I'm looking for new tires for my 1937 LaSalle. The tires that are on it look good, (little wear) but I think they have been on it for many years. Firestone bias plye 7.0x16 Some are telling us that it will drive and steer better with radials.
I thought I would ask the people with experience with older cars.
Any car drives better when changing to Radials, but so long as the wheel alignment is adjusted to suit Radials.
The Toe-in with Radials is far less than with Cross-ply tyres, and adjusting the Camber and Castor helps with tracking, and tightening up any slack in Steering joints, Box, bushings and King Pins also helps.
Bruce. >:D
PS. I changed the heading for you.
The Firestone Bias Ply tires are perfect and can be found via Coker, Universal Tire Co, etc. They usually retail for about 275 a piece but they'll last for years. I'd strongly disagree about using radials on these prewar cars. A few swear by them but these cars were never designed with those tires in mind.
These cars weren't designed with radials in mind because radials did not exist back then, they are great on older cars. Bruce is right, the alignment is a little different --- a little positive caster with radials is good.