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Going to Polyglas tires…should I?

VillaTA

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So I have BFG T/As on my 70 T/A. 275/60/15 in back and 245/60/15 in front. Frankly they are a little big. the fronts rub the frame. I love the look of a lower front end on these cars, and I cannot help but prefer the look of the original equipment tires. (I’m thinking about going for rally’s wheels as well, as mine has Mopar cop wheels, but that’s another thread). i know that bias plies are a rougher ride, but the look sure is right. I don’t use the car for anything but gentle cruising. No autocross or anything aggressive.
id love to hear the group’s pros and cons.
 

704406

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When I bought my 70 Cuda in 1972 it had the original Goodyear polyglass tires.
They were crap, zero traction, worse in the rain, followed every rut in the road and wore out fast.
There is a reason so many cars from that era crashed!
In my opinion unless it's going to be parked in your garage don't go back in time.
 

RSBChallenger

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If you drive it on the street at all I would stick with radials. As you noted the ride is harsher but also it will not steer as well (kinda wobble). You'll also get worse traction, maybe a plus if you like to do burnouts. I would guess they are also more expensive but have not priced them.
Sounds like you just need to back off on the fronts, go to 235's to stop rubbing. I also prefer the lowered look and that is what I had, though now I've switched to a 225/50R17.
 

moparleo

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15 X7 on the front 15 x 8 on the rea max
. The tires you have now are 4-5 sizes larger than the car came with. That is the fit problem.
The rear is the equivalent to the L size used back then and the front is a G size.
The original size tires for the T/A only were E60-15 front, G60-15 rear.
 

Chryco Psycho

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BFG are garbage tie at best , Nitto makes a 275 50 15 for the rear & It is a sticky tire .
Bias ply are very bad technology also & I agree if the car is a trailer queen & never driven the Polyglass are OK otherwise get something designed in the last decade .
 

Matt M

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I really like the look of the Polyglass Tires.
I am in the market for a set for my car.
I don't drive it much, but do on the street occasionally. I grew up driving this type of tire.
I don't think they are as bad as people say.
 

VillaTA

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I drove bias ply tires on my 1960 Chrysler for 10 years. It never bothered me much. I never drive in rain. I Rarely take the interstate and I’m not driving auto cross. That said I really don’t want my T/A to be a whole lot stiffer than it already is. It’s a marked departure from my land yacht’s suspension. Braking safety is another thing entirely though.
 

moparleo

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Many people go with the Coper Cobra for the RWL look but forget that Cooper also makes the Mickey Thompson street RWL tires.
Mickey Thompson tires were actually one of the real, 1970's period correct tires.
 

terrywalker

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I did on my 71 Challenger. They are just as I remember them from 1972. Look great. Do not handle well but since I don't do highway driving, they are okay.
Terry W.
 

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i_taz

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You obviously haven't been paying attention, I've been agonizing over Poly-Glass for a couple yrs but I know when I get them, Kesley will come out with a radial version like Coker did with the Wide Oval.
Wishing thinking on my part but I did come to a compromise of sorts, in my own mind anyway.

I had 255 on the back and 235 on the front and thought if I did go the Poly route they would all be F60's
so I did the next best thing put 235's on the rear and looks better than with the stagger.... Mission accomplished...for now...
 

VillaTA

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I could live with that tread if it was a 15 inch tire. I guess I’m just a fool for the exact look. I guess I’m just wondering how hard everyone is driving their cars. I never thought that my old Chrysler rode poorly with bias ply. You could feel the bumps and the grooves and ruts made you have to hold the wheel with both hands. But my TA is like that now with r@dials,albeit with tires that are 5 sizes too big. 😳
dropping it off Friday for an alignment and some other odds and ends work. I hope to have rallye and a tire selection by Christmastime.
 

i_taz

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Ya, I know, nice try but it doesn't count... Although they do like to brag it's rated from a 130 mph
carcass... If you ever talk to Rusty, he'll admit Coker did it right BUT they shot their whole
wad doing it, to which my response was.... So? But as I mentioned before it's not necessarily
their call since Goodyear still has a hand in any re-pop so I'm not holding my breathe. The 14"
is a good example of a corporate amalgamation if there ever was one...

 

MoparCarGuy

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Ya, I know, nice try but it doesn't count... Although they do like to brag it's rated from a 130 mph
carcass... If you ever talk to Rusty, he'll admit Coker did it right BUT they shot their whole
wad doing it, to which my response was.... So? But as I mentioned before it's not necessarily
their call since Goodyear still has a hand in any re-pop so I'm not holding my breathe. The 14"
is a good example of a corporate amalgamation if there ever was one...

I have ran the BFGs on Rallye 15x7s front/15x8s rear and currently run the Polyglas F60s on steelies. I preferred the radials for driving and the bias ply for show as most everyone agrees.
My next tires are going to be either the retro Firestone radials (OMG $399 each!) or Mickey Thompsons on my Rallyes. The Polyglas steelies will be show only.

70E22517-334D-4FEA-8684-723186832635.jpeg


975E6A30-019F-41B8-841A-9A7812526138.jpeg
 

VillaTA

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I have ran the BFGs on Rallye 15x7s front/15x8s rear and currently run the Polyglas F60s on steelies. I preferred the radials for driving and the bias ply for show as most everyone agrees.
My next tires are going to be either the retro Firestone radials (OMG $399 each!) or Mickey Thompsons on my Rallyes. The Polyglas steelies will be show only.

View attachment 86102

View attachment 86103
What size BFG are you using ?
 

ctaarman

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For my 2c, on my '70 AAR I run the original E and G sized polyglas tires. One of the big reasons people complain about the ride is because most modern tire shops don't know how to set up the alignment correctly. Do they track like radials? Hell no. How many times have I driven them more than 60 miles at a clip? That would be zero.

Polyglas are for the look. I think of the AAR as a pretty girl in high heels (polglas) vs. sneakers (radials). One looks really sexy while the other is more comfortable but not so hot looking.
 

VillaTA

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For my 2c, on my '70 AAR I run the original E and G sized polyglas tires. One of the big reasons people complain about the ride is because most modern tire shops don't know how to set up the alignment correctly. Do they track like radials? Hell no. How many times have I driven them more than 60 miles at a clip? That would be zero.

Polyglas are for the look. I think of the AAR as a pretty girl in high heels (polglas) vs. sneakers (radials). One looks really sexy while the other is more comfortable but not so hot looking.
Agree 100 percent.
 

moparleo

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FYI Alignment is adjusting angles, can't effect ride, only stability.

The ride is e-affected by the tires section height and flex of the sidewall which is why radial tires look flat. Flexible sidewall. The Poly-Glas tire was Goodyear's the next generation of tire construction ( bias/belted) to try to isolate the tread area from the sidewall, increasing traction.
Radial ply tires have essentially independent tread and sidewalls. Tread area stay's flat when cornering getting full traction of the tread. Bias ply tires when cornering starts to lift the tread area( the squealing you hear)
 
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