Gary,
You are going to get every opinion on this topic from the IML group that is to
be had by anyone. Many advocate that the cars were designed for old style
tires, so that is what they should have. Some have claimed that putting radial
tires on Imperial wheels from the '60s and earlier causes the rims to crack, or
ruined their cars.
I always think safety first, so if one believes that using modern tires on an
older car is going to be dangerous, than they should go with what they believe.
I have had excellent luck with radials on '60, '62, '63, '65, and '68
Imperials. I drove my '65 Imperial with several different sets of both new and
used radials over the years totaling over 100,000 miles. The current set of
radials have been on it for 15 years and seem to be fine. I have never broken a
wheel or suffered any road shock, vibration, or handling problems from them. In
fact, to the contrary, from the first time that I experienced radial tires on
an torsion bar suspension Imperial I have believed that they enhance the
superlative handling and cornering characteristics of those cars. My '65
Imperial has had Perrelli, Uniroyal (2 used sets), and finally the current
Goodyear Arrivas which are now quite old and out of production.
Not everyone agrees with this so you will have to make your decision once
everybody has posted.
On my '48 L.C., and my '55 and '56 Imperials I have had, and plan to keep the
old style tires. Those cars seem to handle fine with those old tires. I will
never say never, and since I have seen some very attractive new radial white
walls, I may try them someday on the older cars.
I have believed that "cheap" radials are not a great idea since they can come
apart, like any other cheap tire, but that the steel belts can add to the
sometimes disastrous outcome. I heard of a man who lost a '49 Cadillac to a
roadside explosion after a disintegrating rear radial tire ruptured his gas
tank, which was further exacerbated by sparks from the shredded metal coming in
contact with fuel and vapors.
Cheap tires are never a good bargain. All tires need to be properly maintained.
Paul
In a message dated 4/5/2004 10:44:30 PM Eastern Standard Time, GKitterma writes:
> For what its worth...
> I'm researching new tires for the '56 C-73 (Babe) that I recently purchased.
>It has been pointed out by others that the Coker catalog recommends 2 1/2" to
>2 11/16" whitewall widths for '54 through '56, and 2 1/4" to 2 1/2" for '57
>through '61(2004 catalog).
> Last Friday I spoke to Irvin @ Coker and was told that P235/75R15 tires were
>listed incorrectly as 2 7/8", but were actually 3". More importantly, the 75
>and 80 series radials listed under "B F Goodrich Silvertown Radial Wide
>Whitewalls", in fact carried the Coker logo. The 70 series listed there are
>the only tires with the BFG logo.He said that the 75 and 80 series tires would
>be available with the BFG logo in approx. 12/14 weeks. The tires are
>manufactured in Mexico by Denman.
> In a later conversation with one of their dealers from whom I've purchased
>Coker bias ply tires (Firestone), I learned that they choose not to carry the
>75 series tires in inventory because of the yellowing problems they've with
>them.
> So I've decided to wait on the new BFG logo 75 series.
> Now comes the opinion that one should not buy radials for these older cars.
> My experience has been the other way around. I removed the Firestones from my
>'40 Buick Roadmaster and mounted an inexpensive set of radials to see how the
>car rode and handled. I was amazed at the improvement in ride, reduced squeal
>in turns, and it tracked beautifully.
> I would really appreciate input from other members on this
> subject. I really don't want to make an expensive mistake.
> Gary Kitterman
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