Help with Wheel and tire combo please!

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scott2683

scott2683

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Good evening folks,

I'm needing some assistance with wheel size, tire size, and backspacing. I've got a 74 duster that is currently sitting on 14" rims, the car definitely needs some meat under her. On my last duster I put 15" Cragar SS wheels, and it looked really good. I think on this one I would like to go with a more modern look. I've read through about every single thread on this forum, and I think i'm more lost now than before. I know I want a staggered wheel, but I don't want to alter the car to get the wheels to fit.

What is the largest wheel you guys are running that you allows for a decently meaty tire?

What back spacing do you guys use front and back?

How wide of a wheel/tire can you put in the back? (8.25 rear)

Does anyone have any pics of 16", 17", or 18" wheels on their duster or dart sport?

I know this topic has been visited several times in the past, but I appreciate the help.

Scott
 
Everything is dependant on your specific car. You can look to others for guidance or similarities; however, odds are no one will have the exact same setup as you. IMO, the best thing to do is to look at other cars that are similar (so in your case it could be 72bluNblu's Duster). But depending on what rear end, springs, UCA's, brakes, etc. you run can change your wheel options dramatically. I say, measure 10x's, order once.

It would help if you gave us a little more information like what bolt pattern you have, how wide your 8 1/4 is drum-to-drum, what brakes your running, etc. Also define a decently meaty tire... Width? Height? How tall or wide? Some people don't like the short sidewall look or feel.
 
you can fit a 28x 9 under your car nicely, a wheel with 3.5 backspace with an 8.25 rear end
 
Thanks for the replies guys, I'll definitely take some measurements. By meaty tire I just mean I don't want the car to look like it's rolling on rubber bands. The suspension is completely factory, it's the larger 5x4.5 bolt pattern, front disc brakes. I've narrowed it down to these similar set ups. Its a hard choice.

It's hard to find a tire store that specializes in older cars anymore. The last time I ordered wheels and tires the guys at discount tire were really cool and ordered in a couple different sizes for me to try just to make sure I got the right fit.
 

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I found most my luck with wheels on Summit Racing. They're filtering system makes it easy to pinpoint a wheel that is perfect for your setup. Make sure you check the centerbore of the wheel you're looking at as the +73 hub is larger than the conventional "Mustang" size.
 
IMHO a wheel any bigger than 16" looks "wrong" on a '70s car. That being said you can easily fit 225/60-15 tires all around, or 225/55-16 all around. Since the Duster has a pretty generous rear wheel opening, guys are putting 235 or 245 tires on the back with no problem.
 
The purple car blows chunks. Not enough sidewall.
 
Thanks for the info! I'm definitely leaning toward 15's or 16's. I really like the wheels and tires on the brown duster. What brand of tires do you guys prefer? I like cooper Cobras, but they only go up to 15"
 
If you don't want to modify the car any, the widest you can safely go in the back and keep the tires inside the quarters is a 275. In the front you can also run a 275 without modifications to the body, but depending on the rim and backspacing you might need to change the UCA's out for tubulars, I needed to in order to clear the rims at full lock and droop. You also won't be able to run 275's on anything less than a 17" rim though, as you can't run enough backspace with rims smaller than that (and even some 17's).

There really aren't any tires available for the 15's in decent sizes anymore unless you want to run BFG T/A hockey pucks, Coopers, etc. Nothing designed in the last 20-30 years. That might not be a problem for you, it really depends on what you're plans are for the car. But if you want a tire with a half decent compound and handling capabilities you won't find anything street legal for a 15" rim.

I run my car with 275/35/18's up front on 18x9's and 295/35/18's out back on 18x10's. But I've offset the rear springs a 1/2" and cut another 1/2" off of the inner quarter lip to make those work in the back. My backspacing numbers are a little different from stock though, as I have a B-body rear end and 13" Dr diff front disks, which have a wider track as well.

