Best tire pressure for 69 dart with P245 60R14

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DLJ

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I would really appreciate if members that run larger tires like P245 60 R14 on stock suspension 69 darts and alike could tell what the best tire pressure would be for street driving as far as stability and even tire wearing.
I have a 1976 dart sedan assembled in Brazil, which pretty much is the same as a 69 US dart as far as body and suspension are concerned.
It came from factory with the old 7.35S14 diagonal tires. I currently have 205 70 R14 but they look skinny and I plan on buying a set of 7" wide 14" diameter 1970's magnesium rim wheels and put on a set of 4 P245 60 R14 hankook tires which are pretty expensive down here (about US$ 180.00 each). BF's are way more expensive.
Another question would be if these 245 tires would be good on the front too, I want to use them on all 4 wheels.
Thanks for your input on pros and cons.
 
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32psi - 34psi for all around driving is what I go with.
Lower pressures in the back can be experimented with, for street light to street light.

In regards to 245 up front ?
I'm leaning towards a no. Starting to get a little wide. 235 would be my max.
 
32psi - 34psi for all around driving is what I go with.
Lower pressures in the back can be experimented with, for street light to street light.

In regards to 245 up front ?
I'm leaning towards a no. Starting to get a little wide. 235 would be my max.
Thanks Johnny Dart. 32 psi wouldn't be too much for 7" rim wheels as far as wearing more in the middle?
I can get 235 60 R14 for the front but would that be better? why?
 
I am running 245/60/14's on a 7" rim on the rear of my 66 Valiant, at 32 lbs of pressure. I agree with Johnny Dart, that tire is likely going to be too wide in the front.
 
I am running 245/60/14's on a 7" rim on the rear of my 66 Valiant, at 32 lbs of pressure. I agree with Johnny Dart, that tire is likely going to be too wide in the front.
Hi Halfafish, why too wide on front ? what would happen? What you use on front?
 
I saw something once about putting some black paint or the like on a tire and driving the car slowly over some white paper. Basically at a given tire pressure you get a given pattern. Adjust the pressure up or down till you get the most uniform pattern.

The logic seems sound but i dont know if it works
 
I saw something once about putting some black paint or the like on a tire and driving the car slowly over some white paper. Basically at a given tire pressure you get a given pattern. Adjust the pressure up or down till you get the most uniform pattern.

The logic seems sound but i dont know if it works
Yes done that before because I suspected my rear tires 32 psi were too much once the tire band was not touching the ground as the front were on 205 70 R14 I need to put like 26 psi on rear to get a larger footprint.... that's why I am concerned about uneven wearing on 245 60 R14 on 7" wide rims...
 
245 60 R14 on 7" wide rims
How many miles do you put on your car per year?

I only put 1000 miles last year. even with uneven ware my tires will outlast there 10 year warranty.

What was the recommended rim width for your tires?
 
How many miles do you put on your car per year?

I only put 1000 miles last year. even with uneven ware my tires will outlast there 10 year warranty.

What was the recommended rim width for your tires?
I expect to run like 1k miles a year too. Currently I have stock 5.5" rim wheels and 205 70 R14 and want 245 60 R14 on 7" wheels which are on specs. More concerned how the car will handle with those wider tires.
 
I've used 245/60/14 on the front and rear of a 66 Valiant with no problems.
Great and how it compares with skinnier tires? Wider is better? Any cons? Mileage? How wide wheels yoy have?
 
Thanks Johnny Dart. 32 psi wouldn't be too much for 7" rim wheels as far as wearing more in the middle?
I can get 235 60 R14 for the front but would that be better? why?

Just depends on what your plans are with the car ?
Cruiser, Street, Strip, Canyon ?
I would consider a 245 on the front a canyon tire.
Really depends on what your plans are with the car, then we could dial it in much better.
 
Use a infrared temp gun, if your alignment is good you will see it, drive it long enough to get the tires hot in a straight line then measure the temp across the tread if the center is hotter drop the pressure if the outer edges are hotter increase the pressure, if the inside is hotter adjust the camber or toe and so on.
 
