How do radials handle differently when towing? Should the TV also be radial equipped?
I find the handling to be excellant . As far as the TV , most will already have radials unless it's a collector . I don't believe it would matter one way or the other , as long as you don't mix radial and bias ply on the same vehicle . And NEVER mix them on the same axle.
On my 60 trdwnd ,I run 700-15 D range bias ,I had original split rims with
D range tires ,still have one original one in the garage (never too be used )
with the tire on it D range .With the C range you have limited capacity as
Sugarfoot has said ,my 60 weighs 3150 # dry .the tires can carry 4080 #
so with water and propane ,supplies and all ,its neccessary to have the D
range tires .Dacia ,Id keep those whites and get the best quality tire .I
did have C range tires installed when I bought the trailer ,to get it to CA
from Nebraska ,and took it to the silver trailer social in Calistoga Ca .They
gave no trouble ,but I knew I was close to the max on the rating .My
wheels were brand new so it was no trouble changing to the D tires .you have towed quite alot with those tires ,they seem to be working good
for you .As far as radials go ,they definately do cause a more wiggely
or looser feeling do to the 2 ply soft side walls that make radials smoother
and they are ,but the bias plys are definately more stable do to the stiffer
sidewalls ,4 ply thats just the way they are made .A single axle will show
more of the wigglyness of radials than a tandem dual axle unit will .You
need to tow the same trailer with both types of tires to see how they
handle ,only then can you see how different they are .
My 1960 TW is a single axle and was originally sold, according to original owner's notes, with 700-15 6 ply. So I believe I should stick with C rated.
Its my understanding that radials may not be the best choice for the older vintage coaches, something about the ability to give, pitch, or yaw? or something to do with the spring leaf suspension vs. Duratorque axles? I can't remember exactly but maybe someone in the know can elaborate. Or, that could have come to me in a dream and I've confused it with reality.
Not knowing what the wheels are rated for it is probably wise to stick with the C rated tires . That being said , what is the GVWR of your ,60 unit , not the dry weight. It may be hard to find C rated tires that can handle that . It may be time to replace the wheels also . I have no experience with the single axle units , so as far as radial or bias ply I'll leave that to others . Most pickups have leaf springs in the rear and use radials .
Are there any Wide Whitewall trailer tires out there you don't have to pay an arm and a leg for (like Coopers at $200 a pop). I like the look. For that matter are there any reasonably priced white wall trailer tires of any width anymore. The few places I have inquired at say they are no longer manufactured. My 71 Tradewind has whitewall Goodyear trailer tires on it. They are real old and shot, maybe original. I remember a long time ago Whitney's had aftermarket wide whitewall add ons. I haven't seen them for a while either.
I know Dacias been light on the weight loading of her trdwnd and has
been watching it carefully.The wheels she has are one piece vintage steel
wheels with cool " airstream " logo hubcaps ,definately a cool combination .
Ive been looking in hemmings motor news publication for white walls for
Sugarfoots trdwnd trying to find tires .some are tube type whites and some are not .Coker tire is a major player in the vintage tire business and there
are other souces also .most all are C range tires none are ST or anything
they usually are bias tires ,which are fine also .Coker can get any of the tires the other tire businesses in Hemmings offers they say .so you might get a copy at the local magazine store and check into it ,Dacia should be able
to provide you cokers phone number .
and as for the questions about whitewalls... i am into kustom cars and old trucks and whatnot, and while reading those magazines i remember seeing an article about a company that would turn any tire you wanted (even a radial) into a whitewall. after a bit of searching, i turned up this link of a company that sells radials with the whitewalls already on 'em, and this article: http://www.mbzponton.org/valueadded/...ne_article.pdf on THREE different ways to make your own "wide whites"
i can keep searching if anyone wants more info on that.... but that may be an easier way to get "the look" without breaking "the bank"
Dear Hubby, you have the correct tires and rating for your coach .
your overlander did in fact come with 700-15 tires and the four of them
are correctly rated for the weight .700 is the size of the tire basically
and the 15 is for 15" wheel .The ply rating is 6 ,but they actually have
8 ,4 sidewall and 4 tread plys .Mine are D 8 ply ,but actually have 5 tread plys and 4 side wall ,so nine plys in all .LT is light truck ,there were no ST
tires made until some years ago when ST radial trailer tires came along.
many thoughts on those , you can check the (search) function for more
info and discussion on those as well .My old split rims had 700-15 D LT tires
on them .Bias ply 700-15 LT tires came on airstreams for 30 years or longer
so they are appropriate for them ,that said ,you can run radials as well if
desired and again ,many posts on those choices as well .Goodyear makes the workhorse rib Bias ,as well as other tire manafacturers .towmaster is
another good choice as well as Herculese Bias that Im currently using .
Others are available as well .
Something definitely worth considering and has been mentioned here several times is the speed rating of the tires you choose. It may or may not require changing the wheels too but with highway speeds up to 75 MPH on many interstates, we as a whole are traveling faster. I'd like to say I keep it around 65 and most of us do, but I see many of (us) flying by at 70+. If you tow faster than 65, and I'll be the first to admit I have and will again, ST tires are not for you. The load range is the most important up until that point and then it becomes both.
I know Dacias been light on the weight loading of her trdwnd and has
been watching it carefully.The wheels she has are one piece vintage steel
wheels with cool " airstream " logo hubcaps ,definately a cool combination .
Scott
Yes, I've been keeping it light. Dry my TW is 3150 lbs and my gross weight loaded ranges between 3500-3700 lbs. I won't tow with full tanks right now either. BTW, Scott, thanks for keeping an eye out for replacement wide whites. I'm finding plenty of B load range whites, but few C. Another thing, I don't know if it makes a difference, but my PO also put tubes in the whites I have currently. Not sure how much effect that has on load rating if any.
I suppose one must talk to the dealer for speed rating info since I'm not finding it online. It may be a non-issue since I rarely travel over 60 mph. I'm also limited on cross-section, can't be more than 8.8 or it will rub the shock. Diameter can't be more than 31 inches or it rubs the wheel well. BTW Scott, I have been informed by Coker here in Chattanooga that Coker Tire and Universal Vintage Tire are both Coker holdings. When I mentioned to them that I may have to go to their competition at Universal, he whipped out Universal's stock list and laughed saying, "Hey, Universal is Coker too, most people just don't know it."
What I have right now is this from Universal Vintage. What I want is another higher load-rated (2000 lb) wide whitewall C-6 ply, 15 inch, outer diameter no more than 31" and cross-section no more than 8.8. I'm within my limits now if my tanks are empty but have no margin for error. I want to run with full tanks and still have a good margin of safety. Full tanks and a loaded coach would put me pushing between up to 3900 lbs on the axle.
Tall order, huh. I realize I can probably find something to meet those specs and lose the whitewall. The kicker is the whitewall. I have a feeling I'll have to eventually sacrifice them.
Sugarfoot;
Yea, I finally had to give up on white walls on my 1984 Camaro Berlinetta.
That being said, I have not looked to see what is available in the Load Range C.
The tires I went to are black wall, the next load range but the dimentions are within your parameters: Max width 8.8 and 29.4 OD.
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