A new thread!! Firestone Bias Ply Tires

[GaryU.]

A year ago my local guys I support ordered a set of Goodyear tires for my 1938 Convertible Club Coupe(white walls of course). After many months of waiting and checking they still haven't arrived and the supplier(I think, Lucas Classic Tires) do not even show them to be available). My question is in the last YEAR! has anyone used Firestone Bias Ply tires through Speedway and what are your opinions! These are I believe from Coker Tires so please inform myself and others as to their quality. Thanks in advance.
GaryU.

And yes we've checked every few months about them!

[Kube]

Gary, keep in mind that Coker nor Speedway, etc. are making the tires. So, it doesn't matter where you buy them from, they are coming from the same factory.
I have installed a number of sets of Firestone and have been quite pleased.
Tubes? Modern tubes have been "okay" at very best. I've had a couple that were so bad as to make it impossible to balance the wheel / tire. Yes, the tubes were the culprits as hard as that was for me to believe.

[OldGold360]

I just bought a set of 600-16. I will probably have them mounted in a week or two and will let you know if I have any issues. In the past, all mine have been fine. Like Kube said, sometimes balancing is an issue but I never bothered to determine if it is the tire or the tube.

[36and63]

I have bought 3 sets over the past 6 or 7 years with no issues. I’ve not had any balance issues as well. I have a set on wide 5’s another set on 35 wires and another set on 40 steelies. Can’t beat the free shipping from Speedway either.


Pat

[Fordbuilder]

i have a set from Coker and they run pretty well. Get a little vibration from them even when balanced but have heard a few people say I should have them shaved.

[Ken/Alabama]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

I have the Firestones on two of my 40s. No problem with them.

[Flathead Fever]

I've bought a few Firestones sets and they have always balanced using little weight. Not very much side to side runout watching them spin on the balancer. I bought a used Coats tire machine and a Snap-On computerized balancer. Have the shop center the Firestone name with the valve stem and then center the hub cap too. That's the way my dad always did them, looks real nice.

[GaryU.]

Thanks for comments. Had logo of the Goodyears on my pickup centered 2 years ago like that!! My local guys said it was the first time anyone had asked for that! If you look at old Ford drawings they show the Firestone tires with the logo centered on the valve stems.

[Kube]

Originally Posted by Flathead Fever

I've bought a few Firestones sets and they have always balanced using little weight. Not very much side to side runout watching them spin on the balancer. I bought a used Coats tire machine and a Snap-On computerized balancer. Have the shop center the Firestone name with the valve stem and then center the hub cap too. That's the way my dad always did them, looks real nice.

The new tires have a small painted dot to mark the "heavy" side. That typically is placed 180° from the valve stem.

[Kube]

Originally Posted by GaryU.

Thanks for comments. Had logo of the Goodyears on my pickup centered 2 years ago like that!! My local guys said it was the first time anyone had asked for that! If you look at old Ford drawings they show the Firestone tires with the logo centered on the valve stems.

Gary, that's a drawing... NOT reality.

[Bill OH]

I have Diamond Back 600R16s on wide 5s @40lbs pressure - handles and rides better. No
more bias ply!!!

[tubman]

Unless you have a show car and a nice trailer, radials have it all over bias plies. If you drive your car, in my opinion there is really no choice.

[Krylon32]

Another vote for Diamond Back. As for tubes after some bad experience with tubes from Coker with no tech help I just have my local tire store industrial tubes which have worked out good

[highbeams]

17" X 500-525 Firestone black wall diamond treads availability?

Thank you.

[GaryU.]

Thanks for all the advice. If using the Diamond Back radials do you use tubes with them as well. I apologize because this has probably been discussed before but want to get the real scoop. I loved Kube's comment on drawings versus reality.

[JayChicago]

Originally Posted by GaryU.

If using the Diamond Back radials do you use tubes with them as well.

The radials are tubeless tires. Many have used them this way.

