My father found an old tyre catalogue from the 1960’s which advertised both cross-ply and the ‘newer’ radial-ply tyres. Interestingly, up until that time, most people purchased cross- or bias-ply as they were properly called.

The radial tyres were quite exotic at that time and there were dire warnings about mixing radial and cross-ply on the same axel. 

Equally fascinating was the fact that re-treads and re-cut tyres were available and used by ordinary car owners on a budget.  Re-treading, were the remaining tread was stripped off the tyre and a new tread laid and adhered to the tyre, was a cheaper alternative to buying a new tyre.  Road speeds were obviously much slower in those days and this practice was quite common.

The re-cuts were somewhat more suspicious and probably undertaken in back street garages between turning back odometers and doing dodgy welding jobs.  The practice was permitted on large agricultural tyres where the base rubber depth was sufficient to support the cutting of a second tread, but on standard tyres it was both dangerous and only sufficient to perhaps get the car of the salesman’s forecourt.

Spin forward 50 years and tyre technology has changed dramatically. Radial, low-profile tyres are now the norm and their numerous advantages include longer tread life, better steering control, and lower rolling resistance.