drove the P4 on a 200-mile tour last Saturday.
last night I noticed massive ply separation on the sidewall of one of the bias ply wide whites.
age of tires unknown, we have had the car 5 years.? ?
now I'm shopping for tires.
in Cokers catalog there is a long disclaimer about the possible unsuitability of original wheels for radials.
is this urban legend or there actual cases of structural failure of '30s wheels running radials at highway speeds?
any input regarding this?
What's your favorite type 16" tire for occasional long tours?
thanks,
-C in J
Chris:
Radial tire sidewalls are much more flexible than the old bias ply or belted tires. Therefore, they should ( and as far as I know do) transmit much less shock to the rims. Given this, the earlier rims, as long as they are sound enough to handle a tire should work well with radials.
However, I suggest you contact the local factory representative of one or more "mainstream" tire manufacturers and get what should be professional, disinterested input. Michelin would be a good one to contact since they are the world's earliest producer of radials. Euopeans used radials many long years before they became common in North America. I first saw radials on European imports in the very early 'sixties, and they were not just newly introduced in Europe.
Personally I have radials on a 1936 Dodge D2 - on the original rims - and as far as I know radial tire issues (if there are any) relate only to suspension geometry.