quick tire question
Really dumb question. Will a 225/70/14 fit on a 14 x 4.5 rim? Or a 215/70
Not a dumb question at all. Will it fit? Yes. My 66 Dart GT came from the previous owner with a set of 205/70-14 bias-belted tires all around on 4½" wide 14 inch rims. This combination was replaced by 195/70-14 tires on 5½" wide rims.
Will it work? Keeping the car off the ground, yes.
As one would expect a tire to provide good ride, handling, and service life? No. Putting a 215/70 on a 4½" rim pinches the bead of the tire more than it is designed to accommodate. When this happens, tire wear occurs mainly in the center of the tread. Traction degrades more quickly as the road surface gets less stable than would occur with a properly fitted tire. Due to the pinching, the bead of the tire has a compromised grip on the rim. This can lead to sudden deflation when subjected to sufficient lateral forces. While this could happen to any tire regardless of air pressure, a tire that fits properly will stay on longer all else being equal.
The widest tire BFG recommends for a 4½" rim is 185/70-14. In terms of section width, this is close to a 7.35-14 or E-70-14. In terms of load carrying, equivalents are 6.95-14 or D70-14.