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| Radial Tires or Bias-ply ??? |
Before we comment on the debate over which tire is better, radial or bias-ply, let's talk a little about these tires. All tires are made with layers of rubber permeated fabric, the most common fabric used today is polyester.
The difference between the construction of radials and bias is the direction of how these layers or plies are applied in relation to each other and to the center line of the tread. The plies on a bias-ply tire run approximately 45 degrees to the center line of the tread, alternating in direction with each layer. The plies on a radial tire run 90 degrees to the center line of the tire and basically overlap instead of crisscrossing.
The other physical difference between the two is radials tend to be a lower profile tire while bias tire are usually taller and thinner. But both styles are considered to be a safe driving tire for your car, although most would agree that the radials have the better technology and are the better design for higher speed driving.
