Members will recall that in the June ’09 Times issue we had an article on the “never-ending” discussion regarding original bias ply vs. radial tires on a ’49. Since then Dwight Smith and Dennis Akerman, both of the “Live Free or Die” state of New Hampshire, have written in with their views on this subject, as follows:
Dwight says that his 2 cents worth is “At the start of the 2001 season I put a new set of bias ply tires on the car (49,217 miles) and I removed them at the end of the 2007 season (59,950 miles). During the 10,733 miles I drove during this period, including a trip to Dearborn, MI, my car was difficult to steer when parking, and out on the road seemed to follow the grooves and cracks in the road. It was difficult to stay on course as the tires seemed to have a mind of their own. And my usual gas mileage was 15 mpg.
At the start of the 2008 season I installed a set of American Classic P235/75R15 radial tires with 3 1/8″ whitewalls. The change in handling was dramatic. Standing still steering is easier, and the car follows the path that I choose out on the open road. I ran the tires 1,547 miles in 2008 (including the 1,000 mile roundtrip to Cherry Hill) and averaged 18 mpg. I am totally pleased with the radial tires, both their appearance and handling abilities, and regret that I didn’t buy them sooner.
Dennis writes “I’ve now had a couple of years’ experience with the Diamond Back radials I put on my ’49 6269. I can’t say enough good things about them. They look authentic, they’re quiet, and the car handles infinitely better than it did with bias ply tires. It is night and day, and for the better.