Radial Tires

There are three general methods of arranging or laying down the tire plies. They may be laid down "on the bias," "on the bias and belted," or "radially." The body cords of radial tires run at right angles (radially) to the center line of the treads; the belt cords are laid in a herringbone pattern. The radial body cords allow sidewalls to flex so that the tread maintains maximum surface contact with the road during turns, whereas the stiff sidewalls of bias-type tires would lift the edges of the tread. Radials are well suited to high-speed driving, but some may produce noise or roughness at low speeds. A flat tire used to be expected on every journey in the early days of automobiles. This was because horses were always losing the nails from their shoes all over the road.