17" versus 14" tires

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1973dust

1973dust

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I am assuming that even "bottom of the barrel" 17" tires will handle far better than any 14" tire due to the shorter sidewall and the ability to fit more tire width under the car? The 17" look has grown on me over the years and now that I have a decent suspension under the car, I'm wanting to do a budget upgrade from the 14" rallyes.
 
I am opening a can of 17s look better than 14s worms here but I do think the 17s lend themselves to our cars very well, you seem to get a much larger choice of tires and wheels these day as well. I am running a 17 x 8 wheel and a 245 45 17 tire on mine and they do handle well through the curves but there is a trade off of smaller sidewall also means stiffer ride.

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devilchicken said:
I am opening a can of 17s look better than 14s worms here but I do think the 17s lend themselves to our cars very well, you seem to get a much larger choice of tires and wheels these day as well. I am running a 17 x 8 wheel and a 245 45 17 tire on mine and they do handle well through the curves but there is a trade off of smaller sidewall also means stiffer ride.

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looks great. especially compared to a 14" combo.


my old dart. 17x8 all the way around.

Screenshot_2023-01-29-11-03-20-49_3eaaf8b614841f8f661bfb6becc7f808.jpg
 
I honestly prefer the look of 15's but I can't find a 15" torque thrust style rim that I like that has the backspacing I need to fit the tires under the car how I would like. I should say I can't find any that I'm willing to pay the price for. With 17's, it seems easier to keep the fronts away from the fenders and still end up with a decent tread width. Torque-thrusts have always been my favorite wheel and I'm looking at the 17" Mustang "Bullitts" as a substitute.
 
it's certainly very subjective when it comes down to looks. i personally like 15's with a little bulge in the side wall and with the car lowered a bit it gives that underslung look.

17's with the right tire look very sharp. when you get down to the really short sidewalls that big wheel rubber band style just looks goofy to me.

the biggest issue isn't the 14 or 15 size (or contact patch), it's that there is such limited tire availability in those rim diameters-- both size and type/compound.
 
Does anyone have a 70 dart with them on. I know the 8” ralley will work on the back as I have 8” 14” wheels on now but I don’t know about the 8” on the front. Thanks
 
devilchicken said:
I am opening a can of 17s look better than 14s worms here but I do think the 17s lend themselves to our cars very well, you seem to get a much larger choice of tires and wheels these day as well. I am running a 17 x 8 wheel and a 245 45 17 tire on mine and they do handle well through the curves but there is a trade off of smaller sidewall also means stiffer ride.

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How is the front for rubbing when turning?
Room for 9” in back wheel well?
 
17" rims and tires allow for bigger brakes. I kind of like 17 " rims and tires on A Bodies. But I think it boils down to choosing the right wheel.
 
I've seen some 17s I liked on A bodies. But I'm old I guess. I cannot stand the pizza cutter look of stupid lookin short sidewalls. The few 17s I've seen I liked still had a good amount of sidewall on um.
 
I put an HDK front end on and have lots of room for the 8” up front and no a 9” would not clear on the rear of a 70 dart without some modifications.

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The conventional wisdom about more tire choices on 17s may not be quite what it sounds. Yes. there are modern/sticky tires available in 17" but if you're looking for a 17" performance/non drag tire that is taller than 25" (as most of us are) you have your work cut out for you.

At least that was my experience...maybe that's changed since a year and a half ago?
 
I put BF Goodrich 245/45/17 on the back and 225 on the front they are the g- force tires and are 25” diameter. Dimensions matched up close to factory.
 
I've got 255/50x17 Nitto 555 G2, on the back of my 57sd (actually, on the back of one of my 55s at the moment). (Supposedly) "ultra" high performance, 27"+ tall. Nitto makes several uhp 17" tires, 26+ tall, so they don't look like rubber bands.

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33IMP said:
I've got 255/50x17 Nitto 555 G2, on the back of my 57sd (actually, on the back of one of my 55s at the moment). (Supposedly) "ultra" high performance, 27"+ tall. Nitto makes several uhp 17" tires, 26+ tall, so they don't look like rubber bands.

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that's the size (255/50R17) I used on my old 5th ave back in the day and am leaning towards on my duster after the big bolt/disc brake conversion.....235/55R17 is a fairly common size (standard tire size on mid '00 mustangs, IIRC)

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I shall add my 3 cents (inflation).

The debate of the modern 17+ wheel is multi fold and one’s goals and budget dictate all.

However, running a 15” tire on the correct width 15” wheel and proper inflation on a rebuilt suspension with fresh 340 HD 6 leaf springs and 1.03” PST torsion bars gives quite a nice handling result with the correct Skosh alignment settings at stock ride height. Even with no sway bars I have minimal body roll in mountain driving. In fact, I argue that it handles as good as my 2016 Ram on its factory 20” wheels if not better… and all around less harsh ride. I know, I’m comparing a 50 year old car to a modern truck which isn’t fair, but for an all around driver it works for me.

On the flip side if you are auto crossing, lowering the car, going drag racing, drifting, circle track, throw what I said out and start mostly over because now you have all new stuff to do for that handling. Except size you wheels for your tires and inflate them properly, and if you do that it doesn’t matter what tire you run on your driver car… If you run too wide of a tire for a wheel size you get that classic tire bulge look, but you will feel like you are piloting a boat when making a turn.
 
Wvbuzzmaster said:
I shall add my 3 cents (inflation).

The debate of the modern 17+ wheel is multi fold and one’s goals and budget dictate all.

However, running a 15” tire on the correct width 15” wheel and proper inflation on a rebuilt suspension with fresh 340 HD 6 leaf springs and 1.03” PST torsion bars gives quite a nice handling result with the correct Skosh alignment settings at stock ride height. Even with no sway bars I have minimal body roll in mountain driving. In fact, I argue that it handles as good as my 2016 Ram on its factory 20” wheels if not better… and all around less harsh ride. I know, I’m comparing a 50 year old car to a modern truck which isn’t fair, but for an all around driver it works for me.

On the flip side if you are auto crossing, lowering the car, going drag racing, drifting, circle track, throw what I said out and start mostly over because now you have all new stuff to do for that handling. Except size you wheels for your tires and inflate them properly, and if you do that it doesn’t matter what tire you run on your driver car… If you run too wide of a tire for a wheel size you get that classic tire bulge look, but you will feel like you are piloting a boat when making a turn.
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Curious what brand 15" tires you are running. Seems like it isn't hard to find a 15" tire, but if you want one with a modern compound, they are few and far between.

Either way, it comes down to what you want to do with the car. I think much like building a "600 HP motor", we as a community get wrapped up in the idea of something when the reality is if we are realistic with what we build and accept it for what it is, we will be just as happy. If not more. I know I have done that with brakes, no reason I need 14.2" rotors and 4 piston Brembo calipers. But I still want them and plan to run them even though it forces me to 18" wheels and tires.
 
michiganpat said:
that's the size (255/50R17) I used on my old 5th ave back in the day and am leaning towards on my duster after the big bolt/disc brake conversion.....235/55R17 is a fairly common size (standard tire size on mid '00 mustangs, IIRC)

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Seems to me the most common 17" tire for a Mustang is a 245/45R17. That's what I run, on '97(?) GT wheels. Works well, no rubbing on the fender or suspension. But I am running a Cobra rotor based BBK, so it is like I am running a small spacer, too.
 
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