Just depends on what your plans are with the car ?
Cruiser, Street, Strip, Canyon ?
I would consider a 245 on the front a canyon tire.
Really depends on what your plans are with the car, then we could dial it in much better.
I plan on driving mostly street and road trips but not expecting to put on more than 2 or 3k miles per year... why the larger tires on front would be bad? clearance to fenders? mileage? My dart has a super power steering so that would not be an issue...
 
Use a infrared temp gun, if your alignment is good you will see it, drive it long enough to get the tires hot in a straight line then measure the temp across the tread if the center is hotter drop the pressure if the outer edges are hotter increase the pressure, if the inside is hotter adjust the camber or toe and so on.
Hey that is a great idea, makes total sense. Thank you!
 
Temp gun works. I run 255/70/15 7" rims @20psi on the street, and 235/60/15 8" rim drag radial @18psi on my 67 Dart.
 
Best PSI for what? There are several "bests" depending on what you want. Best wear? 35 PSI. Best ride quality while sacrificing a little wear? 28-32 PSI. Best Traction? You'll have to experiment around for that.
 
I saw something once about putting some black paint or the like on a tire and driving the car slowly over some white paper. Basically at a given tire pressure you get a given pattern. Adjust the pressure up or down till you get the most uniform pattern.

The logic seems sound but i dont know if it works
When you can walk across the rice paper without leaving a mark, then you will know it's time....
Bahahaha!
Where have I heard this before?
 
I plan on driving mostly street and road trips but not expecting to put on more than 2 or 3k miles per year... why the larger tires on front would be bad? clearance to fenders? mileage? My dart has a super power steering so that would not be an issue...

There will be a thousand opinions on tire size preference on this site. My suggestion is to search the site on "tire size" or "show your rims and tires". There are literally hundreds of pics,opinions, on the thread. I can't choose a tire for you, because our tastes are way different.
I prefer a 215/70-14 or even a 205 on my cars. But that's just me.
 
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.
 
There will be a thousand opinions on tire size preference on this site. My suggestion is to search the site on "tire size" or "show your rims and tires". There are literally hundreds of pics,opinions, on the thread. I can't choose a tire for you, because our tastes are way different.
I prefer a 215/70-14 or even a 205 on my cars. But that's just me.
Well, as my dart is a kinda collection car now, even being just a survivor, I do not plan on driving much. The 205 70 R14`s on the car now are like 20 years old and look brand new still, but need to be replaced.
I am going more for the look because IMHO a 205 looks skinny but may be better on snow or rain...
The major concern would be if the tires would wear more on the middle using 7" rims and to avoi that I`d have to lower the tire pressure.
 
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.
Thanks for all the information Mattax, I will probably put on not more than 1,000 miles a year on that car and just want to make it look better with a wider tire, as IMHO the 205 looks skinny to me for that car.
Once the stock rims are 5.5" wide and I run 205 70 R14, replacing with a 7.0" rim for the 245 60 R14 would be equivalent and as you described I may experience some edge lifting on the bands due to the fact the band will be wider than the rim. In order to avoid that I`d imagine I needed to lower pressure.

Tire options for 14" rims in Brazil are almost none, the largest you can get from major brands is 185 any larger than that would be imported tires. Hankook only offers the 245 and 235 60 R14 then it goes down to 205.
BFG cost like US$ 350 each so i am not spending that.

Currently my dart has the 5.5" rims and 205 tires and shows that on the rear wheels, I need to set pressure like 26 psi or lower to have full contact, any higher will make the sides of the band lift and lose contact.
And that means also uneven wear I guess.
Any way, I am surprised with all the good info I got in response.
And once you gave all that info I`d ask you one more thing... is it ok to use old magnesium rim wheels from the 70`s today? I heard something about these old mag wheels cracking due to aging...
The set of rims I am about to buy look like new and had little use, besides I will put on a tall tire with good amount of rubber.
I am asking all that before I go spend some ca$$$h because these things are way more expensive down here. Thanks again to all.
 
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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.
 
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