Tires

[Larry Pitts]

Do I want to replace my tires on my 1950 Cadillac with radials?  What should I expect in handling? Thanks

[Johnny #662]

Do I want to replace my tires on my 1950 Cadillac with radials?  What should I expect in handling? Thanks

Wait until others more qualified then myself answer, but I think the answer is no. I tried it one time with a 61 fleetwood, and since the car was made before radials were invented, I believe I had some minor problems, mostly with the car sitting lower.

[Geoff Newcombe #4719]

I think you can expect much better handling, maybe a slightly firmer ride, and a slightly lower stance. I have radials on my 60 and wouldnt want to go back to bias-ply (or whatever they were) for any reason except maybe to put a set on to be perfectly original for car show judging, which also isnt going to happen.

You can open the SEARCH box on the upper right hand side of this page and put in radial tires and read the many previous posts on this subject, some pertinent to your question, some not.  As Bruce Reynolds may point out, slightly different front end alignment specs. will help the radials feel right and perform better.

Here is a quote from an article I just came across by Googleing radial tires on older cars ........

Caster

Positive caster improves straight line tracking because the caster line (the line drawn through the steering pivot when viewed from the side) intersects the ground ahead of the contact patch of the tire. Just like a shopping cart caster, the wheel is forced behind the pivot allowing the vehicle to track in a straight line.

If this is the case, then why did most cars have negative caster specs prior to 1975 ? There are a couple of reasons for this. In those days, people were looking for cars that steered as light as a feather, and cars back then were not equipped with radial tires. Non-radial tires had a tendency to distort at highway speed so that the contact patch moved back past the centerline of the tire (Picture a cartoon car speeding along, the tires are generally drawn as egg-shaped). The contact patch generally moves behind the caster line causing, in effect, a positive caster. This is why, when you put radial tires on this type of car, the car wanders from side to side and no longer tracks straight. To correct this condition, re-adjust the caster to positive and the car should steer like a new car.

If you would like to read the entire article on front end alignments go to  http://www.familycar.com/Alignment.htm TARGET=_blank>http://www.familycar.com/Alignment.htm

Do the same Google I did and you will find other hits on the subject.