IMG_5264_zpsace856f7.jpg


IMG_2059_zpsgwedlaiu.jpg


IMG_2251_zpslw7ccgzu.jpg
 
Man, that looks really good! Thanks for the reply! The wide tires tucked in the back look great.

I feel like I definitely have a lot more research to do before I make a decision.

Again, I appreciate everyone's help.
 
scott2683 said:
Man, that looks really good! Thanks for the reply! The wide tires tucked in the back look great.

I feel like I definitely have a lot more research to do before I make a decision.

Again, I appreciate everyone's help.
Click to expand...

Thanks!

There's more info on the rims and tires, along with more of what I did to get them to fit, in my build thread. Link's http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=198098, also in my signature. Wheel and tire stuff starts on page 4.
 
69_340_GTS said:
IMHO a wheel any bigger than 16" looks "wrong" on a '70s car.
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For the most part, I agree. I prefer the look of a taller sidewall and a 14"-15" wheel.

But as it's already been pointed out, there isn't a lot of tire selection for a 15" rim. BFG T/As and Cooper Cobras for the most part, some rubber from Nexen and Kumho, maybe the Uniroyal Tiger Paw if you can live with something like a 225/60. None of them are fantastic, although I've run the Cobras before and they're not bad considering their price point. Speaking of price, you can spend major $$$ on repop Firestone Wide Ovals, but I'm thinking that's outside the lines for most folks (me included).

And wheels? There aren't many wheel choices in 15" either, if you're running the SBP.

The LBP guys have it a bit easier. For starters, they have a bigger selection of rims in 15". And since Mustangs run the same 5 x 4.5", there are a ton of wheel styles out there in 16", 17" and 18" sizes, with all sorts of backspacing and offsets. I think a 16" wheel is a decent compromise on older Mopars - bigger than I like, but the tire selection is much broader, and they don't look too ridiculous if you pair them with something with a decent sidewall.
 
I agree with you, my old duster had SBP, most places I shopped around didn't even carry wheels for the car, so the selection process was much easier when I only had about 4 options.

The duster I have now will most likely be my daily driver in nice weather, so I want a good quality tire that has a nice ride to it.

I wish tire stores operates like a shoe store, so I could just point to what I wanted and try them on and see how they fit!
 
I run 295/50-15s at the back,under my FormulaS. I find the BFGs only have traction for about 25% of their tread life. The Cobras seem to last a bit longer. When they stop screaming, theyre done.After that they get hard and seem to last forever,though. I take em off and put em on something else. Or burn em up. The 295s help keep the back, in the back, around turns, when sliding under power. With 275s I kept spinning out.
I too prefer the looks of 50 series tires, or maybe 45 at the shortest.
 
Scott, you are lucky to have the 4.5" bolt circle. I don't think there is ANY wheel made by ANY manufacturer in ANY size that isn't made with 4.5" b/c. Because that's what about 1/2 the medium/large Jap cars use, as well as nearly every Mopar and Ford. Your choices are really unlimited!
 
72bluNblu said:
If you don't want to modify the car any, the widest you can safely go in the back and keep the tires inside the quarters is a 275. In the front you can also run a 275 without modifications to the body, but depending on the rim and backspacing you might need to change the UCA's out for tubulars, I needed to in order to clear the rims at full lock and droop. You also won't be able to run 275's on anything less than a 17" rim though, as you can't run enough backspace with rims smaller than that (and even some 17's).

There really aren't any tires available for the 15's in decent sizes anymore unless you want to run BFG T/A hockey pucks, Coopers, etc. Nothing designed in the last 20-30 years. That might not be a problem for you, it really depends on what you're plans are for the car. But if you want a tire with a half decent compound and handling capabilities you won't find anything street legal for a 15" rim.

I run my car with 275/35/18's up front on 18x9's and 295/35/18's out back on 18x10's. But I've offset the rear springs a 1/2" and cut another 1/2" off of the inner quarter lip to make those work in the back. My backspacing numbers are a little different from stock though, as I have a B-body rear end and 13" Dr diff front disks, which have a wider track as well.



