67 Barracuda- Brakes and suspension on a 5000 budget- advice needed

3- there's nothing really streetable in 15" with a treadwear rating under 400.

First stop is the tireshop and get rid of the skinny pizzacutters .

Because I didn't realize that there are no 15” performance tires made anymore, I’m abandoning the Cop Wheel idea (still my favorite Mopar look though) and going with 17’s. I really like the American torque thrust original wheels American Racing VN3097765 American Racing VN309 Torq-Thrust Original Vintage Silver Painted Wheels | Summit Racing, but they appear to only come in two flavors for a 17” rim with big bolt pattern: 17 x 7 with 4 in. backspace and 17 x 8 with 4.5 in backspace.

Will the 17 x 7’s work on the front of my car with my suspension combination and a 235/45/17? A 245 would be better...

How about the 17 x 8’s in back? How much tire could I safely put back there?