1969 dart front tire and rim question

[Ronnie Morrow]

Has anybody ran a 225x60x15 on a 15x8 rim with 4.5 BS up front on a 69 dart?? I put a set up front on my dart,, and the bottom front lip is getting in the tire with the wheel turn over 3/4 of the way.. It looks like I can extend the fender brace arm to solve this.. But not sure if that will help...

 

[gold68dart]

My brother runs that size tire but on a 7" rim on his duster and also has rubbing issues. He has more space in there then I do on my dart. Aside from getting a new tire/rim size you could try to extend the brace but I don't think that will help much. For example, I am running 215/60R15 on a 6" wheel and have plenty of room

 

[dano]

Depends. Is it the original 5x4 or has it been updated to 5x4.5 lug pattern?

I had a 225/60/15 on a 15x7.5 wheel with a 5.125" offset and the tire was flush with the outside lip of the fender. With was with 73-newer LBP.

 

[Ronnie Morrow]

I extended the fender brace a "1 3/4 and that got me clear of the bottom front lip...I did forget to mention that i have the big bolt pattern disc brake set up... Now to rear ,, I'm putting a 66 Coronet 8 3/4 under the rear.. If my measurements are right I will be able to run a 15x8 with 6" back spacing and mount 255x60...Thanks everyone

 

[69_340_GTS]

Where are you going to find an 8" wheel with 6" backspacing? Is it even physically possible to make such a wheel?

 

[dano]

Where are you going to find an 8" wheel with 6" backspacing? Is it even physically possible to make such a wheel?

Yes, the rims on my Mazdaspeed6 are factory RX-8 wheels and have a 50mm offset. Its more than a 6" backspace. You just don't get that "lip" the kids want these days.

 

[72bluNblu]

Where are you going to find an 8" wheel with 6" backspacing? Is it even physically possible to make such a wheel?

Possible? Of course it is. In larger diameter wheels it's common. A quick search on eBay came up with 540 results for a 17x8 with a 40mm offset, which is a 6.1" backspace. Heck a search for 17x8's with a 45mm offset, which is a 6.25" backspace, came back wit 563 results including a bunch of Mustang Bullit rims.

Now, whether or not you can find a 6" backspace on a 15" rim with a 5x4.5" pattern, whole different story. I only found a couple and you wouldn't want any of them on your car...

As for the original question, a 15x8 with 4.5" of backspace isn't going to work very well on the front with a 225/60/15. I ran 225/60/15's on my Duster with 15x7's and 4.25" of backspace and they were very close to rubbing on the fenders. Not just the front corners, but the wheel openings as well. With a 15x8 and BBP you'll have to run a 4x4 ride height to keep them from rubbing with suspension travel. The equivalent backspacing to the 15x7's I ran would be 4.75" on a 15x8, and you'll probably find that you need that 1/4" when you hit the road.

 

[69_340_GTS]

O.K. I guess I forgot about all the front wheel drive stuff that's out there. Ugly as hell on older cars though.

 

[Ronnie Morrow]

Wheel Vintiques sell mopar rallye with backspacing of your desire... Takes about 3 weeks once you order them...

 

[AJ/FormS]

What bluNblu said,
and I still had to cut the lower corners of my fenders at the front, cuz when backing up,under certain conditions, the tire would grab the corner and want to rip it up.
If you really want to run 15 x8's, you are gonna have to move them as far inboard as is possible, and trim the upper ball joints if you have to, and move the wheelweights; whatever it takes! You will want to take the shock off and back out the T-bar, and cycle the suspension, cuz when the wheel moves through it's range of motion, you will need to know exactly where it is gonna be at all points.Then you get to repeat it on the other side, cuz when you're this close to the edge, the two sides are rarely,possibly never, the same.You just cannot assume they are.
I went back to 14 x 7's. Now I can drive the berries off it, and no worries.

Oh wait, I'm driving a 68 Barracuda.With a complete suspension from a 70Duster340. Your results may vary

 

[Ronnie Morrow]

72bluNblu,, My ride height from the top lip of the rim to the bottom lip of the fender is 5 3/4" with no rubbing issue in cornering or swags.. I have this on a 69 dart not a duster...

 

[72bluNblu]

O.K. I guess I forgot about all the front wheel drive stuff that's out there. Ugly as hell on older cars though.

Right. Like 14" rallye wheels aren't the dumbest looking wheel ever designed. uke:

My 18's aren't my favorite rim design, but they let me run the tires I wanted. I'll take performance over looks every single time.

72bluNblu,, My ride height from the top lip of the rim to the bottom lip of the fender is 5 3/4" with no rubbing issue in cornering or swags.. I have this on a 69 dart not a duster...

Dart vs Duster doesn't matter that much for front tire clearance, especially if you're talking about the fender lip. I ran Duster fenders before, I'm running '71 Dart fenders now on the same car (demon tribute). My current front tires are 275/35/18's and the outer face of the wheel is in the same place as my 225/60/15's were. On purpose actually, because I knew I couldn't run any further out and still clear. But I run my ride height so that the tops of the tires and the bottom of the fender lip are at about the same height, tire might actually be a little higher.

From your measurements it sounds like your fender lips are a good 1/2" above the top of the tires. You won't be able to lower the car any and not have rubbing. With the right conditions you could probably still get rubbing, it would just take some suspension compression while turning. Like hard cornering while braking. I suppose on a cruiser that's ok, but that's not how I set my clearances.

 

[Ronnie Morrow]

A 1/2" clearance is a long way from 4x4 clearance..I'm having no rubbing issues in cornering or backing..Everyone has a different way they want there car to set..I personally like my front end to set about a inch higher than the rear.. I'll take performance and looks..

 

[72bluNblu]

A 1/2" clearance is a long way from 4x4 clearance..I'm having no rubbing issues in cornering or backing..Everyone has a different way they want there car to set..I personally like my front end to set about a inch higher than the rear.. I'll take performance and looks..

Hey if you think it looks good that's all the matters. Most folks don't like the nose higher than the tail. Those wheels will not fit most cars the way that most people set their ride height. A quick search will give you half a dozen threads about 15x8's with 4.5" backspace not fitting. If it works for you, great.