Help me choose a tire?

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unclepunchy

unclepunchy

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Hi Guys,

I have a set of 15x5.5" Steel/Rallye wheels for my 73 Duster. They have the removable hubcaps. Like the photo below (borrowed)
Just wondering what size tires you folks would recommend? 205/70/15 - 195's? I think I would like to keep them all the same size.

100_6246.JPG
 
215-70-14 is pretty much the biggest tire you can fit all around on 14" rally wheels, at least on a Barracuda (a Duster might have a little more space up front). 215-70-15 would probably be too tall. 215 would be the maximum width, regardless, based on the rim width, even though a 225-60-15 tire might fit inside the fender. So you could look at 215-60-15, assuming anybody actually makes that size. 205-70-15 seems pretty likely. The Tire Rack website lists dimensions for the tires they stock, which would include the most popular brands. Compare the diameter with 215-70-14 (should be around 26 to 26.5 inches, IIRC), and read the tire description for the minimum rim width required.
 
215 70 15 all 4
215 70 15 front
235 70 15 rear
i ran 235 60 14s on them
ive seen 245 60 14s on them
 
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Hmm, I think you'll see that the tire manufacturers want a minimum rim width of 6" for a 225mm tire width. I mean, the tread is going to be something like 9 inches — that's a lot of overhang.
 
mvh said:
Hmm, I think you'll see that the tire manufacturers want a minimum rim width of 6" for a 225mm tire width. I mean, the tread is going to be something like 9 inches — that's a lot of overhang.
Click to expand...
the 2 should have been a 1
9 inches wide nope
235 60 15 section width 9.25 tread width 8.6
215 70 15 section width 8.46 tread width 7.8
215 look to tall in 15 inch 26.85
205 for the front i guess
guess ill never run 15s in the front 205 is not enough imo
 
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Thanks guys but here is a weird one, to me at least. I definitely have 15” rims but the tires on it currently are 195/75R14. Isn’t R14 a designation for a 14” rim?
 
If the sidewall says "R14" it's 14-inch and it's on a 14" rim. Tires may be rubber but they don't stretch <LOL>. Maybe you have staggered wheels (14 front, 15 back)?
 
unclepunchy said:
I am measuring the rim lip to lip and it’s 15”. I must be measuring it wrong?
Click to expand...
Yes that's the incorrect spot to measure. The measurement is taken from where the tire bead sits on the wheel. You have 14s.
 
Anyway, now that that is established, 215-70-14 would be your max size for all around. Available in T/A, Cooper Cobra and a few others. 205 or 195 would also fit... 195/70 may look a little small, 195/75 would be the non-sporting but taller version.
 
Ahaha, thanks guys. Apparently I can build a running engine but can’t measure a tire size properly! I will have a look at 215,205 and 195s and see what I like best. The old 195/75s didn’t look that bad to me so I might just stick with those.
 
I have ran 235 14, all the way around on 14" rallies on a 73 duster.
 
I did the trial and error on ours with some smaller used tires I have. It has new 235/60r14 in the front and they don't rub. I like the wide foot print look. I bought new 225/70r14 and did rub on turns so now I'm stuck with a pair of those. 255/60r15 on the back. I will be changing to 275/60 later, I have the room with an 8 1/4. I did do the 73 front disk conversion also and the rims are 14x6.75 ET mag with 3.75 backspacing.
 
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