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Flipseat
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Joined: July 09, 2000
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Location: Nursing 40 horses back to health.
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 Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 8:44 pm Post subject: Current stock 15" tire offerings? |
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Yeah, another tire thread. I've read tons of em too. Anything currently being offered in an extra load/LT 15" tire for a bus that I'm not aware of? I can't find a darn thing anywhere near a stock size that aren't trailer tires, and I work for Bridgestone Americas. I'm thinking of picking up a set of 6.40-15 Firestones from Coker, just worried that they're going to stink for handling.
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sled
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| Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 9:20 pm Post subject: |
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please just get some 6.40's for this bus..
oh, and some correct bumpers/decklid 
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Flipseat
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Location: Nursing 40 horses back to health.
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| Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 9:33 pm Post subject: |
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| sled wrote: |
please just get some 6.40's for this bus..
oh, and some correct bumpers/decklid |
Bumpers and decklid are staying. The original ones are still sitting in my loft. 6.40s are going on if nobody pops in here with anything better. I can have Coker bring them to the Iola old car show in a couple weeks and save the shipping cost.
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sled
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| Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 9:40 pm Post subject: |
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ah well, I tried!
I have bias ply tires on my 61 westy and I love them. granted, they are not coker firestones, but I have to imagine they would be comparable.
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guatebus
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quartermilecamel
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| Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 10:52 pm Post subject: |
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I just looked at the nexen link. Went to click on specs.........it shows the categories and says not available????
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perello
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| Posted: Wed Jul 01, 2015 12:44 am Post subject: |
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not stock , but the closer modern repalcement, in europe is fairly easy to find 185R15, thats the size I will mount on mine.
and they are not expensive (around $50 for a non far east made tire)
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srfndoc
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| Posted: Wed Jul 01, 2015 1:12 pm Post subject: |
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Do those have the proper load rating (C or D here with 6 or 8 plys) and who makes them? I wonder why they aren't available in the US.
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mandraks
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Joined: November 28, 2004
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Location: Lawrenceville, Ga
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| Posted: Wed Jul 01, 2015 2:26 pm Post subject: |
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| srfndoc wrote: |
| Do those have the proper load rating (C or D here with 6 or 8 plys) and who makes them? I wonder why they aren't available in the US. |
http://www.petlas.com/en/tire/full-power-pt825/PT825/
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earlywesty
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Location: In the woods, Ontario
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| Posted: Wed Jul 01, 2015 2:52 pm Post subject: |
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Just go for the 6.40s.
I looked around and ended up going with bias plys. I love them. Just did 2100 miles in my stock 58 westy with them and loved it. The handling is not horrible at all, radials might be better handling but I am not sure it makes a difference on these vehicles, at least at the speeds I drive them.
They would look sick on your westy. Nice bus btw. |
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mandraks
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Location: Lawrenceville, Ga
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| Posted: Wed Jul 01, 2015 6:33 pm Post subject: |
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| buseric wrote: |
Just go for the 6.40s.
I looked around and ended up going with bias plys. I love them. Just did 2100 miles in my stock 58 westy with them and loved it. The handling is not horrible at all, radials might be better handling but I am not sure it makes a difference on these vehicles, at least at the speeds I drive them.
They would look sick on your westy. Nice bus btw. |
that would get my vote any time. bias plies and good shocks turn a bus into a cadillac
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Flipseat
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Location: Nursing 40 horses back to health.
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| Posted: Wed Jul 01, 2015 9:22 pm Post subject: |
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Well, its nice to hear that the bias plys won't suck. I used to run them on my old 57 oval and they weren't horrible...
I'll give Coker a call in the morning and get em coming. I've run these Bridgestones for way too long. They're spent. Coker quoted me 165 a pop for blackwalls when I called them a month or so ago.
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EverettB 
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earlywesty
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Joined: May 03, 2004
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Location: In the woods, Ontario
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| Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2015 4:03 am Post subject: |
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| Flipseat wrote: |
Well, its nice to hear that the bias plys won't suck. I used to run them on my old 57 oval and they weren't horrible...
I'll give Coker a call in the morning and get em coming. I've run these Bridgestones for way too long. They're spent. Coker quoted me 165 a pop for blackwalls when I called them a month or so ago. |
They are different than radials but I like the way they ride. The only annoying thing is when you cross a lift bridge or get on some pavement that has been chewed up for road re-paving, they track weird in those situations, presumably due to the longitudinal tread design.
You'll like them and they'll look great on that bus.
I've also had the Nexen SV820s and they were a great radial tire. |
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srfndoc
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| Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2015 7:54 am Post subject: |
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$165 each is $$$ for tires. They definitely look nice but that's a lot of coin to look original.
