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Oh not even remotely the same thing. Carbs still rule racing for the most part, but 1960's tire tech aint ruling anything.



Guess we'll have to agree to disagree on that one. While all top series use radials, there are probably more weekend racers on bias plys than radials.


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Isn't that kinda like saying that cars should be slow and dangerous so that people can learn to drive better? I'M talking about the best performance for the money here. I dont want a tire to teach me how to drive, i want a tire to keep me out ov the canyon (the actual canyon), or off the guardrail... ie: ahead ov the other guy.



I guess I'm not making the point correctly. Not sure how exactly to explain it unless you've driven both in the same situation under the watchful eye of a stop watch. Both can be fast, both are safe, but the feel between them is different. A bias ply sounds and feels different as you reach the threshold of its grip. It takes a long time period to loose that grip and it can be recovered quickly. By contrast the radial will loose grip more abruptly with less warning and take longer to recover. Unless you have learned how to quickly identify where that threshold is.



Gotcha. I DO get what you're trying to say about that. I still think we're talking about different models/designs ov bias tires though.

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But again, i'm talking about those old styles like ProTrac, or Formula One Super Stocks... that old crap i used in high school (late 80's) because it was the only way to buy a 12" wide tire for $20 (no one else wanted to use them!). I am fully aware that companies are making new design racing tires in bias ply... I'm sure THAT stuff is fine.



Bias ply is bias ply. The only thing that has changed is rubber compounds and the broad square shoulder the resto guys love. Guess what the I treads have that Pro-Trac and Super Stocks didn't. The Is are a copy of a road racing design that was prolific in its day and is still used extensively in vintage racing under the Dunlap name. It is not nearly as bad a tire as a Wide Oval or Polyglas



Hmmm... well, i'll definitely concede the track experience to you, and i'm not gonna call you wrong, but i HAVE driven on both, including every commonly available old bias design out there, and i wouldn't even take the best ov them over my old Radial T/A's for going around corners. Maybe the bias i got were all 30 years old, but the radials i had were probably 10 years old too. Further, i was doing what practically NOBODY did in the 80's and early 90's... i was putting those bias on all 4 corners, as wide as i could fit, and driving everywhere like i was in a movie chase scene. Meh... i just dont see what you see i guess.

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You are recommending that some guy put 40 year old tires with a durometer rating somewhere in between that ov a forklift tire and a bowling ball on his classic car and try to go fast around corners. Or am i missing something?



He already has them and they are considerably softer than most 17" street tires. Lets start with what he has and I'm trying to explain why that isn't that bad of a decision given the circumstances. IMO, Rapom, go to the American Racer website. Find the regional distributor for the IMCA G60 tires, pick up a couple for $110 each, slap em on, and tear up the asphalt. Or you swap them out for an entire new set of SRs at $250 each.



Too late to go back and re-read exactly what he's got and is trying to do, but i find it hard to believe that he cant afford cheap GOOD tires and wheels. IF looks are not important... then Mustang 17's are ubiquitous, and can bolt up with $100 worth ov spacers. I've seen 4 17x8" rims as cheap as $50, MANY sets for $200 or less. 17" tires from 255 up are just as common, and even a 15 year old V-rated Comp T/A in 17" will kill an old tire around corners. Found a pair ov 265/40Z17 Dunlops for $50 at the tire store last month, another pair ov 285's for $100 with 85%. Found whole sets for under $200 in a decent size/make. I've made matching sets ov GOOD tires for that too. On a Mustang forum last week a guy was selling a set ov 17x9/17x10.5" Bullits with KDW2's for $400+ shipping. Tires were at least decent yet. GOOD rollers do not have to be expensive. Further... there are quite a few old-school/rat-rod/hotrod punks out there that would actually pay money for a decent set ov old school bias tires. He could sell them.

Hell... took me a month ov footwork, but i've now scored a full set ov G-Force KD (the disco'd dry-only) tires for my 96GT. 255/40/17's front and 315/35/17's rear. Total price? $450... and 3 ov them are brand new/still stickered. Got some brand new Bullits coming for $540 shipped. Quite a set up for a grand... always loved the look ov those KD's...