I am wondering why you say he can't run 275 on anything under a 17" wheel?
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torkflight said:
I am wondering why you say he can't run 275 on anything under a 17" wheel?
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In the front?

Because you need about 6" of backspace in order to run a 275 in the front and clear the fenders. You can't run that amount of backspace with 15's, 16's, or even most 17's. For example, the "Bullit" style 17" mustang rims hit the outer tie rod at about 5.6" of backspace, but the Cobra style rims apparently clear, just barely, at 6" of backspace. 18" rims eliminate the issue of outer tie rod end clearance, as the outer tire rod goes inside of the rim space. Which allows even more backspacing, although then the frame starts to become a clearance issue.

In the back it obviously doesn't matter, on a Duster with stock location springs and no modifications to the quarter lip a 275 wide tire is a piece of cake, regardless of whether its on a 14" rim or an 18" rim.
 
scott2683 said:
Thanks for the replies guys, I'll definitely take some measurements. By meaty tire I just mean I don't want the car to look like it's rolling on rubber bands. The suspension is completely factory, it's the larger 5x4.5 bolt pattern, front disc brakes. I've narrowed it down to these similar set ups. Its a hard choice.

It's hard to find a tire store that specializes in older cars anymore. The last time I ordered wheels and tires the guys at discount tire were really cool and ordered in a couple different sizes for me to try just to make sure I got the right fit.
Click to expand...
Petty Blue car all day LONG!
 
72bluNblu said:
In the front?

Because you need about 6" of backspace in order to run a 275 in the front and clear the fenders. You can't run that amount of backspace with 15's, 16's, or even most 17's. For example, the "Bullit" style 17" mustang rims hit the outer tie rod at about 5.6" of backspace, but the Cobra style rims apparently clear, just barely, at 6" of backspace. 18" rims eliminate the issue of outer tie rod end clearance, as the outer tire rod goes inside of the rim space. Which allows even more backspacing, although then the frame starts to become a clearance issue.

In the back it obviously doesn't matter, on a Duster with stock location springs and no modifications to the quarter lip a 275 wide tire is a piece of cake, regardless of whether its on a 14" rim or an 18" rim.
Click to expand...
ok, didn't read enough, didn't realize you were talking about the front
 
Thanks for all the replies. I've been reading through all the threads trying to do as much research as possible. I really don't want to do any modifications to the car, or swap out the UCA's, If an 18" rim clears the front better, maybe that would be my best option for the car.

I've been looking at different wheels tonight. I can't believe all the damn options.
 
scott2683 said:
Thanks for all the replies. I've been reading through all the threads trying to do as much research as possible. I really don't want to do any modifications to the car, or swap out the UCA's, If an 18" rim clears the front better, maybe that would be my best option for the car.

I've been looking at different wheels tonight. I can't believe all the damn options.
Click to expand...

18's do clear the front better, but that's really only necessary to run 275's in the front. You can run all the way up to a 255 with a 17" rim and 5.6" of backspacing, no problem. A 275 up front really isn't necessary unless you're planning on some serious cornering, a 255 is more than enough. Part of the reason I'm running 275's up front is just because the tire I wanted wasn't available in a 255/40/18. It had as much to do with that as anything else.

And if you've got manual steering up front, big fat 275's up there may not be your idea of a good time. I can say that with the 275's and 16:1 manual box my car is a bit of a beast when it comes to parking.
 
I've been doing some research and comparing tire sizes here lately so that I can get my wheels and tires ordered before too long.

I've been thinking about going with 225/60-18 on the front and 255/60-18 for the rear, the tires are 28.63" and 29.04" tall. Do you guys think the tires are too tall? Should I look at a shorter profile?
 
Holy moly those are tall! That's truck tire hieght! That's way to much profile for an 18" wheel! Try something in a 40series!
 
:eek:ops:LOL ... after I compare the factory size tire to what I was looking at, I'd say you're right ... holy moley is the right response. I'd say a 45 series would be about right.
 
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