but that does not take away from the longstanding proven performance of bias tires.  Just stand on a street corner and listen to the tires going by.  You will be shocked by the number of odd noises radial tires make.  Those sounds are from faults in the tire and are most likely forecasting future failures.

If I needed a set of tires in a certain tread pattern or size and they were only available in bias ply  I would buy them without hesitation and it would not bother me a bit.

Ken Pepke

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