American Racing 500 Mono Cast Wheels and Tires

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Chris Barber

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Good morning,

I am interested in putting a set of American Racing 500 Mono Cast wheels and some redline tires on my 1965 Dodge Dart convertible. Bolt pattern is a non issue, I’m getting them redrilled to 4 1/2”. I am going to lower the car 2” with dropped spindles and lowering blocks. Looks like the wheels are only available in 15x7 and 15x8. Any recommendations on wheel size/tire combos that will clear the fenders? Or have a way to check and measure?
 
Chris Barber said:
Good morning,

I am interested in putting a set of American Racing 500 Mono Cast wheels and some redline tires on my 1965 Dodge Dart convertible. Bolt pattern is a non issue, I’m getting them redrilled to 4 1/2”. I am going to lower the car 2” with dropped spindles and lowering blocks. Looks like the wheels are only available in 15x7 and 15x8. Any recommendations on wheel size/tire combos that will clear the fenders? Or have a way to check and measure?
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Do your homework. You will have to do some mods and trimming to get them to fit without rubbing.
 

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toolmanmike said:
Do your homework. You will have to do some mods and trimming to get them to fit without rubbing.
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That is what I am attempting to do here. I am trying to gather information from people with experience. Do you have any knowledge you’d be willing to pass on? I thought that was the purpose of the forum? I have searched this forum for a clear answer on a 2” dropped ‘65 Dart wanting to run 15x7s and a tire size recommendation but that is not as readily available as you would think.
 
either of those is going to be tight fitting at slightly lower than stock height, the additional 2" lower is going to make things interesting and throw in whatever new track width the spindles add and it may be a no-go situation up front.

out back isn't as critical, you can get pretty low before the limiting factor of the quarters comes into play.

rear end and backspace will be the determining factor back there.

what size tire are you trying to run?

do you know the criticals of the rims already? back space, off set, etx? what brakes and suspension do you have currently?
 
Exactly as JYH said. Backspace is all important in determining what will fit.
First, imo, forget about 15x8. Unless the backspace is PERFECT, for YOUR car, they likely won't fit. If the backspace on the 15x7s is 4", or more, they'll maybe work. I'd sure buy wheels and tires BEFORE I lowered the car.
I'd try 205/60x15s for the front, and 225,or 235/60x15s rear.
If the backspace is 3.something, I'd be Very careful. Less than 3 3/4? I wouldn't spend a dime on those wheels.
 
33IMP said:
Exactly as JYH said. Backspace is all important in determining what will fit.
First, imo, forget about 15x8. Unless the backspace is PERFECT, for YOUR car, they likely won't fit. If the backspace on the 15x7s is 4", or more, they'll maybe work. I'd sure buy wheels and tires BEFORE I lowered the car.
I'd try 205/60x15s for the front, and 225,or 235/60x15s rear.
If the backspace is 3.something, I'd be Very careful. Less than 3 3/4? I wouldn't spend a dime on those wheels.
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ARE lists the 7 as 4" BS and the 8 at 4.5

so having gone thru this with americans on big bolt and a "cheater" 205 on my 65 that was pretty low... i can say with definitive purpose: "maybe" but it totally depends on the tire.
 
junkyardhero said:
oh, and if you REALLY want answers that are 100% correct for your particular application the information is cheap:


minimal work required...
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Thank you! That is the type of experience and help I was looking for. Sounds like the main issue is the fender well lip, I was thinking it was the inner fender scrubbing when I make a turn.

I am not trying to run any specific tire, but I do want those specific wheels. It just seems that almost all of the early Darts have either Rally wheels or Cragar S/S wheels on them. I understand there’s a reason for that but if I’d like to do what I can to gain more options. The 500 Mono Cast wheels look great, I wish American Racing offered a 15x6.

What’s this “cheater” 205 tire you mentioned? Can you tell me more about those?
 
Chris Barber said:
Thank you! That is the type of experience and help I was looking for. Sounds like the main issue is the fender well lip, I was thinking it was the inner fender scrubbing when I make a turn.

I am not trying to run any specific tire, but I do want those specific wheels. It just seems that almost all of the early Darts have either Rally wheels or Cragar S/S wheels on them. I understand there’s a reason for that but if I’d like to do what I can to gain more options. The 500 Mono Cast wheels look great, I wish American Racing offered a 15x6.

What’s this “cheater” 205 tire you mentioned? Can you tell me more about those?
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in the rear the tire will contact the spring before the inner well to the inside, the limiting factor is the wheel arch lip and the 1/4" panel above in that it tapers inward further limiting space.

up front the leading edge of the fender down low is a point of contact as is the wheel arch when turning. so keep that in mind as well.

you can probably get away with the 15X7's all the way around with a 205 or mayyyybbbeee a 215 in the front. there rear might be able to squeeze a 225 depending on rear end width and ride height. front is dependent on what those drop spindles add in track width and your brakes.

a lot of higher end 205 15" tires are produced for spec classes of autocross and road racing, they generally have small aspect ratios with thin, stiff sidewalls for performance handling. those type of tires get pretty imaginative with the "205" measurement and have a substantially larger contact patch than a run of the mill bread and butter 205. the upside is performance rubber, the down side is that they're quite short overall.

but if your car is already low... they look just about right.
 
junkyardhero said:
in the rear the tire will contact the spring before the inner well to the inside, the limiting factor is the wheel arch lip and the 1/4" panel above in that it tapers inward further limiting space.

up front the leading edge of the fender down low is a point of contact as is the wheel arch when turning. so keep that in mind as well.

you can probably get away with the 15X7's all the way around with a 205 or mayyyybbbeee a 215 in the front. there rear might be able to squeeze a 225 depending on rear end width and ride height. front is dependent on what those drop spindles add in track width and your brakes.

a lot of higher end 205 15" tires are produced for spec classes of autocross and road racing, they generally have small aspect ratios with thin, stiff sidewalls for performance handling. those type of tires get pretty imaginative with the "205" measurement and have a substantially larger contact patch than a run of the mill bread and butter 205. the upside is performance rubber, the down side is that they're quite short overall.

but if your car is already low... they look just about right.
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Exceptional advice. Thank you. Sometimes I hesitate to post on a forum because many folks will beat around the question but not give a straight answer. Responses like this restore my faith in forums ha!
 
Chris Barber said:
Exceptional advice. Thank you. Sometimes I hesitate to post on a forum because many folks will beat around the question but not give a straight answer. Responses like this restore my faith in forums ha!
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well, to be fair it's not an easy question to give a straight forward answer to. there's a of granular details and moving parts-- and that's with stock suspension components at a reasonable ride height.

even more, because of production tolerances and the age of these cars (anything can be swapped!) what fits one car may not necessarily fit another.

if you want the rims, you'll find a way to make 'em fit! there may be compromises though...
 
Search wheel fitment tools Wheelrite is one brand. They are well worth the money and can tell you exactly what can fit.
 
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