Wide White Walls

48Sed
48Sed Senior Contributor
edited February 2013 in HUDSON
Who makes that best 15" WWW radial tire?can anyone recommend a tire company that makes a good white wall that won't yellow or crack?
«1

Comments

  • Richie
    Richie Senior Contributor
    What Ken said !! Hudson Dave sells them. Richie.
  • Kdancy
    Kdancy Senior Contributor
    edited February 2013
    http://www.dbtires.com/
    http://www.kelseytire.com/home.html
    I personally like the Goodyear ww radials. A friend of mine recently purchased a set for his 57 Golden Hawk and drove over to my place on his first trip after mounting them on his car. Very big smile on his face because of how much better the Hawk was driving. Been trying to get him to switch to radials for years!
  • Park_W
    Park_W Senior Contributor
    I'm with Ken and Diamondback too. Have them on both Hudsons (47 & 51) and love them. Staying nice and white, and rolling smooth.
  • raidmagic
    raidmagic Senior Contributor
    edited February 2013
    I just put these on my car 235-75-15 They are radials from Coker and have that ridge but it doesn't look off or weird to me. I will get you the brand name when I get home today

  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Ken is speaking the truth. I got less than 3,000 miles going to Orlando, FL. Walt.
  • Browniepetersen
    Browniepetersen Senior Contributor
    Sorry you guys had bad experiences. My experiences are the other side of the coin. I have them on all my classics--and that would number about ten. I had them on the car that I raced on the Bonneville Salt Flats and set a new speed record for a stock 52 Hornet and then drove the car to California twice. Did about 12,000 miles that summer. I work with Big O tires in my area and never have had a problem.
  • Park_W
    Park_W Senior Contributor
    Note that Coker is selling some other-make tires nowadays, so not all tires from Coker now are their own production, so may be OK. Based on my own experience with Coker's own, I wouldn't recommend them.
  • 48Sed
    48Sed Senior Contributor
    Is there a concern running tubeless tires on the Hudson rim that is of riveted construction?
    I have heard air could leak around the rivets?
    Is there a way of sealing the rivets to run tubeless?
    Running a tube in tubeless I have been told is not a good practice.
  • 50C8DAN
    50C8DAN Senior Contributor
    I have been using a set of Diamondbacks since '05 on the original rims that I had powder coated never had a leak.
  • faustmb
    faustmb Senior Contributor
    Paul- I've been running standard radials since 05 on stock riveted stepdown wheels with no tubes and no leaks...

