Wes,
Bias and radial ply tyres are really different animals. Always trying to
run on the cheap I ran various tyres a lot and switched between bias and
radial quite a bit. The radial tends to roll under lateral loading a lot
more than the bias tyre does and more negative camber keeps tie tread
contact patch flatter to the road. Having run both the camber setting for
one can work for the other but won't be optimum. I've always found the
bias tyre wanted less negative camber than the radial.
Even though some radials would stick better than the bias, the bias
always were more enjoyable to push to and past their limits. The bias
tyre has more lateral thrust and really had problems with rutted pavement
as that found on the street. It would take more steering input effort to
remain straight in a rutted lane than was needed to enter a tight corner.
When the rut changed, the car could change lanes instantly with virtually
no warning. Bias tyres very fun on track, frightening at times on the
street. The radials exhibited none of this effect. Fortunately, most race
tracks have no ruts.
One thing that has always bothered me, the first street radials I ever
drove on were so much better than any bias tyre I had driven to that
time. How could the Hoosier's be so much fun?
One thing I have been hearing recently is that some organizations are not
allowing the use of Hoosier radials in vintage. Anyone run unto this?
Bill 70 GT-6+
On Sun, 14 Oct 2001 10:00:30 +1000 Wes Dayton <wdayton@attglobal.net>
writes:
> I find that the recent notes on the subjects of Hoosier tires and
> negative camber happening at the same time too tempting. I have
> heard
> some "paddock chatter" to the tune of "negative camber is good stuff
> for
> radials - like our much-loved Yokos - but cross bias tires don't
> like it
> so much".
>
> Considering the fact that I have a box full of TR6 etc suspension
> bits
> ready to apply to the TR3A combined with the real prospect that once
> the
> Yokos I have are worn out, the next option is likely to be Vintage
> TDs,
> I'm starting to wonder - why am I doing this? But I always thought
> that
> the main benefit of the negative camber was to enable the "working"
> (outside) tire to work better under hard cornering, so why would it
> be
> different for different tire types?
>
> I know this is a vexed area that will have millions of different
> answers, but I'm just curious - is there some truth to the idea that
> cross-ply tires are different?
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