I have been following this tire discussion with great interest.
By coincidence I have been doing some much needed tire shopping for my 60
Crown .
I have pretty much made up my mind to go with bias ply tires. I really
like the looks of the B.F. Goodrich Silvertowns that I think were original
equipment tires on my Imperial. They are sold by Coker and I guess would
qualify as a reproduction ? tire.
Now after reading this message from Dave I am perplexed.
Is this B.F. Silvertown not a good tire ?.
Is this Silvertown a "show only " tire?
Goodness knows it can't be a inferior tire
because of price!
Clay Smith
60 Custom Imperial
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Homstad" <dhomstad@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 2:37 AM
Subject: Re: [FWDLK] And the wheel goes round round round... Radial tire
convo continues...
> Here's the deal: all tires are not created equal, whether they are bias or
> radials!
>
> On my daily driver (a retired CV police car), I replaced the tires that
came
> on it (cheap replacement tires), when they wore out, with a set of quality
> Michelins of the exact same size and same inflation pressure. The
difference
> in handling was so great that I almost lost control due to oversteer on
the
> first few sharp corners I went around. The new tires had very stiff
> sidewalls compared to the old mushy sidewalls of the tires I replaced. The
> old tires were so soft that they would twist on the rim in a corner,
> requiring more turn of the steering wheel compared to the new Michelins.
Now
> the car handles much better and rides smoother. The initial "oversteer"
was
> me, not the car, because I had to re-learn its handling characteristics
all
> over again. The bottom line is that much of the difference of personal
bias
> (pun intended) on this radial vs. bias tire issue is due to the quality of
> tires chosen. Most of the WWW radials out there that we use on our old
cars
> are built for their looks and ability to hold air, not for their handling
> qualities or tire life. If you want good handling, buy GOOD tires.
>
> I bought a set of wire wheels for my 56 Dodge a few years back. They came
> with a mounted set of Firestone 721 radials that had very little wear, so
I
> put them on my car. I felt handling was slightly improved in a straight
line
> and on corners, but it also felt a little mushy too. The main problem was
> that these Firestones were square. They were so out-of-round that they
> almost shook my dental fillings out at highway speeds. I tried to get the
> dealer to warranty replace them (just after the big problem with
Firestones
> on Ford SUVs), but they stubbornly refused. This is my second experience
> with Firestones, both bad. I went back to my previous bias-belted tires
and
> I am satisfied. These are G78 -15 WWW Remingtons. They are belted and
> slightly lower and wider than the 1956 original (tall and skinny 83
profile
> 7.75 - 15) tires, and I think this gives better handling than the
originals.
> They will follow a pavement grove slightly, but they don't "jump around or
> sideways" as some folks have reported. Again, repo tires, either radial or
> bias, built for show looks and not quality may result in poor handling
> characteristics when compared to a modern bias tire, or even compared to
the
> original tires back when the car was new.
>
> If you replace a poor tire, either radial or bias, with a better quality
> tire, either radial or bias, and notice an improvement, you have learned
> nothing other than the new tire is better, either radial or bias. But the
> quality factor is usually overlooked and most people see the radial vs.
bias
> as the deciding factor. The only true test is to compare quality tires of
> both designs, with similar size and profile and proper inflation
pressures,
> and then decide which is better. But who is willing to spend big money on
2
> sets of quality tires for a test?
>
> Quality is everything when it comes to tires. I am not aware of any "repo"
> style tires, radial or bias, that I would put on a daily driver that would
> give good handling and tire life. Repos are made for show and parades and
> that is all. Most personal reports I have heard are mediocre handling,
poor
> tire life, and even blow-outs after extended highway driving.
>
> Dave Homstad
> 56 Dodge D500
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Forward Look Mopar Discussion List
> [mailto:L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Josh
> Sent: Monday, March 22, 2004 9:39 AM
> To: L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [FWDLK] And the wheel goes round round round... Radial tire convo
> continues...
>
> I thought I would throw my .02 cents in... with both the 56 Buick Special
> that I once owned and with my 59 Dodge Coronet, I had radial tires. The
> Buick handeled the worst, even after a complete front end rebuild and a
> professional alignment, it was a pain to drive, It had power steering but
it
> almost felt like the tires were always under inflated. The Dodge has also
a
> complete front end rebuild, soon to have another due to Ka***r's poor
> quality parts and a bushing that goes clunk (well it has been 10 years and
> 30k miles) it too has never felt quite right, like the tires were low on
> air. It didn't handle as piggish as the Buick, but as these tires are
almost
> ready to go, I think I will put on some bias ply WW tires.
> Also, if you recall, in the mid 70's the Pontiac Trans AM bosted of it's
> "Radial Tuned Suspension" and even had a plaque on the dash stating such.
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