Best tire pressure for 69 dart with P245 60R14

[Commando66]

I ran 14x6 Cragar SS. It's what the car had on it when I bought it. With a 16:1 steering box, it was a little tough to steer at low speeds, but was great around corners.

 

[DLJ]

Using BFG's T/A 205 70r14 as typical example, recommended rim width is 5-7". The optional 14x5.5 JJ rim should not be lifting tire tread off the road. Are you sure it doesn't have the standard 14 x 4.5 JJ rims?
Reducing pressure also reduces its load carrying capacity.
Going to 215 70r 14, the minimum width is 6". I've run that tire on a 6" rim with no unusual wear. I'm running a Firestone in that size right now (no longer available).

Ironically, the BFG Radial T/A is a relatively cheap tire here. Go figure.

If by Magnesium you mean real magnesium alloy, they need lots of care and careful attention. Those are really race only rims for situations where lightest weight was required.

If you mean cast aluminum, most are relatively strong, available new and used in the small bolt pattern at reasonable price. Some care is needed during tire mounting. Sure they can be cracked, but not a major concern. My street tires are on an old set of no-name cast aluminum slots. That's what is in my avatar. My competition tires are on new 15x7 ARE 'Ansen slots' Decent strength to weight. Not thrilled with how they look, but that was secondary.

I am sure the stock rim wheels are steel rallies 5.5 inch.
The set of magnesium rims I`d buy is shown in the pics for US$ 450.00
I think it is magnesium aluminum alloy, not a chrysler product but still a good quality aftermarket from the 70`s.
Each hankook tire will cost about US$ 180.00 assembled.

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[Mattax]

Can't see the brand and style but 99.9% odds those are aluminum alloy - not magnesium alloy.
Magnesium quickly turns gray if not maintained and is big $$$.
Most important will be the correct bolt patter for your car, and back spacing that will work.
Check on the type of wheel nut it needs. I've been lucky in that all my used rims came with correct matching nuts - even the lefthand threads.

This is website has decent overview of the many of the early 'mags' both aluminum and magnesium. It will give you an idea of what was made in each.
Classic racing wheels

Crager SS and many others early classics were aluminum center with steel rims.

This company seperates the wheels (used) they sell by material.
AKH Vintage Wheels - Vintage Rally, Styled Steel, and Alloy Wheels

 

[DLJ]

Can't see the brand and style but 99.9% odds those are aluminum alloy - not magnesium alloy.
Magnesium quickly turns gray if not maintained and is big $$$.
Most important will be the correct bolt patter for your car, and back spacing that will work.
Check on the type of wheel nut it needs. I've been lucky in that all my used rims came with correct matching nuts - even the lefthand threads.

This is website has decent overview of the many of the early 'mags' both aluminum and magnesium. It will give you an idea of what was made in each.
Classic racing wheels

Crager SS and many others early classics were aluminum center with steel rims.

This company seperates the wheels (used) they sell by material.
AKH Vintage Wheels - Vintage Rally, Styled Steel, and Alloy Wheels

The make on the wheels I posted before is Italmagnesio, made in Argentina in the 70's... and someone got that set in great shape and made it look like new. I have another set for the dart from the same manufacturer made in the 70's and I can tell they are very light in weight (at that time they called them magnesium so it must be an alloy).
Thanks for the links, in the US you have many great options at reasonable prices but, to make it worse, the darts assembled in Brazil in the 70's used an old bolt pattern from willys so the bolts are closer together just a bit than the pattern on the US darts... not sure why they did that but most certainly to differentiate from the ford maverick, which was made and sold here at the time (302 V8), still the left side has counterclockwise threads.
The rim wheels I posted have stamped in the back DART and were made right for that car so there are no issues as far as clearance, backspace, etc... unless the tire is too large.
Below is a pic of my car, been sleeping for almost 20 years and now will probably run once a week, after I finish spending the hours and $$$ necessary.
Thanks again, nice talking to you.

 

[Mattax]

The make on the wheels I posted before is Italmagnesio, made in Argentina in the 70's... and someone got that set in great shape and made it look like new. I have another set for the dart from the same manufacturer made in the 70's and I can tell they are very light in weight (at that time they called them magnesium so it must be an alloy).

Very interesting. It is common to call them 'Mags' even when they are made of other materials. Of course there is a slight chance they are magnesium. I think you will be able to find out.

the darts assembled in Brazil in the 70's used an old bolt pattern from willys so the bolts are closer together just a bit than the pattern on the US darts... not sure why they did that but most certainly to differentiate from the ford maverick, which was made and sold here at the time (302 V8), still the left side has counterclockwise threads.

