Tire size for 74 Valiant Brougham

-
S

sconut1

Active Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2016
Messages
39
Reaction score
1
Location
Alberta
Hi All:

New user here.....

I'm getting my ducks in a row to pick up a '74 Valiant I just bought. The car will need tires. Unfortunately, I need to order tires for a car I've not seen yet.

Does anyone know what the standard tire size would be for this car? Was there an optional larger size?

Thanks for the info!

Gord
 
My 73 Dart has P195/75R14 tires on a 2.76:1 axle and (I believe) a 29-tooth speedometer pinion. If you know the axle ratio and the speedometer pinion, I can calculate the tire size you need.

Tire Upgrades
 
Last edited:
I've got Hankook h724s size P205 75r14s on my '68 GT. Reviews were good and I wanted white walls without spending a lot of money. Walmart has them, but if they don't show it was a stock size in there computer they may not mount them. Just bring in the rims and it shouldn't be a problem.
 
Many OEM 14" rims have a 4.5" width. The P205/75R14 Hankook H724 has a rim width range of 5"-7".
Tire Rack - P205/75R14 Hankook H724

If you have a 4.5" wide rim, I would look for a 5.5" or wider rim to better run wider tires. Using too narrow rims adversely affects handling.
 
Hi All...thanks for responding.
I'm told that D78-14 or DR78-14 tires are original. When I shop, I see P185-75R14 or P-185-70R14s available as modern "closest" sizes.

FJR... you said P195-75R14 were on your Dart. I would think this is a more common size than the 185s. Only difference is that the 195s are a little under 1/2 an inch wider right? You have no issues with the tires rubbing on the rim? They work good for you?

Six 225..... are you running original rims on your car?

I see in all posts guys are using 75 aspect ratio. Anyone know what's the difference between the 70 and the 75s? Are the 75s preferred?
 
I'm running SBP rally rims on mine and unfortunately 9" drum brakes still. I would think that yours being a '74 most likely has disc brakes with the BBP rims.
 
sconut1 said:
Hi All...thanks for responding.
I'm told that D78-14 or DR78-14 tires are original. When I shop, I see P185-75R14 or P-185-70R14s available as modern "closest" sizes.

FJR... you said P195-75R14 were on your Dart. I would think this is a more common size than the 185s. Only difference is that the 195s are a little under 1/2 an inch wider right? You have no issues with the tires rubbing on the rim? They work good for you?

Six 225..... are you running original rims on your car?

I see in all posts guys are using 75 aspect ratio. Anyone know what's the difference between the 70 and the 75s? Are the 75s preferred?
Click to expand...

A 205-60-14 candidate or if you swapped to 15 inch rims that are common as can be there are more choices in tires.
On 15 rims, a 215-60-would be close to the same total height but an even wider tire.
I feel this is about all you will get under there for sure on your stock chassis and still be halfway decent sized.
 
Last edited:
Typically following the three digits identifying the tire's Section Width in millimeters is a two-digit number that identifies the tire's profile or aspect ratio. P225/50R16 91S. The 50 indicates that this tire size's sidewall height (from rim to tread) is 50% of its section width.

I have P215/70/14ww's on my '65 Barracuda...with 5" wide rims (snagged) off of a '66 Belvedere.
 
sconut1 said:
I'm told that D78-14 or DR78-14 tires are original. When I shop, I see P185-75R14 or P-185-70R14s available as modern "closest" sizes.
Click to expand...
If your car was equipped with 14"x4.5" rims (common on base models), then it looks like the OEM tire size was D78-14 or 6.95-14 (see Plymouth Valiant, Plymouth Duster, and Dodge Demon specifications). The aspect ratio of the D78-14 is 78%, which is close to 75%, with an overall diameter of 25.50". According to Barry's Tire Tech, the aspect ratio of the 6.95-14 is 82% with an overall diameter of 25.30". The P185/75R14 has an overall diameter of 24.93" while the P195/75R14 has an overall diameter of 25.52".

sconut1 said:
FJR... you said P195-75R14 were on your Dart. I would think this is a more common size than the 185s. Only difference is that the 195s are a little under 1/2 an inch wider right? You have no issues with the tires rubbing on the rim? They work good for you?
Click to expand...
The P195/75R14 is easier to find than the P185/75R14 and is a closer match to the OEM tire diameter. The 10 mm difference is 0.39". Although the 4.5" rim width is less than the 5.0" minimum approved for my Canadian Tire AW+ tires, The tires fit fine and I have not had any issues with them.

