Bias-ply VS Radial

[69redbird]

Hey,

Just wondering who out there is running Bias tires out back and radials up front? and what do you think of mixing the two types of tires? Is it safe or you just going to run out of luck and its going to get you? Please let me know! Thanks

[oldblueponcho]

AS far as I know, it's illegal almost everywhere to mix radials and bias ply tires and with good reason. The handling charactoristics of the tires are so different that you'd just be asking for trouble.

[russ467]

When I still drove my car to the track, I would run 165-15 VW tires on front and switch to slicks at the track and it drove the same.

[Ashley P]

I've driven hundreds of miles on the street with wrinkle walls in the rear and radials at 45 psi on the front. If you know what to expect it's all good.

[1qikta]

6RB,

I run the Firestone F-60-15 Wide ovals. I have tried the BFG 235-60-15 at the drag strip and they do not hook as well as the Bias plys.

The Bias plys do begin to spin but they recover much more quickly than the BFG's. You need to run approx 40 psi in the Bias plys to make them work the best. They love gettin hot!!

They drive like $h!t but they look good and hook well.

[Junkyard Dog]

I've driven hundreds of miles on the street with wrinkle walls in the rear and radials at 45 psi on the front. If you know what to expect it's all good.

And what should one expect?

[60man]

I had street radials on the front and MT bias slicks on the rear. Car tended to "walk around" a lot on top end even with 400 motor running at 13.5-13.7/102-105mph. When I went with my 455 to running low to mid twelves it got scary.....real scary, almost craped my pants at times. Actually put it in the grass one time...I switched to a bias front tire and it stopped the evil handling at top end !!!
I now however run Hoosier radial slicks and the bias fronts and have no problem and car is running mid 11's..... I believe this is due the 21-26 lbs of air in slicks as to 12-14 in the MT's.

[Ashley P]

And what should one expect?

If running radials with high air pressure up front and wrinkle walls in the back you should expect the rear to "wander" around. For instance the rear end will follow ruts in worn asphault for a while but then try to "climb" out of the ruts. Steering input will have to be quick but gentle, guiding it not fighting it. Since the rear will wander about 1000% more than when running radials in the rear and since the front end will react very "tight" by comparison, the tendency for most people is probably to over correct.

I watched someone steer a car directly into a ditch because he both replaced a worn out rag joint in the steering shaft then put on wrinkle walls and threw the go juice to the engine. He over corrected for the longest time, fighting the car until it did a 360 in the grass. :rolleyes:

[Half-Inch Stud]

Guess this is going to be a problem in my 68GTO:

Fronts: Goodrich Radial T/As 255-70-15 at 32-35PSI
Rear: M/T ET Drag Slicks with tubes 28" x 9" x 15" at ?? PSI.

What PSI ought I run them Slicks for best 60foot?
What PSI ought I run them Slicks for best mid-top track behavior?

[Ron H]

In drive to the track. I put 165/R15 radial tires on the front and drive with Drag Radials on the back. I had ran biased slicks and they wandered alot tubed or not. I now run a radial slick and they barely have any movement. And they did run faster than the standard M/T drag radial so far.

[69redbird]

hEY,

THANKS FOR ALL THE REPLIES, I AM WONDERING WHO MAKES A RADIAL SLICK?

[Ron H]

Hoosier seems to be the popular brand goodyear and M/T make them as well

[Doug Christie]

As long as you don't mix the two on the same axle, there shouldn't be a problem.

[60man]

As long as you don't mix the two on the same axle, there shouldn't be a problem.


Wanna bet ?? !!:p

No offence intended...:)

[herdsman]

As with most things with cars, it depends on the car. On our 65 GTO race car we have been using P195R-15 up front and M/T 28-10.50 x 15 in the back for 6 years with no trouble. We use 45psi in the front and 18-20psi in the back. With Amy's KRE 463 in the car now we are running 10.40s at 130 at a race weight of 3500+lbs Way back in the day(1970s) I had found out on my heavy cars with no front sway bar and slicks on the back that the radials in the front helped with the " ruts in the track/road" issue.

[Doug Christie]

Wanna bet ?? !!:p

No offence intended...:)

There "shouldn't" be a problem. If I ran low air pressure in the back my car would get loose at the top end, and yes it is scary. No offence taken. :p :D

[Half-Inch Stud]

...like 16PSi driveside, and 10PSi Passside, 1 airbag, 1 hop-stop bar, things of that sort.

[slowbird]

So what should you use if you run a 26" slick. They dont make a drag radial in that size, or do they?

[Half-Inch Stud]

M/T 26" ET Street, and ET Street Radials are in 26"slick...should use a TH400.

[69redbird]

Hey,

Been away for about a week, Ron H. What Brand and size are you running in the back for the Radial Slick? Thanks

[Ron H]

Hoosier 30 x 10.5 x 15. radial slick with 18 lbs. Finally ran even to my 275/60/15 (28" x 10.5") M/T Drag radial street tire with 21 lbs air. I trap at 5200 with the 30" slick, 5400 with the Drag radial.
Funny I thought a slick would be faster than a drag radial. Not on my car !!
Slowbird I think a 275/50/15 M/T drag radial is 26" x 10.5"