bias ply vs radial

[StoneyRedneck]

I see these terms a lot when looking at tires, and understand the difference between the two, I am just curious what the pros/cons of each are.

You guys have any input?

[Matt'sXJ]

radial's are more likely to fail offroad, especially at low pressures. The steel belts break and can slip in the tire. I have a friend with a 33 tsl radial that has a huge bulge in it now from being used offroad.

bias ply tires don't balance well, get flat spots, operate at higher temperatures, but are usually better offroad.

Just my experiences, not a tire pro by any means.

[peej08]

my opinion is bias off road, radial on road.
bias comform better to the terrian than a radial off road, and resist sidewall punchers better.
radials ride smoother, balance and handle better on the road. but are very prone to sidewall punchers.
it all depends on what you do with your ride.
just get two sets of wheels and have road tires and off-road tires. lol... money is not an object in this lost cause of a sport. a jeep is only a money pit. hehehehe...

[Martin XJ]

I'm struggling with this issue at the moment myself. I'm looking at super swampers, radial or bias... I drive my jeep very little on road, but I flat tow it to go wheelin.
I've given some thought to the 2 sets of tires/wheels, but cost and storage are issues.
I'll keep an eye on this thread in the days here leading up to my tire purchase. Thanks for starting it Shane.

[vlemasters]

I just got some bias super swampers. They are definitely more squirrely on the road than my old tires. Drive well other than that. I put about a pound of air soft pellets in them and balancing doesn't seem to be an issue. In previous tires I have used around a pound of regular bb's and they work well but a pound of these airsoft pellets looks like an awful lot in a tire. I might try to get by with a little less than a pound next time. Do well off road though they do need to be aired down off road to show their true capabilities.
Vern

[Andy's03]

There is very little difference in Bias VS. Radial in all Interco Tires....dont buy them thinking you are gonna get 30k miles out of the set....it just aint gonna happen for most of them. I have heard a few on here say that they got decent milage out of the Truxus but TSL or Iroks wont get anywhere near that kind of milage.

[StoneyRedneck]

Good info. I currently have bias ply on mine. It is a bit rough of a ride, but wasn't sure if that is why or not. They don't seem to bad on the road as long as I stay off the interstate. The guy that mounted them put what looked to be 10lbs of weights on them trying to balance them and the weights made it about 100' before they started popping off. I had heard I would get a little better gas mileage with Radials, and this is probably due to the balancing issues you guys are mentioning.

As great as that sounds, I still think I am going to go with bias ply again, as I like how they function off road (even though my ride is mostly a DD). I do plan on trying the BB trick with the next set though.

Maybe one day I will be able to get a hold of a second set of wheels and tires that are a bit more road friendly, but I just dig the crap out of the aggressive look my tires give the Jeep. I have figured out that when it comes to my Jeep, I will never be able to decide on anything 100%.

[Matt'sXJ]

Put some airsoft bb's in the tires. They will balance better than the falling off wheel weights.

[StoneyRedneck]

Put some airsoft bb's in the tires. They will balance better than the falling off wheel weights.

Would I be able to put these in the tire somehow without having to take them back to someone to mount them again? I have never tried to let the air out of a tire all the way and slip it off the rim. Is that possible?

[Andy's03]

Would I be able to put these in the tire somehow without having to take them back to someone to mount them again? I have never tried to let the air out of a tire all the way and slip it off the rim. Is that possible?

Very easy to break the outter bead.

[Fred]

that is possible and pretty easy. You can also remove the valve stem and feed them in there but you better free a few days. Best bet is to break the bead on the tire on one side put in the AirSoft BB's and remount. You can do it in your driveway. Only bad part is if not enough/too much you have to break the bead again and again untill correct

[roadkilgrill]

How do you know the right amount?

[StoneyRedneck]

Awesome I will give this a try. I know they have to be way out of balance at this point with all the weights I have lost.

[peej08]

try a google search for alternitive wheel balance and there are several sites that will give the amount of weight per size of tire.
lighter pellets take more, lead pellets not so many. air pellets won't rust or damage wheel or tire.
powder balance was the origanal way but gets messy if wet. ie, bead break down on trail in rain.

[peej08]

I'm struggling with this issue at the moment myself. I'm looking at super swampers, radial or bias... I drive my jeep very little on road, but I flat tow it to go wheelin.
I've given some thought to the 2 sets of tires/wheels, but cost and storage are issues.
I'll keep an eye on this thread in the days here leading up to my tire purchase. Thanks for starting it Shane.


if you tow the bias they will wear just as fast as if you drive them. i suggest a set of nice street tread radials and nasty tread bias.:cool:

[jkrubi]

check out this link on pirate4x4:

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/Pitbull/

go a little over half way down for a great description of bias vs. radials and all the pros and cons of each.