    I need wide whites for the 33 Terraplane this year, are the Diamondback tires available for those applications?
  • Nevada Hudson
    Nevada Hudson Senior Contributor
    Another thing on Coker...if they fail, they won't make it good!
    Right, Ken, Walt?
  • Uncle Josh
    Uncle Josh Senior Contributor
    I put radials on my 49 Commodore. Great at high speeds, harsh ride low speeds. I went with a new set of Goodyear Supercushions from Lucas, with 4 1/4 wide whites. They are OK at high speeds, and great around town, and look good.
  • bob ward
    bob ward Senior Contributor
    Haven't Coker always just been resellers of other peoples tyres? As I understand it they have zero manufacturing capacity, they contract with tyre makers to provide them with Coker branded tyres. The WWW's that people were having trouble with a few years ago were actually made by Denman as I recall.
  • Kdancy
    Kdancy Senior Contributor
    edited February 2013
    Kelsey tire company
    http://www.kelseytire.com/pages/antique&classictires.html
  • 1954Hudson
    1954Hudson Member
    Hi Is there any advantage to use a 16 inch radial tire on a 1940
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Yes, when you hit the road that has cement laid and is not level, you will never have the steering wheel move in your hand. Bias ply tires will throw from side to side. Put Radials on and enjoy better steering. Walt.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    If your question is 16 in radial as opposed to replacing the wheels with 15 inch and cheaper easier to find radials. Bear in mind you essentialy dropped down a gear and lost some top end speed doing so. Unless you can get the equal outer diameter in a 15 inch that the factory 16 inc h had.
    And of course a s Walt says the radial is the better tire . Just watch your size or you will change your rear end ratio unfavorably
    Roger
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    I guess what tires you have on depends what you are going to use the car for. I agree radials are safer and I have had them on my hardtop. I took them off because I didnt like the way the car felt. I put bias ply wide white wall tires from Coker many years ago and have had no problems. I have driven the car at highway speeds to the East coast many times on these tires. I like the car to drive like it did off the assembly line. You have to set the toe in different with radials vers bias ply. I dont remember the car wondering at all with bias ply. In fact the car seems heavy with radials and I dont care for that. I can drive 70 MPH on all surface roads with the window down and one hand on the streering wheel and the other hanging out the window just like I did in the 50s. If I want to drive a car with radials I drive my modern car. Sorry if I offended anyone. I guess thats why I dont change anything on my cars that wasnt on option from the factory.
  • Richard E.
    Richard E. Senior Contributor
    I put 8,000 miles on a new set of Diamondbacks this summer with our '50C6, I never even added air - great tires. I took my Cokers off just because they were 10 years old and I didn't want to go cross country on tires that old. I with Ken & Park!
  • Richard E.
    Richard E. Senior Contributor
    I drove the same car ('50C6 sedan) from Escondido, CA to Nashville, TN to the 1999 HET national with bias ply tires - it was terrifying!
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    The last bias tires I used any ammount of time were BF Goodrich Silvertown Wide Whites I believe. Were basicly new tires when I got the car so hated to take them off. One interesting thing about them was how they did on a trip. driving localy the feel was somewhat stiff but after about a hour on the road it just seemed to smooth out . After that it rode as smoth as radials on the highway. They would still grab the grooves in the pavement that didnt change.
    Roger
  • RonS
    RonS Senior Contributor
    edited February 2013
    Well, Some one answered, "what do you plan on using the car for?" . I had a set of BFG Silvertowns(bias) for 20 years. Two years ago I replaced them. Great tire for occasional fun drives and authenticity( as I use my Hornet), but crumby for parallel road defects. But... unless you plan on changing the radial tires every 6-7 years you risk belt failure in a radial from sitting and inside out deteriation. Lets hear the guys with radials talk about tire failure on trips. You know who you are.Then how many with bias ply tires had failure , not due to a road hazard. If you drive your Hudson 6 or 7000 miles a year radials may be worth it. I don't. I put on less than 1000 per year, and with that radials need to be rotated off before their time & that is costly. Advisory: a slight change in alignment is probably a good idea with radials as well. Just last month my daughter complained that her 2003 Impala was pulling right. Why with only 6000 miles(4 years) on her radials a front tire belt was blistered and ready to blow. Same thing on my friends Perrellis tire blew costing $8000 in body work when the belts tore apart the fender well. If I want a car to handle like a new 2012 Vette I'll buy a Vette. Sorry guys that's my IMO.
  • RL Chilton
    RL Chilton Administrator, Member
    What size are those tires, Uncle Josh?
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Looks like there is no right or wrong to what tires you like Its a matter of taste to each person. Both type of tires have their positives and negatives. Its like when you were young and dating. You would see this gorgeous girl and point her out to your buddy and he thought she was ugly. You of course felt the same about his girl. Its a matter of taste. Or you ladies thought some guy was cute and your girl friend thought he was a pig. Its a matter of taste. The bottom line was the goal was all the same--------I wont go there------. My son has radial tires on his 50 Super and just loves them. (he takes after his mother).Either tire is still better than the recaps or fake whitewalls that fit between the bead and rim that I used to have on my car. Its a matter of taste. LOL
  • Uncle Josh
    Uncle Josh Senior Contributor
    7.10 x 15 like the originals
  • Geoff
    Geoff Senior Contributor
    I have 7.60 15 Universal WWW's on my Hornet, and it trams along all the road ridges, but it steers nice and easy, and rides well. I'm not replacing them because I don't use it that much, and they are only 1/4 worn yet. I think the biggest problem with them is the very rounded cross-section, with very small footprint On the Jet I have 6.40 15 Dunlop C49 cross plies, and it rides handles and steers perfect. I tried it on 185/15 radials and it was a dog, harsh riding and heavy to steer. To each their own! I think the Hornet would be much better on 7.10's with a wide tread pattern, but I've got to wear the present ones out first.
  • RL Chilton
    RL Chilton Administrator, Member
    Uncle Josh, those look really good. That's the way the car is supposed to look.
  • bob ward
    bob ward Senior Contributor
    Ron S "But... unless you plan on changing the radial tires every 6-7 years you risk belt failure in a radial from sitting and inside out deteriation."

    What is there about the construction of a radial ply tyre that makes it more prone to deterioration from these causes than a bias ply tyre?
  • RL Chilton
    RL Chilton Administrator, Member
    edited March 2013
    The following is not a bias vs radial argument. Additionally, I am not a tire engineer, but here is the skinny as it has been put to me to answer the question about radial deterioration vs. bias ply deterioration (this is really only useful for those folks who only drive their cars a few thousand miles a year or less . . . doesn't include Walt! ):

    The #1 Radial Commandment: RADIALS HAVE TO BE EXERCISED

    Radials that are not exercised deteriorate due to three main reasons:

    1. Radials get "tighter" as they roll down the road. The actually develop a "memory" of sorts and the cables which make up the belt get tighter and stronger as they travel down the road. This "memory" means that a RH or passenger side tire MUST stay on the RH side of the car and vice-versa for a LH tire. Which, by the way is why one should never rotate radial tires by swapping sides. Radials always stay on the same side when rotating (Bias plies get swapped side to side for even wear). If a LH radial gets swapped to the RH side (or vice versa), it will "unwind", so to speak and come unglued, or more literally, come flying apart and destroy your beltline trim, and whatever else is in the way. Idle tires will loosen up over time.

    2. Radials have thinner walls than bias plies, which is notable by the "paunch" on the bottom of the radial when the tire on the car is touching the ground. Parked cars with radials or bias plies will develop flat spots in the tire from long spells of idleness. Noticeable by the "thump, thump, thump" when driving, bias ply flat spots will even out and go away. Radials they will not, but will eventually develop "bubbles", followed by the aforementioned "flying apart".

    3. Because of 1. & 2. above, non-exercised radials loosen up, so to speak and literally dry-rot from the inside out. All of which, can be avoided by exercising your radials.

    I've always been of the mind (concerning Hudsons), that bias was for show, radials were for go. Here in the near future, I hope to be buying the convertible's tires and have always known that I would be buying radials as I plan on driving the car. However, as of late, I am firmly in the middle of the fence and am now completely undecided.
  • RL Chilton
    RL Chilton Administrator, Member
    It is also my understanding that places like Discount Tire will not touch a tire (meaning radials) that are 10 years old. Also, it is now recommended that tires (meaning radials) get replaced when they are no more than 6 years old, whether they are wore out or not. Which goes along with my original statement:

    RADIALS MUST BE EXERCISED
This discussion has been closed.

Categories

In this Discussion