I used to hear bad things about running bias ply tires on the street for extended periods. Bad treadwear, lousy gas mileage, odd wear, etc.

I haven't seen any recent debates about it and wondered if technology has improved on bias ply construction to the point of being a viable alternative to radials for a daily driven vehicle.

When my Runner gets back on the road, it will be getting 35's. There are some nice options available looking beyond radials only.

 

bias ply contruction hasn't changed with technology, they still ride like crap on the street, and wont last very long either....

 

I daily drove the past 22K miles on bias TSL's. Only reason im not right now is that i just had a blowout yesterday, and between that and one of mine getting sliced i only have 3 good ones.

I never had any problems daily driving on them. Fuel economy stayed exactly the same on the highway as my radial 33's that are less than 32" tall. Yes, they flat spotted, but they warmed up and smoothed out within a mile or two. I actually prefer the handling characteristics of my truck and the ride quality of the bias TSL's over my POS radial BFG's.

Mine were ballanced with golf balls and saw 500 highway miles a week. At 22K miles they still have life left in them, too. Take care of your tires and you will get a lot of life out of them. Balance them decently, keep them roatated, and keep an eye on tire pressure and you should be good. I have no doubt that had i not had one sliced open i would have gone 30K miles with them, and thats on a 6K pound+ K5 with an automatic locker out back.

People drove on bias ply tires for 50 years, i dont know why people make a big deal about them now.

 

I ran bias plies once - 32x11.50. The truck steered like ˟˟˟˟˟, and they didn't grip on the corners either. When cold the flat spots didn't go away for an hour. Never again. Besides, except for hardcore off road tires, their really aren't any bias ply tires left. Probably for good reason.

 

Nice to see this timely topic. I just ordered a set of Buckshot mudders bias ply. I don't have them yet so I can't really comment on the ride or mileage. However, my dad had a set of the Buckshots on a '66 Bronco (which he rolled and totalled) and he can't stop talking about those tires. He now has a jeep with radial TSL's and he hates them. I live in South Florida, so I'm not too worried about flat spotting in the cold, and I have another car so the truck is not my daily driver. I should be getting them in the next few days, so I'll post again once I've driven on them. Everyone has told me how impressed I'll be with them offroad, can't wait to find out.

 

There is a very good reason why we don't use bias ply tires except maybe on Off Road Equipment:
http://www.michelinag.com/agx/en-US/...ias_radial.jsp

 

Thanks for the link. Looks like I'll stick with Radials after reading that.

 

There's also this: http://board.marlincrawler.com/index.php?topic=11859.0

 

I like my tsl's. Yeh they ride like hell when cold but after 1-2 miles they straighten out. I see some off road that has alot of mud and that is my main reason for getting them. I don't need speed and I know I'm never going to see it with this 3.0 so cornering isn't a problem. I went through some muddy spots last weekend that would have required 4 wheel drive with radials. But to each his own...if you want speed and less hardcore 4wheeling then the bias isn't for you. Plus the reaction you get from some people passing by is priceless.

 

the only thing really different between my old laredos and my TSLs is that the TSLs are noiser(duh) and kind of shake when coming to a stop(mainly from the huge lugs individually hitting the ground). i can count the times they've flat spotted on one hand -- all were in freezing temperatures after the truck had been sitting for a good long while.

they're really not that bad.

 

gotta fully agree with kyle...i like the sound though!

 

I've worn out two sets of bias ply tires: Mickey Baja Belteds, and Swamper TSL SXs. Unless you really want the off-road flex benefit of bias ply tires, I would recommend radials. Cost should not be the reason to buy bias ply. I've had 4 sets of BFG tires (AT, MT, and Long Trail) and they wear a lot longer on the street. I only got 20k miles out of the Mickeys and the Swampers. I would never buy another set of Swampers to drive on the road. The BFG's (33's and 35's) can get 40k miles out of a set.

You need to decide what you want to do with your truck when you buy tires. If you can afford it, have two sets of tires (one for road and one for off). Then, maybe consider bias ply.

 

actually, radials flex better than most bias tires. bias ply tires are usually preferred because of their beefier sidewalls -- most are 4 or 6 ply, while most radials are 2 ply or 3 ply.

 

I agree that most radial sidewalls flex better than most bias ply sidewalls, but I thought the tread area on radials was stiffer than bias ply.

You also have to keep in mind the type of bias ply tire. The Mickeys had less plies (maybe 3) than the typical Swamper tire (4-6).

 

I've got LTBs and while they've only been on for about 500 mi the nubbins on the tread are still there. They've been through all types of terrain (highway, city, gravel roads, dirt roads, mud/ruts, dry ruts, rocks etc.) Ya they're noisier then my old racing slicks but no tthat bad, I think they sound pretty cool kinda like a prop plane but its really not bad at all, neither is the ride a little rougher but it smooths out as you speed up. I went from 28.5s to 34s and only lost ~1-2 mpg. They handle just fine for a truck and I can make all the corners at the same speeds as my old ones w/ot any squealing sliding etc.