Not me. I didn't trust the rims of my old wheels to provide a good sealing surface. Didn't want to get to my storage garage and find a flat from a slow rim leak. "Radial tubes" recommended. (heavy-duty tube, designed to stand up to the flexing inside a radial tire) Extra cost of tubes is small compared to outrageous cost of bias-look radials tires.

[flathead4rd]

I mounted many new tires in my day and the red dot goes to the valve stem. This was before there were tubeless tires and after the tubeless tires became popular. That's the way Kelly tires did it.

[OldGold360]

It sounds funny to me to hear some folks say they prefer a radial tire because it produces a better ride on their 90 year old vehicle.

[ssffnomad]

Not if you drive past your local ☕️ Shop. And put 100-200 miles on a day .
Night and Day difference for a guy that drives his ride.
Stretch

[tubman]

Plus the handling is better. When I had bias-plies, every highway cloverleaf was an adventure; now it's easy.

[V8COOPMAN]

Originally Posted by OldGold360

It sounds funny to me to hear some folks say they prefer a radial tire because it produces a better ride on their 90 year old vehicle.

It won't sound FUNNY once you actually experience driving on BIAS tires, then changing to RADIAL tires on the same vehicle. Night & day difference.

Coop

.

[ct1932ford]

I have used Firestone bias on many cars over the years. I have them on my two 32 Fords I own now. They have been very good. I do not use the tubes from Coker however. I get the tubes from my local tire shop. They are heavier.

[OldGold360]

Originally Posted by V8COOPMAN

It won't sound FUNNY once you actually experience driving on BIAS tires, then changing to RADIAL tires on the same vehicle. Night & day difference.

Coop

.

I’ve driven on both and I prefer original style bias-ply tires on my classics, and yes I drive them past the coffee shop, but this wasn’t my point. All I was saying is that there are so many “upgrades” that can be done to these 90 year old vehicles. Why not throw a SBC in there as well and change to IFS? It was meant as a light hearted comment but the radial guys had to chime in on a bias-ply thread. 20 years ago, my daily driver had bias-ply tires and my commute to work was 40 miles one way on the freeway. Also, my offroad vehicle had 42” tall bias-ply tires. Try driving on these on a cold day after it was parked for a week. You’ll never complain about the OEM Ford bias-ply tires again.

FYI - I park on “Flatstoppers” and have found that they help for a smooth ride. Also, double check that the tires spin true when new. Every now and then one is slightly out of round and either needs to be replaced or shaved.

[d.conrad]

I've had several sets of Firestone bias ply tires, always with tubes. Has anybody out there put them on '40 Ford wheels without tube? I've heard it's been done.

[Adam/Mill Valley CA]

I'm inclined to agree with OldGold360 about bias ply tires. I put a set of Coker classic-look radials on my '36 pickup, which has an entirely stock suspension; after a seemingly never-ending series of pinch flats, despite heavy duty radial specific tubes and 40 psi inflation, I went back to Firestone bias tires. I have never had another pinch flat. My driving is a mix of freeway, in town, and country back roads; it tracks perfectly true on the freeway at 55-60 without any problems, and I really didn't see much advantage to the radials driving at reasonable speeds on curvy roads. I would never consider bias ply tires on any other car I own, but for the '36 they work really well. I actually wound up giving the set of radials to a local 'Barner when I switched back to bias ply.

Adam

[OldGold360]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Originally Posted by Adam/Mill Valley CA

I'm inclined to agree with OldGold360 about bias ply tires. I put a set of Coker classic-look radials on my '36 pickup, which has an entirely stock suspension; after a seemingly never-ending series of pinch flats, despite heavy duty radial specific tubes and 40 psi inflation, I went back to Firestone bias tires. I have never had another pinch flat. My driving is a mix of freeway, in town, and country back roads; it tracks perfectly true on the freeway at 55-60 without any problems, and I really didn't see much advantage to the radials driving at reasonable speeds on curvy roads. I would never consider bias ply tires on any other car I own, but for the '36 they work really well. I actually wound up giving the set of radials to a local 'Barner when I switched back to bias ply.

Adam

Plus you can’t beat the look of a bias-ply.