My Dart is a parts car now and I ran both the OEM steel and aluminum wheels (14x6 Keystone Classic?). I'm now running P195/75R14 tires on 14x4.5 steel rims on the front of my 65 Barracuda and P225/70R14 tires on 14"x7" Cragar SS rims on the back. Those Cragars are too wide & have too much offset for the front of the Barracuda.

If you stick with an OEM rim, you will likely not have any fitment issues - more likely if you start using aftermarket rims with weird offsets.

sconut1 said:
I see in all posts guys are using 75 aspect ratio. Anyone know what's the difference between the 70 and the 75s? Are the 75s preferred?
Click to expand...
The aspect ratio (70% vs 75%) is the ratio of the tire's height to its width. A 75-aspect tire is 75% as tall as it is wide so the 70-aspect tire has a lower profile. Lower profiles handle better while higher profiles ride better.

If you're interested in having an accurate odometer/speedometer, pick the tire size (diameter, aspect ratio, & section width) that gives you the correct overall diameter. You can change the required tire diameter and keep the odometer accurate by matching the speedometer pinion to the new size.

If your car already has usable tires on it, I would wait until it arrives and then worry about upgrading. I may be mistaken but, if your car has front drum brakes, you may have a 4" bolt circle. Disc brakes have the LBP 4.5" BC, which gives you much bigger rim selection.
 
fjr said:
If your car was equipped with 14"x4.5" rims (common on base models), then it looks like the OEM tire size was D78-14 or 6.95-14 (see Plymouth Valiant, Plymouth Duster, and Dodge Demon specifications). The aspect ratio of the D78-14 is 78%, which is close to 75%, with an overall diameter of 25.50". According to Barry's Tire Tech, the aspect ratio of the 6.95-14 is 82% with an overall diameter of 25.30". The P185/75R14 has an overall diameter of 24.93" while the P195/75R14 has an overall diameter of 25.52".


The P195/75R14 is easier to find than the P185/75R14 and is a closer match to the OEM tire diameter. The 10 mm difference is 0.39". Although the 4.5" rim width is less than the 5.0" minimum approved for my Canadian Tire AW+ tires, The tires fit fine and I have not had any issues with them.

My Dart is a parts car now and I ran both the OEM steel and aluminum wheels (14x6 Keystone Classic?). I'm now running P195/75R14 tires on 14x4.5 steel rims on the front of my 65 Barracuda and P225/70R14 tires on 14"x7" Cragar SS rims on the back. Those Cragars are too wide & have too much offset for the front of the Barracuda.

If you stick with an OEM rim, you will likely not have any fitment issues - more likely if you start using aftermarket rims with weird offsets.


The aspect ratio (70% vs 75%) is the ratio of the tire's height to its width. A 75-aspect tire is 75% as tall as it is wide so the 70-aspect tire has a lower profile. Lower profiles handle better while higher profiles ride better.

If you're interested in having an accurate odometer/speedometer, pick the tire size (diameter, aspect ratio, & section width) that gives you the correct overall diameter. You can change the required tire diameter and keep the odometer accurate by matching the speedometer pinion to the new size.

If your car already has usable tires on it, I would wait until it arrives and then worry about upgrading. I may be mistaken but, if your car has front drum brakes, you may have a 4" bolt circle. Disc brakes have the LBP 4.5" BC, which gives you much bigger rim selection.
Click to expand...
 
It sounds like the P195/75R14s are a safe bet. I'm in a position where I need to order tires site unseen. I'll go with these. If folks keep there eyes peeled, I'll post a story of bringing the car home in the new users section
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top