Which One is Best for Your Needs?
Almost every vehicle that drives on American highways have turned to radial tires, but bias-ply tires are still on the road. The use of bias tires has been steadily shrinking, but let’s take a closer look at each type to see what best fits your needs.
Tread Patterns
In bias-ply tires, the cords of each layer are angled across the tire from bead to bead. The angle varies, but there are plies within the tire that run at bias angles. This is where the term bias-ply comes in. The more plies in a tire, the higher the load-carrying capacity is as well as its resistance to breaks on the tire itself.
A radial tire has cords that run straight across to each bead rather than at an angle. Additional plies run at an angle within the tread face of the tire only. This construction makes it tough on the tread face which allows the sidewall to flex which increases the risk of impact breaks on the sidewall.
Knowing the differences, we can now discuss the situations where each type has its advantages.
Bias Ply Advantages
Load-Carrying Capacity - Bias ply tires are generally better when it comes to load-carrying capacity because of their many layers. Because of this, trailers, tractors, and heavy equipment often have bias ply. There are radials with heavy load ratings, but more plies are added making them extremely stiff.
Puncture resistance - Because of the lower number of plies, radial tire sidewalls are more vulnerable to punctures. As a result, puncture resistance is one of the biggest reasons why bias-ply tires dominate the agricultural, industrial, and slow-speed, off-road vehicles.
Torque splitting - Torque splitting or zippering should be considered for off-roaders. Torque splitting is when the tire is injured and because of the heavy load, it splits further like a zipper. If there’s a puncture in the sidewall, because of the multiple layers of a bias ply, the injury will most likely be confined to that spot so it can be repaired temporarily. With a radial tire, the site may expand rapidly, resulting in a much larger tear or rip, making it unrepairable.
Radial Advantages
Speed and Heat Dissipation - The worst thing for a tire is heat. A radial tire is better about reducing heat than a bias-ply tire. The higher the speed rating of the tire, the lower the weight rating. For this reason, be sure to reduce speeds when towing with bias-ply tires. A bias tire can last a long time at 55 mph but will fail at high speeds because it can’t dissipate the additional heat.
Pavement - Radial tires in general are much better than bias-ply tires in pavement handling. A bias-ply tire tends to follow potholes and irregularities in the road, but a radial tire offers a smoother ride as it will skip over them without transferring them to the vehicle.
Performance Handling - Radials are superior at handling abrupt corners and other maneuvers. Bias-ply tires don’t respond as well. As a result, bias-ply tires can make a vehicle feel less secured to the road during abrupt cornering maneuvers. Radials are also better with fuel economy as long as you keep on top of your tire pressure and tread wear.
There really is no right or wrong choice. But with a better understanding of each type of tire’s performance, you now have a better idea what to buy. For more information and great tire offers, contact Hooper Tire Outlet for a professional opinion. Hoopers Tire is a great resource for cheap tires with stores in Rochester and Syracuse NY.