I found an ad through google that says the bolt pattern is 5 on 4.25". If so, that's inbetween the diameters used on North American Chryslers. Ours are 5 on 4" with 7/16" diameter studs, or 5 on 4.5". People abreviate SBP (small bolt pattern) or LBP (large bolt pattern).

The rim wheels I posted have stamped in the back DART and were made right for that car so there are no issues as far as clearance, backspace, etc... unless the tire is too large.

That's good. You can do some measuring on your car with the rims before buying the tires. Put a jackstand under the front and measure hom much distance clearance it will have to the closest points of concern.

Below is a pic of my car, been sleeping for almost 20 years and now will probably run once a week, after I finish spending the hours and $$$ necessary.
Thanks again, nice talking to you.

You're welcome and thanks for sharing. The front looks more like a Charger or Austrialian Valiant. Neat.
The front ride height looks a little high. Bring it down a little and the tire will fill out the space more.

 

[DLJ]

Front is a bit high because the streets around here are real cr**, I want to lift a bit the rear, need to re-arch the leaf springs a bit.
This model was made from 1976 through 1978 only, mine is a 76, it was a more luxurious sedan they put out for sale at that time. All darts here had the 318LA V8, the automatics like mine had a A-904 instead of the 727, with a DANA rear axle (yet open).

 

[halfafish]

Hi Halfafish, why too wide on front ? what would happen? What you use on front?

If the wider tires fit with no interference to steering or body parts, there's no harm in running them. I'm running 205/70/R14's in the front. I like a slightly wider tire in the rear, and I still get good handling with this setup. Here's what it looked like when I bought the 14" rims, and then after I painted them. The front end was a bit low in these photos, I had to crank it up about one turn on the t-bars to get more suspension travel.

 

[Mattax]

For more road clearance, 215/70r14 will be better than 245/60r14. An advantage of using the tire for height is that it provides a slight increase in the clearance for the lower control arm and suspension. Although usually that's not the first thing to contact - depending on what type bad your roads are.

While looking at my spread sheet, I have note that 225/60r14 were occassionally catching the front fender lip. I used those tires for extra street clearance when using a particularly low hanging header. Whether your Dart may have a little more clearance than my Barracuda - I don't know.

215 (BFG) . Static and then under compression. If the tire is going to catch the fender lip, its generally when the wheels is turned and the chassis moving down.
Some photos to illustrate.

We have some bad roads too. LOL. This one is only taken by choice - there is a better road most people use, but there were some things I wanted to explore along this one.

 

[brian6pac]

That's a road for a 4x4

 

[Mattax]

That's a road for a 4x4

or a Barracuda!
Bwaaahahahaa!

 

[DLJ]

Like several have posted,very much personal preference especially if its about how it looks.

If a wide tire is used on too narrow of a rim, then the tread closest to the sidewall gets lifted. That negates the major advantage of a wide tire.
245/60r14 is pushing the limit on a 7" rim for a BFG T/A Radial. In the US, Hankook doesn't offer a tire in that size.
The measurements that you need to be careful with on the front is the backspace and offset. Too much backspace and the wheel or tire can touch the upper control arm-balljoint, and/or sway bar arm. Too little and a big tire can catch the fender lip - distance is somewhat dependent on specific model.
Moving the offset further out increases the distance your wheel turns vs. the pivot line created by the ball points.

Very Generally
Pressure should be within the tire manufacture's recommended range.
Wider tire usually has wider tread and can develop more traction on smooth dry pavement if the rubber compund is sticky enough.
Narrower tire has a better time cutting through snow, water, etc and concentrating force where friction is more important than sticktion.
Shorter tire will lower your effective gearing and taller tire will increase it. In other words, a shorter tire will accelerate the car more easily, everything else equal.
Bigger tire will generally weigh more.
Shorter sidewall will be stiffer and more responsive. Taller sidewall provides more protection and maintains better contact on rough pavement.

In the US, Hankook offers a sporty all season tire in the sizes Johnny Dart mentioned, and they'd fit well on a 14 x 6, 6.5 or 7" wide rim. Obviously you may have different choices in Brazil.

Here is what it looks... a real big tire on the rear but only a small part of it touches the ground.... same thing happens to my smaller Tire that's why I need to lower the tire pressure to have more contact.