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talk to me about bias ply...

colbystephens

colbystephens

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i'm thinking TSL's for my next tire to go under the '73 i'm building, and i'd rather have the strength of the bias ply's, but tell me about flat spotting... is it super miserable for a DD? how long do you have to be cruising down the street for the over-nite flat spotting to go away?
 
It depends on the temp outside. Sometimes it takes about a mile. Other times it takes about five miles.
When you start the truck, to warm the engine up, if you roll it off the flat spot the tires will get round quicker.

Mike
 
Sorry to hijack but that's always been a question of mine too. What are the differences between bias and radial? Bias' always seem to be cheaper but they are stronger for the trail? For a truck that would be mainly trail and occasional street driving would the bias be a better choice?

Thanks

Hijack off
 
the difference is how the plies are laid in making the tire.

someone who knows more can critique this:

bias, iirc, goes basically from one side to the other, so the number of plies that make up the sidewall also make up the circumference as well. radials have plies that are laid in the direction of rotation of the tire and have a separate side wall. i'm not explaining this very well. anyway, bias ply are MUCH stronger, but wear quicker on the road and have worse road manners, as well as flat spotting. i think they're always directional, too.
 
all I know is when I drive the buggy for a spin around the clock its brutal, I feel like I am jumping in my seat. if it see's more road time..get radials and get certs on them for when you do kill a sidewall.
 
how long do you drive it on the street tho? do you think you actually get the flat spots out? i bet a buggy would take longer to run the flat spots out than a heavy blazer...
 
How about weight? Is there much difference? Sounds like they might be a viable choice for my '74 that will mainly be my trail rig.
 
Great article on differences (Bias VS Radial):
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/PR-TSLs/

I ran 38.5x16 Bias TSL's (20 PSI) on my 80 pickup, -20C weather the flatspots would be gone in approx. 5-6 blocks. I would assume the tire pressure, vehicle weight and rim width would all have an effect on the distance needed to heat up the tires enough to get rid of the flat spots.

I now run 36x13.5 radial iroks and have no flat spots plus a much better ride. Miss the look and functionality of the big TSL's though.
 
im running bias 39.5tsl's and run 14lbs in each...it's my DD(when it runs) and i go 1mile to work...they normally "get round" after about 1/2 a mile or so...im pretty sure pressure has alot to do with it though...i had 30psi when i mounted them and they didn't really flat spot as bad, but they wear WAY better now. bias tires aren't that bad. i like the tires/sizes available in bias way better than radials. just my .02cents
 
ok, so lets talk a bit about tire pressure in bias ply's. i know that in radials, you get better tire life out of higher tire pressure, but i think i've heard (and it looks like you're stating that this is the case). talk to me...
 
with my 39.5 iroks, i never experienced flat spotting, and they rode great on the highway, they didnt even need to be balanced. my 42" iroks are a different story.
 
how many miles did you get out of them (the 39.5's) and at what tire pressure? i'd rather do the IROKS, but i think i'll get much better tire life out of the TSL since i think it's a harder compound.
 
i run 16psi in my 35x16x15 boggers, on my dd usually a few blocks to get rid of the bumpyness, lower the pressure the better the ride and wear. i have had 39.5x18x15 boggers and a set of 38.5x14.5x16.5 tsl sx all bias and none were unbearable to drive, you get used to it, but they are not as nice as radials!
 
colbystephens said:
how many miles did you get out of them (the 39.5's) and at what tire pressure? i'd rather do the IROKS, but i think i'll get much better tire life out of the TSL since i think it's a harder compound.
Click to expand...

well i only had them for about 1500 miles til i sold them to step up to 42's. i ran them at 20-22psi and when i sold them they didnt look much different than when i bought them. the 42" iroks have 24/32 tread depth and the 39.5" iroks only have 19/32's. the iroks are a softer compound so youd probably see more life out of the tsl's, but the ride will be better as well as less noise with the iroks. i took my 39.5 iroks up to 75mph for an extended period of time on a 250mile road trip to the beach and they rode super smooth, no complaints. i also prefer a narrower tire (13.50-14"), i had a very used set of 42" TSL's (42x15) and they were too wide. i currently have a set of 39.5 boggers (39.5x18) and they are stupid wide, definitely not something id wanna drive on the street for long periods of time, not to mention the added wear and tear on the steering components from the wide tire.
 
Trick that someone told me for getting rid of the flat spots is to move the vehicle just a bit after start up so that the flat spot is no longer on the bottom. Let it sit that way for a few moments, say while the engine is returning to idle, and the flat spots will go away a lot sooner. I always did this with Big Ugly when I had the bias ply HMMWV tires on it and it worked pretty well.

One thing to consider is bias plies can sometimes be harder to balance thanks to their flat spotting nature. Mine would shake and vibrate like mad when they were cold. Made me think I had death wobble.
Put my taller, HEAVIER 38" Michelin radials on and now it rides like a Cadillac. No shakes, no wobbles, no vibrations, etc etc.
 
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