bias ply tires

[fordsbyjay]

I have some coker white wall tires on my 23T and it drives well but jumps around on the road sometimes. I have talked to several others (including Spirit) and have been told it is the tires. I had come to the conclusion this was the problem till I found this website and started reading all the threads on wheel alignment issues. Do anyone else run this type of tire with no problems?

 

[butch27]

Thomas has them and his car rides fine (Spirit) but his computer is broken. I rode in it Sunday and it's the friction shocks that don't work well.

 

[bobscogin]

I've got Coker bias ply tires on mine. I've never had radials on the car since built, so I can't offer a comparison, however I can say that I find the ride and handling acceptable. I guess that's somewhat subjective, but it doesn't demonstrate any bad behavior in the ride/handling department.

Bob

 

[deckofficer]

I had M/T bias on the rear and thought there was a problem. When the car was run on the dyno they saw the problem with one of the tires. I have now M/T radials, problem gone.

 

[donsrods]

I'm not sure what is going on with bias plies these days. That is all I have ever run and never really had any problems ever. But I am starting to see some of the out of roundness that you are describing. Some people have said they have had them shaved to true them up, and others say they put the front ones on the back temporarily and smoke em to do their own home brew shaving.

I have noticed my front tires hopping slightly especially at highway speeds, and it concerns me. I just never have been a fan of radials on fenderless hot rods, but I have seriously considered putting some on at least the car I want to take on the Interstate. Around town I have no problems. New shocks helped but didn't totally take it away.

The reason I am wondering about current offerings is because of all the ones I ran on my 27 I never had one issue and could run along at very high speeds with no imbalance whatsoever. Don't know if the tire makers are getting sloppier or what.

Don

 

[Wild Mango]

Fordsbyjay what a cool looking ride, the whitewalls set her off perfectly. The shape of those Coker bias plies is just right too.

With a light car like a bucket the percentage of unsprung weight to sprung is usually higher than usual. The shocks of course act between the sprung and unsprung weights and the unsprung weight often is close enough to the sprung that it is not a very good counterpoise, or mass for the shocks to work with to control the unsprung weight. You can help the shocks by adjusting tyre pressure to take the "bounce" out of the tyres, just like the difference between a correctly inflated basketball and a "soft" one - the inflated basketball is lively whereas the soft one is "dead" - it damps its own energy.
Don't be afraid of lower tyre pressures, the pressures for your 3200lb day driver are way too much for your 1650lb (or less) bucket. Under 20lbs is no cause for alarm, and of course you will be getting a bigger "footprint" to assist grip.
You will feel straight away if you have under inflated a bias ply because it will have a squirmy feel as the sidewall flexes excessively, and they look "bulgy".

 

[BLUEGRASST]

After 37 rears in tire manufacturing, I would love to see Coker tires built and cured. I wonder if they are still using 1960's technology and machinery or something newer? As for Coker, or any other new tire, if it don't balance or don't feel right on the road at speed ask for a replacement.
I also feel and many years of experience tells me running any tire underinflated will cause problems. At Interstate speeds and summertime temps the problems will manifest themselves a lot quicker.

 

[putz]

Bias ply tires do have a tendency to follow the grooves in the road more than a radial tire will also.

 

[butch27]

Putz: In Michigan "everywhere" is a rut in the road.

 

[putz]

Come up here and see the ruts in the blacktop from pulp trucks hauling. They will just blacktop the strips where the grooves are.

 

[fordsbyjay]

I will try a little less tire pressure and see what that will do. I am also going to check my alignment specs as well. Is there a way that I check my caster with a digital level?

 

[Wild Mango]

BluegrassT, I wasn't advocating under inflating tyres, just suggesting that IMHO a lot of rodders over inflated which causes handling problems.
Under inflation of course wrecks the case from excessive flexing of the sidewalls, also causes heat which is similarly destructive.
More importantly, under inflated tyres are killers, bias ply and radial alike.
A knowledgeable Tyre Fitter will be able to tell a nearly correctly inflated tyre by looking at the shape of the tyre between the rim and the ground. Then by driving and changing a 1/2lb at a time you can "fine tune" the pressures.

 

[donsrods]

I will try a little less tire pressure and see what that will do. I am also going to check my alignment specs as well. Is there a way that I check my caster with a digital level?

Go buy one of the $ 10 angle finders like Home Depot, Lowes, etc sell. You can use it to find your caster by laying it across you steering arm or right on top of the kingpin. They are also great for setting pinion and transmission angles, and lots of other stuff.


Don

 

[fordsbyjay]

Go buy one of the $ 10 angle finders like Home Depot, Lowes, etc sell. You can use it to find your caster by laying it across you steering arm or right on top of the kingpin. They are also great for setting pinion and transmission angles, and lots of other stuff.


Don

I will give that a try thanks!

 

[donsrods]

I will give that a try thanks!

You're welcome. Here is what you are looking for. Even Sears carries them, about $9 or $10. All you do is set it on there and the needle points to the degrees of inclination.

Don