harrytoes
Well-Known Member
I'm looking for the best tire option on stock 14 steelies for my 68 fastback. What is the best size option? Any suggestions for brands? Thanks.
Best tires for stock 14s on 68 fastback
- Thread starter harrytoes
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harrisonm
Well-Known Member
On a stock rim, I would say 205/70/14s would be just about perfect. You MIGHT be able to get away with 215/70s. If you want to try 215s, try to find a tire shop that will mount a 215 for you and test it on the ground for proper clearance.
FWIW, I went with 205s. They look good and don't rub on the front fender lip when turning into my driveway and hitting the bump at the bottom.
FWIW, I went with 205s. They look good and don't rub on the front fender lip when turning into my driveway and hitting the bump at the bottom.
205/70's and since i'm spending your money, my vote is these:
if that's only a 4.5" Rim then I would say 195/70 R14
Johnny Dart
Well-Known Member
With my trained eyes, I'm calling those 14"x 5.5" wheels.
My car, I'm going with a 215/70-14 BFG TA Radial.
White letter out.
My car, I'm going with a 215/70-14 BFG TA Radial.
White letter out.
AJ/FormS
68 Formua-S fastback clone 367/A833/GVod/3.55s
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IMO;
The best tire option is a new P-radial. lol. and
The best tire-size option is;
from a minimum of; wheel width /.85
to a maximum of Wheel width /.70
metric to metric.
thus, a 5" wheel, being 127mm, the tire size is from 150mm to 180mm; a profile measurement.
But; not in my wildest dreams,
would I drive a 3400 pound car around on even 180s.
Wider tires can be installed, but you will have to reduce the tire pressures to get them to run flat to the road for long tread-life. Forget the tire-pressure chart on the door-jamb.
BTW, the factory tires on 5"wheels (IIRC) back in 68, were rated at 6.95s, which equals 177mm tread width, to convert that to a metric rating, you can add about 37mm=215 profile width.
On the 5.5 Rallys, that came out in 1970, those were E70-14 Polyglass tires and were about 7.35s by the previous rating, which were 187mm...... but this was a treadwidth, NOT a profile. The profile could have been maybe 1.25 larger so add 37mm=212 to 225
*************************************************
Just so you know, at stock ride-height, Physically;
the front of my 68, will accept 235s on 7.5s@ 3.75bs, and
the rear will accept;
275s on 15x8.5@4.5bs, will fit IN there, all stock
295s on 15x10s will fit IN the stock tubs, but finding a backspace will not be easy. I narrowed my rear-end to accept any 15x10/ 4.5bs, period wheels. and yes
325s on 15x10s @4.5bs will also fit in there, on the narrowed rear, but I can't go nuts in the turns. IIRC, I used 1/8th inch spacers on long studs, and I trimmed the outer lips, plus I beat on the inner-tubs in a couple of spots just for good measure.
I run my 235s at ~ 28/29psi, on those 7.5s...... and my 295s are down at 24psi on the 10s, which makes for a bit of rear steer, going around corners at modest speeds. I quickly learned to like it!
and, the reduced pressure sure smooths out the ride of the HD Suspension.
Also worth noting, is that the branded profile size on the sidewall is achieved using a checking wheel which is 70% of the branded size. When a wheel is selected other than that checking wheel, this will change the profile width.
For example;
a 185 profile tire, is about that size on 5.0 wheel. On a 6.0, that exact same tire might be a 195.
Generally, the tread width of a metric tire, will be about 1 to 1.5 inches narrower than the branded profile size, on the 70% wheel
For example;
if you have a 185 on a 5 wheel, 6 inches outside to outside, the tread width is likely to be around 6 inches.
Many years ago, in the 60s, the general rule of thumb was to have the tread width to be about the same as the outside width of the wheel. Thus, a 5.0 wheel, which is 6.0 outside to outside, would want a tread-width of 6.0 ...... which was then slotted into the nearest alpha-numeric slot, closest to it, but not smaller. This was to run the tire pressures on the door-jamb, again.
If a wider tire was mounted, at standard pressure, it would pull up the edges of the tire, which would burn off the centers and leave the edges. The wider the wheels and the greater the pressure mismatch, the sooner the tire would burn off.
*********************************************************
My 235s are rated at 9.25 profile, which on a 70% checking-wheel is 6.5" .
I have them mounted on a 7.5 wheel, and the profile jumped to over 9.75.
But the tread is still the same, so I cannot as a DD, run the 35psi on the pillar. To make the tire tread last, I have to run 28/29 cold.
But you know, on the weekends, I can pump them up a bit, and the wider wheels stabilize the tires, and I can whip around pretty good, on the street. Or I can leave them at 28, roll the treads under, and just plow, which I actually quite enjoy, by steering with the back-end and tapping into the 367 cuber, as may be required..
The best tire option is a new P-radial. lol. and
The best tire-size option is;
from a minimum of; wheel width /.85
to a maximum of Wheel width /.70
metric to metric.
thus, a 5" wheel, being 127mm, the tire size is from 150mm to 180mm; a profile measurement.
But; not in my wildest dreams,
would I drive a 3400 pound car around on even 180s.
Wider tires can be installed, but you will have to reduce the tire pressures to get them to run flat to the road for long tread-life. Forget the tire-pressure chart on the door-jamb.
BTW, the factory tires on 5"wheels (IIRC) back in 68, were rated at 6.95s, which equals 177mm tread width, to convert that to a metric rating, you can add about 37mm=215 profile width.
