|
Radial vs. Bias... Hi guys, I did some searching around but I was hoping for advice from someone who has done the switch. I drive my Roadster 500 or so miles a year. Is it worth the extra $$$$ for the Excelsior radial 500R19's? The cost of the universals at $99 each is very attractive. What say you experts?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
Re: Radial vs. Bias... Be prepared to drive more than 500 miles a year!!! Once you see how great it drives with radials you will have a hard time taking short trips!! I switch from bias ply to the american classics radial that looks like a bias ply(avatar)they only come in 15 inch but the Excelsior that come in your size may even be better than the ones I got! You will love them IMHO! Pete
|
Re: Radial vs. Bias... I agree with prpmmp
|
Re: Radial vs. Bias... As soon as "my ship comes in" I'm getting a set of Excelsior Radials, 550x19. Gotta get the engine in and running first.
|
Re: Radial vs. Bias... I switched from Excelsor bias to radials and it was like getting a new car. The price difference is worth it in my opinion
|
Re: Radial vs. Bias... I posted a note here when I switched to radials (600x16) and could not be happier. I also discovered that the camber needs to be set to near zero, so don't forget about that. Best change I made so far...
Frank |
Re: Radial vs. Bias... Thanks for the advice! Now I just need to convince the Admiral (wife) that we need tires for that much money. What about balancing BB's?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
Re: Radial vs. Bias... I'm planning on using the radials. Considering the mileage ratings between tires, I think the radials are a good choice.
One problem I see, I've read that that our wheels need to be widened at least an inch for the radials. |
Re: Radial vs. Bias... I've installed the Excelsior Stahl radials 500R19 on my standard model a wheels about 4 years ago with no problems; a much improved and safer ride now with better handling, steering, and braking (with the larger contact patch). The radials are supposed to last twice as long as bias ply, which helps offset the cost differential.
|
Re: Radial vs. Bias... Installed my Excelsior Stahl radials on my 31 Slant sedan almost two years ago. The car tracks so well and feels so much more controllable, there is a Hugh difference when driving on grooved pavement the car tracks straight. As of today have over 8000 miles on them and looks like zero wear so the extra cost is well worth the expense "For Me" bottom line they offer more control which equals safety and they will most likely last at least twice as long as bias tires.
|
Re: Radial vs. Bias... Quote:
Looking at my 21 inch Firestones there is about 1 inch gap to the front brake rod on the front right and almost none on the left. Don't know if the 21 inch radial 550/600R21 would fit. |
Re: Radial vs. Bias... We have put the Excelsior radials on a couple of cars. When looking at the price you have to understand you will get about three times the mileage wear out of the radials over the various bias ply tires offered. Of course my complaint, and I made it to Corky, was not having them available in white walls!
|
Re: Radial vs. Bias... Looking thru the website it shows that the radials from 500/19 thru 650/19 require [recommend may be a better term] at least a 4" rim. The larger the tire the wider rim they want.
The exception is the 550/19 which says can use a 3.25- 4.5 inch rim. I think that is a misprint and will have to find out. Why would the 500 need a wider rim than a 550. These are 44# [max] tires so lowering the pressures to normal or lower pressures might compensate for a narrower rim. No matter. I'm planning on them even if I need to widen the wheels. |
Re: Radial vs. Bias... I put 5.50R-19's on my Fordor. The choice was between the 500R-19's. I thought the extra 1 /2 inch width would help with stability on worn and groovy roads. I do not know how these compare with the 500's but I was pleased with what resulted. I had plenty of room for the steering rods and have full steering capability. I also like the fact that the tire diameter was almost perfectly the same diam. as my former Firestone 475-500's. This allowed my speedometer to match correctly. As I remember, the 500R-19's had a different mounted diameter which I did not want to let affect my speedo accuracy. On the 550R tire I think the diameter was less than 1/2 inch larger than the Firestone's. THis actually helped my speedometer error as before my speedo indicated about 2% faster than my gps speed. Now they are much closer.
|
Re: Radial vs. Bias... So for the less than savvy like me can you describe the procedure for widening a wheel? Just curious how you do it.
|
Re: Radial vs. Bias... I was considering getting new rims for the 21 inch wheels as most of them are rusted and or warped. While doing that I thought it would be good to get a wider rim.
While at the Beaulieu autojumble I talked to the guy from Richards Bros and he showed me the cattle dog of what was available and had a look at the rims. http://www.richards-bros.com/rolled_edge_rims.htm However, they were a few hundred pounds each so a wheel made up would be a expensive. The recommended sizes for Excelsiors are all over the place. A 600-21 inch in the Comp V only needs a 2.5 inch rim and its overall diameter is almost 33 inches. And that is for racing. .... And they advertise them with a Model A wheel. Then again, Macs sell the Stahl so they must fit. |
Re: Radial vs. Bias... I've run both types of Excslsiors on 16"rims (4-1/2" width) with tubes without any issues.
|
Re: Radial vs. Bias... What was the difference in handling/braking between the radial and bias?
PS. I should say, was the bias the Comp V as they are reasonably priced now. |
Re: Radial vs. Bias... Quote:
(a) a wider rim (b) two welds running all the way around the wheel and the possibility of one of them failing with potentially disastrous results. (c) a wheel that is off centre ie, the centre line of the wheel no longer lines up with the front end geometry. This causes all sorts of problems from increased wear to tracking issues. To overcome the off centre issue, it is possible to put in two equal strips of metal, one each side of the centre line. Now you have four welds running around the wheel and double the potential for disaster as mentioned in (b) above. It's not hard to see why this practice has been banned here since the '60s. The better way to do it is to have a new rim made and have it welded to the existing spokes (in the case of the Model A with its welded spokes). I have pulled the spokes off the rim several times on original wheels so I do not recommend this way either. |
Re: Radial vs. Bias... Quote:
I didn't realize you could adjust the camber on an "A"..... Looks pretty stationary to me. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
| All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:17 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.