first of all thanks for all the great info on the shocks .. starter and wipers.................my 55 special has wide white wall nylon tires on it now .. am i right in assuming that if i put a set of radials on her i will get a better ride...... and can i get the widw whitewalls in a radial or will i have to settle for the narrow white wall if i do this .. thanks tattoobobby
Radials will give you a better ride and handling. You can get wide white walls in radial form, but get ready to hit the check book pretty hard. Coker tire sells several different brands (including a house brand) radial wide white. I've got a set of the house brand radial wide whites on my '50 Ford and have been pleased with them so far. I've heard alot of horror stories about Coker house brand tires delamanating and the white walls cracking, but mine have been fine for the short time I've had them (about 6-8 months). I just ordered a set of BF Goodrich radial wide whites for my '55 Buick, they just came in the other day and haven't even had them mounted yet. They cost a few dollars more than the Coker house brand tire but figured I'd give them a try after hearing all the complaints about the house brand. To me they look just the same and are probally made in the same place but figured I'd give them a shot.
Here's a link to the ones I just bought for my '55 http://store.coker.com/product.php?productid=18334&cat=0&page=1 One of my dad's buddies has an account with Coker so I got them at a discounted rate :Brow:
I have had Coker brands in the past on my 55 Century, they had problems with belts and would not balance. Even though the tires were only six months old, Coker would not stand behind them. Their customer service person was about a friendly as a rattlesnake, and I wont do business with them again. I bought a set of the Goodyear WWW radials, and loved them. I also put a set on my fathers 48 Super Convert, fantastic tires. They are sold by a company in Osage Beach MO. Cant remember the name off the top of my head, but a Google search will get it for you. Good people! Another one to try is Diamondback tires. I recently bought a set of Redlines from them, and they were great to work with. Which ever way you decide, you will pay a few dollars more for the tires, figure on $150-190.00 each, depending on what size you want. it is worth it, it made my 55 ride like a new car, and got rid of that annoying bias ply wander.
"Radials will give you a better ride and handling" That is a myth perpetuated by those who drop the big bucks on radials and need to justify their misake. If you replace, repair, rebuild your suspension and steering components the car will track and steer well with the correct size bias ply. Steel belted radial will have a harsher ride and since no radials match the rolling circumference as the original size the speedometer will be inaccurate. Bias ply tires also age better: 5 year old ones will still be structurally sound whereas radials will start separating the tread from the steel belts.
Hate to be the one that says anyone here is "wrong", but unfortunatly you're "mistaken". Radials WILL give you a better ride and better handling. Bias plys, although "sufficient" in their own rite, are not "better" than radials. Let's bring this back to the the utmost of basics: If bias ply tires are at least equal if not superior to radials, then name one modern car manufacturer that uses them as standard equip. Better yet, name one tire center or manufacturer that recommends the bias tire over a radial. Let's face it, they're nice to look at, but get the '55 up to 65mph on the highway with bias plys and you better hang on. I know this first hand.
Modern cars are built and the components are tuned for radials. When was the last time you drove a 55 with bias ply? How many with bias ply and all of the suspension and steering replaced, rebuilt and restored? I drive my 55 thousands of miles across the country at 65-70 mph and the trip is less tiring than driving the last out of town rental car (Hyndai sonata). And I have not had a tire failure in the last 124,000 miles on bias ply. My tire of choice: coker bfg
I have to agree with Matt here. My 71 has a new front end, its been aligned by a competent alignment tech and it has G60 Polyglas tires. It rides like crap. The tires follow the grooves in the road and i constantly have to correct the steering wheel. The ride is harsher than the radial T/A's I had. Its like having cement blocks mounted to the wheels. The radials are better in the rain, hands down. Try hitting an offramp at 60 with a set of bias ply tires. Talk about a white knuckler! I had to change my underwear in a few situations. Gimme a set of radials any day But, the Polyglas's make up for all that in looks. Nothing looks quite as nice as a Buick Rallye wheel wrapped in a set of Polyglas's. The one big downfall of bias ply tires is that they're not all season. You still need a snow tire in the winter. But not many of us drive are cars year round
My experience with polyglas and radials - http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=53496 For a car that is driven, radials are the way to go :beer FYI -alignment specs are different for radial tires.
