Bias Ply vs. Radial Tire Question...

[TBigLug]

Okay, I'm confused so I need the advice of my fellow GotMud er's. As many of you know I'm putting 36x12.5x16.5 Goodyear RT2's on my camo truck. I've always known that these are bias ply tires. Now over on Steel Soldiers they are telling me that I do not need to use tubes in them since it's the style of rim, not the design of the tire, that denotes whether or not you need to run tubes. Now, here's my confusion. I thought I "KNEW" that , by definition, a bias ply tire required a tube. Hence, bias ply vs. radial. So, has anyone else ever heard of this? Can you run a bias ply like a radial with no tube if you have a radial rim? FWIW, I'm mounting them on 16.5x9 steel wheels that I pulled radial tires off of.

[CRAZY MAN broncomudhead]

nope but you can teach a dog new trick's what ever it would unless the bias-ply breaks it's seal when under stress

[Hammerlane]

I don't recall ever using tubes in a bia's ply tire, except 25 yrs ago or maybe the tractor..
however.. 16.5" wheels do have a tendancy to spit the tire off of the bead (radials or otherwise) when run at lower pressures and I've spit them off when fully inflated..

a tube may help prevent this from happening.

[TBigLug]

Man alive, I was mistaken. I've been doing some looking around on-line and I just now found out after 26 years that bias ply's don't necessarily need tubes! Man, this is so weird. It's a small thing but I feel like I've been living in the dark all my life.

[7387chevynut]

My brother had a 72 chevy 2wd truck...........................he ran bias ply tires on it cause thats what came with in 1972...............and he didnt have to run tubes in them.

I've run bias ply SNOW/MUD tires on my 73 plow truck.........they didnt have tubes in them either.

[RIP_K52007]

i think only thing with bias is they are directional.. run them one way if u turn them around you can break belts in the tire. not sure.

[Mudbuster]

all tires radial and bias can go either way the best thing to do is look at your tire and it should say tubless on it somewhere if you don't need a tube, at that point it then depends on the rims.

[four_by_ken]

Wow, talk about a post with a lot of bad info.   

Bias ply has nothing to due with tubes.  It has to do with how the tire is made.  The majority of the real off road tires are all bias tires.  Radials are coming around more, but not really yet.

The bias tires will develop a flat spot if left parked, but it will go away after a little driving and the tires heat up a little bit.

Bias ply also has nothing to do with them being directional or not.  Any directional rules hold true for bias or radial.  No, they will not separate or anything like that.  You just get better traction with the tires mounted in the correct direction.

Tubes in 1 16.5 tire will not help keep the bead.  wont make a difference.

[four_by_ken]

nope but you can teach a dog new trick's what ever it would unless the bias-ply breaks it's seal when under stress

I have no idea what you are trying to say here.

[four_by_ken]

Here is a nice page that explains the differences.  I got lazy and didnt want to type it all out.

http://www.michelinag.com/agx/en-US/products/advantages/bias_radial/bias_radial.jsp

[RIP_K52007]

i think only thing with bias is they are directional.. run them one way if u turn them around you can break belts in the tire. not sure.

hey.. i coverd my self.. said "not sure" lol