17" Wheels on a 69 Dart with Stock Suspension

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1969VADart

1969VADart

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I have read through a thousand posts on wheels and tires but I can't really seem to find what I am looking for, so I figured I would just start another wheel and tire thread. I have a 69 Dart that has the stock front suspension (new bushings) and stock rear spring setup. The car also has the original 7 1/4" rear end and small bolt pattern all the way around. My question is will 17" wheels fit under my car without making any modifications? I am thinking 17x7's in the front and 17x8's in the rear. Will that work on my car and what would be my tire options? Thanks.
 
If I were going to put 17" wheels on my '69 Dart I'd use 17x7 all around, wheels with 4.25" backspacing. Best tire size would be 225/50R17 on all 4 corners. You will have rubbing problems on the rear with any tire bigger than a 225. I tried every backspacing, 7" and 8" wheels, spacers, and even raised the ride height and 235 tires always managed to rub somewhere on my '69 Dart.
 
The thing I'd be worried most about is whether or not the 7.25 can take a larger moment of inertia coming from larger wheels and tires. You may want to consider bumping up to an 8.25 or 8.75 rear unless you baby that 7.25 as much as possible.

You don't have many options for sbp 17" wheels, but Motech performance sell Streeter wheels ( http://motechperformance.com/product/ ) and Coy sells some sbp wheels as well ( http://www.coyswheel.com/coys.html ). They'll fit under your car, but I don't really see you getting much more than a 225 series tire under there.
 
I just went through this on my Dart, only I added more complications just for fun. My setup is 17x7 on front and 17x8 on back. My front tires are 215/55-17 and my rears are 235/55-17 Yokohamas. I agree with 69_340_GTS on the tire size. My tire sizes are a little bigger than the 225/50-17 he recommended and all the stars had to align to get them to fit right. A for tire availability, I use Discount Auto Direct to search for tires by size. There are many tires in a 225/50-17.
Your first concern will be who makes a 17" wheel with a small bolt pattern. They are out there. Your other concern will be correct backspacing for the wheels if you change to disc brakes or bolt pattern.
 

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I've got 17x8 on the front 18x8 on the rear back space is 4.5 on both with 225/45/17 and 235/40/18. Stock suspension no rubbing front or rear even with the torsion bars cranked down. Think I could go a size or two wider with no problems.
 
Thanks for the replies. I have not completely made up my mind yet. I am also considering 15's. I was planning on doing Coys Wheels, but now I am not sure because they told me they don't make the SBP in chrome. They do make SBP in Black Chrome (not sure why that would be).
 
Just for kicks, I put a 265-50-20 tire on a 20x9" wheel under the Dart just to see what it would look like. The diameter was way too tall. The tire touched the front and back of the wheel well. However, the width looked really good. I had the rear end and springs removed but with the 1/2" Dr Diff spring relocation kit, the outside of the spring should be even with the inner wheel well lip. I had good clearance on both sides of the wheel well with the 265's. There is a member here(doesn't post much) who is running 285-30-20's on the back of a 68 convertible with stock wheel tubs.
 
1969VADart said:
Thanks for the replies. I have not completely made up my mind yet. I am also considering 15's. I was planning on doing Coys Wheels, but now I am not sure because they told me they don't make the SBP in chrome. They do make SBP in Black Chrome (not sure why that would be).
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Coy's drills a lot the bolt patterns to order and can do the same with back spacing. Since the wheels are already chromed when they get them it would ruin them. The black chrome is more if and anodized finish, good looking wheel, would have went with them but they were on back order when I did mine. Here is my before and after.
 
Here we go.
 

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Yes, they are Coy's. Tires are Nexen CP672's 225/45/17 and 235/40/18
 
I spoke to the guy at Coy's again. I was a bit confused. They actually can do SBP wheels in the Polished finish, so I may end up going that route. I am leaning towards 15x6's on the front and 15x7's on the rear. The other option is likely 17x7's all the way around.
 
here is a stock suspension abody with coys 17x7 wheel.. 4.25 backspace...

dave had 73-up disc set up in the front and a 8 1/4 rear... front tire is a 225/50-17 and the rear is a little wider tire but i forget what size..

carlisle%2008%20201.jpg
 
1969VADart said:
I spoke to the guy at Coy's again. I was a bit confused. They actually can do SBP wheels in the Polished finish, so I may end up going that route. I am leaning towards 15x6's on the front and 15x7's on the rear. The other option is likely 17x7's all the way around.
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Whatever makes you happy. It's your car.
 
GEO said:
Chuck holes would total those cars
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Um, no, they won't. :bs:

I have tens of thousands of miles on my Challenger with 17" rims and 275/40/17's. I even drive it on gravel roads with more than their share of pot holes and washboards. It's seen plenty of pot holes and I've never had so much as a flat, let alone a damaged rim or car. It doesn't have any more side wall than any of the pictures posted so far. In fact, with a 25.7" tall tire, it may have less.