On the 5.5 Rallys, that came out in 1970, those were E70-14 Polyglass tires and were about 7.35s by the previous rating, which were 187mm...... but this was a treadwidth, NOT a profile. The profile could have been maybe 1.25 larger so add 37mm=212 to 225
*************************************************
Just so you know, at stock ride-height, Physically;
the front of my 68, will accept 235s on 7.5s@ 3.75bs, and
the rear will accept;
275s on 15x8.5@4.5bs, will fit IN there, all stock
295s on 15x10s will fit IN the stock tubs, but finding a backspace will not be easy. I narrowed my rear-end to accept any 15x10/ 4.5bs, period wheels. and yes
325s on 15x10s @4.5bs will also fit in there, on the narrowed rear, but I can't go nuts in the turns. IIRC, I used 1/8th inch spacers on long studs, and I trimmed the outer lips, plus I beat on the inner-tubs in a couple of spots just for good measure.
I run my 235s at ~ 28/29psi, on those 7.5s...... and my 295s are down at 24psi on the 10s, which makes for a bit of rear steer, going around corners at modest speeds. I quickly learned to like it!
and, the reduced pressure sure smooths out the ride of the HD Suspension.
Also worth noting, is that the branded profile size on the sidewall is achieved using a checking wheel which is 70% of the branded size. When a wheel is selected other than that checking wheel, this will change the profile width.
For example;
a 185 profile tire, is about that size on 5.0 wheel. On a 6.0, that exact same tire might be a 195.
Generally, the tread width of a metric tire, will be about 1 to 1.5 inches narrower than the branded profile size, on the 70% wheel
For example;
if you have a 185 on a 5 wheel, 6 inches outside to outside, the tread width is likely to be around 6 inches.
Many years ago, in the 60s, the general rule of thumb was to have the tread width to be about the same as the outside width of the wheel. Thus, a 5.0 wheel, which is 6.0 outside to outside, would want a tread-width of 6.0 ...... which was then slotted into the nearest alpha-numeric slot, closest to it, but not smaller. This was to run the tire pressures on the door-jamb, again.
If a wider tire was mounted, at standard pressure, it would pull up the edges of the tire, which would burn off the centers and leave the edges. The wider the wheels and the greater the pressure mismatch, the sooner the tire would burn off.
*********************************************************
My 235s are rated at 9.25 profile, which on a 70% checking-wheel is 6.5" .
I have them mounted on a 7.5 wheel, and the profile jumped to over 9.75.
But the tread is still the same, so I cannot as a DD, run the 35psi on the pillar. To make the tire tread last, I have to run 28/29 cold.
But you know, on the weekends, I can pump them up a bit, and the wider wheels stabilize the tires, and I can whip around pretty good, on the street. Or I can leave them at 28, roll the treads under, and just plow, which I actually quite enjoy, by steering with the back-end and tapping into the 367 cuber, as may be required..
Last edited:
Stock rims were 4.5 and 5.5. If I am seeing your trim level correctly, you may have the 4.5 rims. My 5.5 rims accept larger E70x14. I am two sizes oversize with G70x14 with no issues.
harrytoes
Well-Known Member
How can I tell if they are 4.5s or 5.5s?
The car did come with wired wheel hub caps if that makes a difference. Still have them but I. like the dog dish look better
The car did come with wired wheel hub caps if that makes a difference. Still have them but I. like the dog dish look better
measure from the inside bead area and there is usually a size stamped near the valve stem
195 or 205/70-14 on 4.5 and 215/70-14 on 5.5 would be the maximum recommended by the tire manufacturers. 225/70-14 may (probably) cause interference on the front lower corner.
5.5 would be on Formula S and Heavy Duty Suspension packages. What size tires are you running now? From the sidewall bulge, I'm guessing you have 4.5" wheels.
As far as brands, you don't have a huge number of options. Some passenger touring tires from General, etc. Or white letter tires: Radial T/A, Cooper Cobra, Uniroyal Tiger Paw. I didn't know that the Vredesteins were available in these sizes (thanks, JYH) but they are pretty pricey.
I am happy with the 215/70-14 Cooper Cobras on my 14 x 5.5 rally wheels.
5.5 would be on Formula S and Heavy Duty Suspension packages. What size tires are you running now? From the sidewall bulge, I'm guessing you have 4.5" wheels.
As far as brands, you don't have a huge number of options. Some passenger touring tires from General, etc. Or white letter tires: Radial T/A, Cooper Cobra, Uniroyal Tiger Paw. I didn't know that the Vredesteins were available in these sizes (thanks, JYH) but they are pretty pricey.
I am happy with the 215/70-14 Cooper Cobras on my 14 x 5.5 rally wheels.
To measure the rim width on a loose wheel with a tire mounted, get two 14" long sticks and lay them across the rim flange on either side, then measure the space between them through the center hole. This will take 3 or 4 hands, so get a helper. This measurement will be the outer flange of the rim — the real dimension is the inner bead surface, so subtract 1 inch.
take close up pictures of the wheels and post them
the 215 vredesteins are tempting. verrryyyyy tempting...
Best tires "for WHAT"? Street, autocross, drag racing? Throw us a bone.
Moon rover
harrytoes
Well-Known Member
It's an all original 318 2b. Just looking for something on the street better than the 175s that are on there now
harrytoes
Well-Known Member
So it ends up they are 14 x 5.5 wheels I ended up going with 205/70/14. Car rides great. The old cracked tires were barely hold together
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