Going to Polyglas tires…should I?

[heminut]

FYI Alignment is adjusting angles, can't effect ride, only stability.

The ride is e-affected by the tires section height and flex of the sidewall which is why radial tires look flat. Flexible sidewall. The Poly-Glas tire was Goodyear's the next generation of tire construction ( bias/belted) to try to isolate the tread area from the sidewall, increasing traction.
Radial ply tires have essentially independent tread and sidewalls. Tread area stay's flat when cornering getting full traction of the tread. Bias ply tires when cornering starts to lift the tread area( the squealing you hear)

I did front end alignments at a couple of dealerships for 5 years in the 70's when radial tires were first getting a foothold. We were definitely given different specs for radial tires vs. bias tires on cars back then. There IS a difference in the alignment specs, but bias ply tires are so uncommon now most people don't know that!

 

[moparleo]

I also sold those tires in the 70's-90's. The specs were different but that had nothing to do with ride. Stability. Caster and toe-in mainly. Radial tires were in their infancy in the 70's . We didn't know how to make them with out having pulling, vibration and belt separation problems.
Radial tires have stiffer slip angles and needed less toe in because they tracked straight.
A lot has been learned about radial characteristics since then.
Alignment is still not a ride component. Handling and wear...

 

[heminut]

. Caster and toe-in mainly. Radial tires were in their infancy in the 70's . We didn't know how to make them with out having pulling, vibration and belt separation problems.
Radial tires have stiffer slip angles and needed less toe in because they tracked straight.
A lot has been learned about radial characteristics since then.

Totally correct! I remember all the issues we had with tread separation on those early radials too. It was recommended to never run a radial in reverse rotation to what it was originally ran to avoid separation, ie; no crossing sides on tire rotation.

 

[MoparCarGuy]

What size BFG are you using ?

275/60R15 rear and 245/60R15 front.

 

[moparleo]

So after all this, have you decided on the tire and rim size you are going to go with ? Something closer to the correct sizing or what ???

 

[VillaTA]

So after all this, have you decided on the tire and rim size you are going to go with ? Something closer to the correct sizing or what ???

I definitely believe I’ll be going to the equivalent size of the G-60 in the rear and E-60 in the front. I just can’t fall in love with the Firestone wide oval, mainly cause it says “wide oval”. The poly glass looks sooo good. Maybe I’ll put a set of polyglas on my rallye wheels after I buy them and keep the T/A BFG on these mopar cop wheels, albeit with smaller sizes.

 

[moparleo]

That is what the tires said back then when the cars were new. Goodyear Poly Glas GT, Firestone Wide Oval, Uniroyal Tiger Paw, Mickey Thompson Indy Profile, etc... The Radial T/A's were actually available a little later in those sizes., not in 1970.

 

[ph23vo]

I definitely believe I’ll be going to the equivalent size of the G-60 in the rear and E-60 in the front. I just can’t fall in love with the Firestone wide oval, mainly cause it says “wide oval”. The poly glass looks sooo good. Maybe I’ll put a set of polyglas on my rallye wheels after I buy them and keep the T/A BFG on these mopar cop wheels, albeit with smaller sizes.

NUFF SAID...

 

[ted s]

the poly looking radiuals wont work for any real judging

 

[70CudaFE5]

I’m interested in switching tires to the original look of Good Year raised letter F70-15 Polyglas from the current BF Goodrich radials. I don’t drive the car much other than Car shows and some occasional Sunday drive(s). I know the ride won’t be as good as the radial, but, the look is what I’m after. Any suggestions on where to purchase and any
specs ?

Thanks in advance for your help !

 

[Chryco Psycho]

IMO no ,only if your car is a trailer queen & original .
Of course I am no fan of BFG either after all of the failures I have seen .

 

[70CudaFE5]

It was restored in 2012, original drive train, not a trailer queen. I saw there are radials that have the same Good Year raised letter but have F70R.

 

[Chryco Psycho]

A small letter Good Year radial could be a good choice if it made well .
A friend has Good Year bias tires with no miles on them & they are coming apart just sitting there .

 

[70CudaFE5]

A small letter Good Year radial could be a good choice if it made well .
A friend has Good Year bias tires with no miles on them & they are coming apart just sitting there .

Thanks, hoping to hear others experiences and reference.

 

[i_taz]

If your looking for professional advice you need to talk to Rusty 816-654-3400. He is a retailer for Kelsey tires who make the repop's but is a straight shooter and knows all the goings on concerning retro tires.
It seems like a no brainer to do with the 15" Poly-glass like Cooker did with the
Wide Oval. Kelsey tried with the 14" using a modern tread design not the bias-ply look Cooker did
because Goodyear Corp. still has a say in what they put their name on according to him.
Like anything else, there needs to be ground swell of support for it to happen but if you
decide to go with them he can get you the best price.

 

[fasjac]

I’m interested in switching tires to the original look of Good Year raised letter F70-15 Polyglas from the current BF Goodrich radials. I don’t drive the car much other than Car shows and some occasional Sunday drive(s). I know the ride won’t be as good as the radial, but, the look is what I’m after. Any suggestions on where to purchase and any
specs ?

Thanks in advance for your help !

They do look good but, the money ( if it’s an object), how they perform.
I too like the look of original. Even a hotrod with protrac tires and cragars is cool to me. Good luck to you.

 

[fasjac]

There is already a radial "RWL Poly-Glas tire out, but the tread pattern makes it look bad.

View attachment 86058

Agreed! I wonder why the semi A/T look.
Get the passenger tread right on that tire, and you have a winner.