IMG_3018.jpg


I don't have as many miles on the 18's on my Duster, but I can assure you I've hit a few pot holes and somehow managed to survive. The "horror stories" posted by most of those tuners about flatting tires and bending rims has more to do with putting the WRONG size tire on a rim than it does a short sidewall. Stay in the recommended rim size range with your selected tires and you won't have any issues.

IMG_5264_zpsace856f7.jpg
 
There are a lot of variables to consider. Comparing your car to what others have done is helpful, but without having the identical parts and ride height, it's just a reference point. Most of the cars people are showing in the thread sit higher than the car in your avatar. If you plan on having the car like it is in that picture, tire size will be limited.
 
I appreciate this thought. I am probably going to have to get under the car with a tape measure to be certain. I like the stance of my car, so I am going to try to put a wheel and tire combo together that give it a similar look. Thanks.

damnimcooltom said:
There are a lot of variables to consider. Comparing your car to what others have done is helpful, but without having the identical parts and ride height, it's just a reference point. Most of the cars people are showing in the thread sit higher than the car in your avatar. If you plan on having the car like it is in that picture, tire size will be limited.
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I used a Percy's WheelRite tool to verify wheel/tire fitment before I ordered. It will simulate whatever size setup you are thinking about putting on your car. [URL="http://www.summitracing.com/parts/php-01201/overview/."]http://www.summitracing.com/parts/php-01201/overview/.[/URL]
FWIW, My car is sitting at stock height in the rear and a little lower in front. It looks higher but I think it's the picture angle. There is a pic of my car with the 15" Cragars and then a pic with the new Billet Specialties 17"s in the Wheel/Tire Sticky Tread. The front of my car was a little lower with the 15" setup.
 
3.36" sidewalls on my daily driver. I hit all kinds of potholes and speedbumps, you name it. Sorry it's a Ford, but I'm just agreeing with you guys, 18" or 19" wheels are not necessarily a disaster waiting to happen. 245/40-19 tires on 19 x 8 wheels.
 
I still feel like the 7 1/4 is going to blow due to the extra weight on the wheels.
 
MuuMuu101 said:
The thing I'd be worried most about is whether or not the 7.25 can take a larger moment of inertia coming from larger wheels and tires. You may want to consider bumping up to an 8.25 or 8.75 rear unless you baby that 7.25 as much as possible.
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As long as he keeps the tire diameter the same, at around 26", and the tire/wheel weighs about the same, the above statement regarding "larger moment of inertia" does not apply. And based on all the coversation here, it sounds like he's considering a tire around 225/50R17 and is looking at some nice aluminum wheels. I bet the 17" wheel/tire package is no heavier than whatever came stock on this car. Is a 7.25" rear end the best thing in the world? Nope, but we don't even know what engine this car has, or its intended use. So it may be just fine.
 
Wheels on the car in my signature are 17x8's. 225-50-17 tires, but they are federal brand and they tend to run a size wider than they call out. I didn't know that until after I had bought the tire and rim set.

They are the mustang offset from 05 and up. 5.72" I believe. I had to run 1" spacers up front and 1" adapters out back until I get my 8.8" rear axle mounted. I want to change to .5" spacers up front because the tires want to rub on the fender on hard corners.
 
The overall tire diameter and weight isn't the issue. It's where that weight is in relationship to the center of the wheel. The wheel/tire combo can be the same diameter and the same weight, but if more of the weight is out at the edge(farther way from the wheel centerline) the more inertia it will have. Is it enough to worry about? Maybe not.
 
burdar said:
The overall tire diameter and weight isn't the issue. It's where that weight is in relationship to the center of the wheel. The wheel/tire combo can be the same diameter and the same weight, but if more of the weight is out at the edge(farther way from the wheel centerline) the more inertia it will have. Is it enough to worry about? Maybe not.
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I seriously doubt it. The wheel weights for the 17/18" wheels are less than most 15" set ups, especially for like size combinations.

The 275/35/18's on 18x9's on the front of my car were several pounds lighter than the 15x7" cop car rims with 225/60/15's I had on it. The 295/35/18's I have on the back were pretty much exactly the same weight, slightly less. The moment of inertia change is unlikely to be significant enough to cause any problems at all. And if you run narrower tires than that they might even be an improvement in weight and moment of inertia. It's funny, people seem to bring up the wheel weight issue when 17/18 or larger rims are involved, but no one ever says a thing about it when people switch from 14" pizza-cutter narrow bias ply's to a giant set of BFG T/A 275/60/15's. Those probably weigh twice what the OE wheels and tires weigh, and are taller to boot.

The bigger issue for the 7 1/4 will probably be the improved traction the modern tire compounds will offer compared to the hockey pucks that originally came on the car.
 
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