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Radials?


Guest AndiM

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I'm thinking about making the switch to radials on my 1960 Buick LeSabre. I was recently cautioned at a car show that my original hub caps may not work with the radials. Can anyone confirm or offer advice?

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Radials

I have two 1960 Buicks, an Electra and an Electra 225. I would guess that the rims for a LeSabre are the same as the Electras. The original hubcap does not even come close to the tire sidewall to cause contact between tire and hubcap. Both my cars have radials. Both cars are driven on pavement in city and highway traffic. Both cars are driven on Alberta gravel roads but to an absolute minimum. Our roads are no where near the condition that roads in Georgia probably are due to our temperature extremes. Unless your hubcaps are lose already, radial tires should not make a difference (in my opinion).

The tires on my cars are Diamond Back (Michelin) for the simple reason that Diamond Back will put on a whitewall that is in the correct width and location for 1960. This was important to me and I found that other suppliers have standard widths that are not necessarily correct for that year.

Diamond Back recommended 235 75R15 tires as an equivalent size. The Electra had no problem with the tires. In the 225 though, I had a problem at the rear wheel area. When I went over a road bump, the tires would rub on the exhaust pipe. To overcome this I had to readjust the exhaust pipe brackets. If I had to do it all over again, I would probably go one size smaller which I belive is the 225 series. When I bought the car it did have the 225 series radial but with the wrong whitewall width. With the 225 series there was no rubbing. I have had the radials for four or five years.

Hope this helps you somewhat.

Lawrence

BCA 44046

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The wheel flexing is a real problem. I built up a 62 Skylark convertible, with radials, and turned it over to my teenage son. The hubcaps kept disappearing. Once I caught wind of his crazy driving and bent the prongs out on the hub caps, I pretty much fixed the problem. That was in the 90's. A few years ago he asked me why I sold it so quickly. I told him I got tired of fixing it. He beat the daylights out of that car.

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Dave, for some, the price of today's radials versus the price of "correct' tires is a no brainer. Price of after market tires, better handling and ride of radials made it an easy choice for me. As opposed to correct look. Besides when we are sitting behind the wheel, I can't see the tires any way.:D

I agree with you if the car is primarily a show car.

Ben

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"Wheel flex" can be variable with the particular wheels AND cars . . . NOT just Buicks or Radial Tires. In late '67, our family bought a '66 Chrysler Newport Town Sedan (6-window 4-dr sedan). The rh front wheel cover kept turning in the wheel and taking the valve stem with it. On the particular wheels, there were "bumps" on either side of the valve stem hole. Similarly, on the wheel cover, there were tangs to contact the bumps. No matter what I tried, that one wheel cover kept moving on the wheel. Bent tangs? Yes, to no avail. I finally took the valve stem extensions (remember those?) off of that one wheel and just let the cover turn as it seemingly desired to do. To me, that was the easiest thing to do.

Later, when I upgraded the wheel covers to '66 New Yorker wheel covers (for about $50.00 for the set of 4 . . . big money back then), same thing happened on that ONE wheel position. Tires? Goodyear Super Power Cushion 855x14 bias ply, Sonic-brand tires, and the last ones were BFG Silvertown Belted H78x14s . . . no radials. This was all going on pre-1974!

In '81, I purchased a similar '67 Newport, a 2-dr Fastop this time, with the same 14x5.5 wheels. Wheel flex was not nearly what it had been on the '66, even with fabric-belted P225/75x14 tires or the later P245/70R-14 BFG Advantage T/As (6-ply rated fabric belted radials) on factory 14x6.5" station wagon wheels.

End result, it doesn't take radial tires to cause "wheel flex"-related wheel cover movement/displacement on certain wheels.

ONE other thing to consider when going to radials is how prone the rear bumper area is to dragging on certain driveway/entrance approaches. From my experience on one car, it started out with H78x15 bias ply tires, but was prone to dragging the rear dual exhaust (factory) if I was not careful about how I approached such entrances. Turned out the rear leaf springs had sagged (even the "load levelers" didn't help much), so I went to a JR78x15 radial for a little taller sidewall (which would allow for the "radial bulge" in the sidewall so the ride height was the same. The load levelers were later replaced with Gabriel air shocks and that combination cured the "dragging" issue.

To me, the P225/75R-15 radials are of the correct dimensions to look right on most full-size cars of the '60s. The P235/75R-15s are a little to tall for my tastes on those cars, PLUS being on the ragged edge of compatibility with the 5.5" rim widths which typically came on those cars, a little less so with the 6" wide rims some middle-late '60s cars could have come with.

Just some thoughts . . .

NTX5467

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I have 2 old rides; a 1955 Cad Coupe de Ville with bias ply tires and a 1962 Dynamic 88 Olds with radials. I can really tell the difference in handling between the two. The Cad with bias ply tires mandates that one pay close attention to where you are in a lane/on the road. If you do not, you will find yourself where one does not want to be; viz., in close proximity to another vehicle! Never have that problem withe the Olds.

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