whats your favorite tire... radial or bias?

[90stingray]

I am just curious what everyones favorite tire construction is... radial or bias ply? My trailer came with the 20 year old original bias ply tires. I ran them for a couple months until I bought new wheels and radial tires. Having run these radials for a couple years... I almost like the biased tires better. The radials have a lot more bounce and pooch. I know that's because they are made differently. My trailer is a single axle. These are load c tires. Let me know what you all think...

 

[bruceb58]

Re: whats your favorite tire... radial or bias?

My favorite tire is one that doesn't leave me stranded in the middle of the desert.

I do own radials for my trailer though!

 

[paultjohnson]

Re: whats your favorite tire... radial or bias?

I like old school bias myself, and for the reason you stated. IMHO The flexible sidewalls on the radials allow the trailer to sway all over. Tho you will get people telling you radials are the only way to go. Its like arguing Chevy or Ford.

 

[jeffnick]

Re: whats your favorite tire... radial or bias?

It's been my experience that bias tires will wear faster than radials if the trailer has even slight alignment problems. The radial tire tends to be more forgiving.

 

[2 Eagles]

Re: whats your favorite tire... radial or bias?

Personaly I thank it all depends on the trailer. I pulled trailers with both type tires. One trail well pull better with one type and the other better with the other.

 

[ufm82]

Re: whats your favorite tire... radial or bias?

Radials- have had both and like radials much better. if your trailer sways or gets squirrely on you it's not due to the tires. Radials have more flex but it's not like you're running on balloons. Just my opinion which is all you'll get on this subject.

UFM82

 

[H20Rat]

Re: whats your favorite tire... radial or bias?

radials... I like using technology developed in the last hundred years or so at a minimum!

i've never had a problem with sway with one tire type or the other. As others have mentioned, if a trailer/load has a tendency to sway its going to be able to do it equally well on either tire.

 

[dingbat]

Re: whats your favorite tire... radial or bias?

Radial. Will never put anything else on a tralier.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: whats your favorite tire... radial or bias?

Round and inflated! As long as they are a matched set on the axle ie. both radial or both bias, I have no preference

 

[sschefer]

Re: whats your favorite tire... radial or bias?

There's trailer rated and standard auto tires. You won't have any problem putting a standard bias ply auto tire on a trailer but I can't say the same for a radial. I've heard horror stories and seen first hand, bearings burned bright blue. The sidewalls are just too soft for trailering.

However, if you run ST rated radials with reinforced/stiffened sidewalls, you'll wonder why you didn't do it before. I really like them. Of course this is all based on the premise that you're going to be using a tire of the correct load rating.

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: whats your favorite tire... radial or bias?

I didn't know they even made bias ply tires any longer. Radials are the only way to go--much more puncture resistant and easier rolling.

 

[gozierdt]

Re: whats your favorite tire... radial or bias?

ST rated radial for me, as stated above.

 

[dockwrecker]

Re: whats your favorite tire... radial or bias?

radials... I like using technology developed in the last hundred years or so at a minimum!

The perfect answer.

 

[superbenk]

Re: whats your favorite tire... radial or bias?

Just switched from bias to radial. I prefer the new radials even though they're definitely bouncier. They run cooler & smoother. I did a bunch of research and was persuaded to go radial when I read about their ability to resist puncture a bit better, can sit longer without getting flat spots, run cooler, run smoother (less resistance). They also tend to do better for long highway trips which is what I'm generally forced to do (closest body of water is a 45 minute drive along the turnpike).

 

[204 Escape]

Re: whats your favorite tire... radial or bias?

Radial.