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BulliBill
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| Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2015 9:03 am Post subject: |
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Hey Isaiah,
I totally love the Coker Firestone 6.40 x 15" bias ply tires! They ride great on a Bus, strong sidewalls and perfect match for the Split Bus. Got 'em on my '59 Double-Door Panel, and Kent Z. runs 'em on all his early Buses too. I was skeptical at first, but he convinced me to drive his Bus with those tires and after trying them out, I got a set for the Panel. Not cheap, but very glad I bought 'em!
Bill
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srfndoc
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| Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2015 9:27 am Post subject: |
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| buseric wrote: |
| Flipseat wrote: |
Well, its nice to hear that the bias plys won't suck. I used to run them on my old 57 oval and they weren't horrible...
I'll give Coker a call in the morning and get em coming. I've run these Bridgestones for way too long. They're spent. Coker quoted me 165 a pop for blackwalls when I called them a month or so ago. |
They are different than radials but I like the way they ride. The only annoying thing is when you cross a lift bridge or get on some pavement that has been chewed up for road re-paving, they track weird in those situations, presumably due to the longitudinal tread design.
You'll like them and they'll look great on that bus.
I've also had the Nexen SV820s and they were a great radial tire. |
Hey Eric,
Since you have driven on both bias plys and the Nexen's, would you say they are equally stable at freeway speed? I've always heard that the bias plys tend to follow the grooves in the road (like you mentioned) and that was a concern. Also, how do they do in wet conditions (especially with stopping)? Driving a heavy Westy like you, I know the firm sidewalls would be very supportive but I also didn't want to sacrifice what you get from a radial in stopping/wet performance.
Thanks
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EverettB
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Location: Phoenix Metro
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| Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2015 9:39 am Post subject: |
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| srfndoc wrote: |
| buseric wrote: |
| Flipseat wrote: |
Well, its nice to hear that the bias plys won't suck. I used to run them on my old 57 oval and they weren't horrible...
I'll give Coker a call in the morning and get em coming. I've run these Bridgestones for way too long. They're spent. Coker quoted me 165 a pop for blackwalls when I called them a month or so ago. |
They are different than radials but I like the way they ride. The only annoying thing is when you cross a lift bridge or get on some pavement that has been chewed up for road re-paving, they track weird in those situations, presumably due to the longitudinal tread design.
You'll like them and they'll look great on that bus.
I've also had the Nexen SV820s and they were a great radial tire. |
Hey Eric,
Since you have driven on both bias plys and the Nexen's, would you say they are equally stable at freeway speed? I've always heard that the bias plys tend to follow the grooves in the road (like you mentioned) and that was a concern. Also, how do they do in wet conditions (especially with stopping)? Driving a heavy Westy like you, I know the firm sidewalls would be very supportive but I also didn't want to sacrifice what you get from a radial in stopping/wet performance. |
I'll answer too since it never hurts to get multiple opinions.
I've driven my '63 15-Window with both of these tires.
Bias plies can follow the tracks in the road but only if the roads have a serious issue. They don't follow normal lines unless they are worn out.
The bias plies are softer and a little more flexible around corners.
If you get a large gust of wind from the side, you will feel it more with the bias plies.
The Nexens are a little rougher riding but they do feel more stable overall.
The bias plies do not have as stiff a sidewall as actual truck radials (Nexens) so that could explain some of the above attributes.
I haven't noticed any issue stopping on normal dry roads, I have even skidded out in my bias plies on the highway once when traffic came to a total stop for no apparent reason.
I can't answer the rain question as I haven't driven much in heavy rain or with constantly wet roads but I've never noticed anything weird in AZ rain storms with my bias plies in the past.
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Homeresque
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| Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2015 11:04 am Post subject: |
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Just to add some more input...I was heavily into trad hot rods from about '96 to a couple years ago and of course the only tire you could run was some sort of bias ply. I had them on all my fenderless '32s and never really had an annoyance with freeway grooves at speed. But with all the Coker bias plies, the thing that made everybody pull their hair out was the product quality. Besides being very soft...some guys got less than 5k miles on a set...the darn things frequently weren't even close to round. It became a regular thing for awhile of having to take brand new Coker Firestones to a truck tire place to have them shaved so to be round and true. Then people gave up on that and Coker said 'just send us back that set and we'll send you another and maybe they'll be round'. Seriously...howabout just making round tires? And then I started searching out old vintage-but-usable other-brand tires and they would run like butta, so I never went back to Coker.
Of course we were running like 75-80mph on California freeways (that's a real hoot...everyone should try that sometime) and indeed if you had a bad set of tires you would have to limit yourself to 55-60mph and be left behind by your friends but at least your hubcaps stayed intact. So with our buses this issue may be moot. And perhaps Coker has remedied the issues. But I'm running Nexens.
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Erik G
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| Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2015 11:30 am Post subject: |
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just a heads up - Diamond back will be making a 640R15 that is a radial with the bias ply look. They should be available next year, they already have 16's done. They will be doing a 590 too (I was asking about a 600-15 for my Notchback)
Coker makes some too - and they look great. But a 670 instead of 640 (which may be fine to you)
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