I have a 68 olds 4442 and i want to put 15 inch wheels on it wich size should i go with and what the biggiest tire and smallest tire i can put on the rims

 

i went 15 x7 stock steel wheels
put 255 60 15 tyres on them
mickey thompson sportsman tires all 4 corners
bought 10 wheels / tires so i could have spares for a couple of the wardens olds cars
LoL

 

I run 15x7 with a 5 in back spacing. Overall diameter is 28" and that helps with adjust the speedo gears.

 

my rolling stock 4 4 fotos

 

Who has the best deal on ss1 rims? I found original parts group sells 4 rims with center caps and lug nuts for 1200 is that a good deal or not?


Also are ss1 original wheels for 68 olds 442 or are the ss2 the correct ones?

 

SS1 and SS2 are correct for 1968, Summit has good deals on SS1 15x7 and 15x8

 

$1200 is nuts. Get them here for $500!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271218876760...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

That an awesome price for the wheels..now what a good size tire to put on the front and back i want smaller in front bigger in back.but i dont want it to rub or do any modification to my car i do have air shocks on the back.

 

235 60 15 up front & 255 60 15 out back will give you the look you want with no fitment issues.

 

What is the biggest and smallest tire I can fit on a 15x7 rim with 4.25 back space on A 68 oldsmobile 442?

 

Was always told the ideal match is tread width with wheel width. That way the tread area is as flat as possible without distorting. Here is a chart...


Untitled-35.png

 

I was going to go with 235 60 15 in the front and 255 60 15 in the rear is that too big for a 15x7 rim?

 

no that's what I have on my car. Those guidelines above are just that. You know how many cars have 9.5" or 10" rims with 295 or 305s on them. I think the 235's hit the fender tho when I do a full lock and hit a bump. I'll check maybe I have 245's on fron and 255s on back

 

I have 15x7 rims what the biggest and smallest tire I can fit on a 68 oldsmobile 442


the chart someone posted just gives me 235 or 255 size not the 50 or 60 size.

 

15x7 rims with 235 60 15 in the front and 255 60 15 in the rear on a 68 olds 442 will that work with no rubbing issues?

 

Yes, if you have stock suspension. I have 235 60 15's on the front and they rub my oversize sway bar when I turn to lock.

 

I run 255/60R15 on all 4 of my 71. No issues unless full lock up front. Not sure if the 68's have smaller wheels up front. But the 235/60 and 255/60 will look great on the car.

 

Then go with 215 65 15s up front. Exact same height & no more rubbing.

 

This is 235/60/15 front and 255/60/15 rear on a 1970.

newwheelsoncar_002.jpg1970_442_007.jpg

 

I have 275/60/15's on the rear of my 70 Cutlass. They are 7" wide rims.

 

Don't mean to hijack, but will those rims in the ebay link fit a 68 442 with front disc breaks?

 

I had a 15X 7s and a 235/70 all the way around on a 68 442, its a big tire and fills the well out nice.

 

This is about the max

 

Now that's some meat.. I've run up to 275-60-15 on 7" wheels with no issues.

 

If you look at the specs on a 275/60/15 the specs say for use on 7.5" - 9.5" wide rims. I know that people go outside of those manufacturer guidelines all the time, but as someone who sold tires for years I would never condone that as the engineers that designed them know more about the safety of rim width than the consumer does.
We had a guy with a Grand National come in with 305/50/15's mounted on his stock 7" wide rimes and needed replacements due to his being bald and we wouldn't do it. Granted that is an extreme example, but it's a safety issue and not one that I can bypass in good conscious.
To each his own.

 

I had a post in here. Where did it go and why did it get moved?

I too do not condone 275 60 15s on 7" rims yet that is what GM used on the 1990 454 SS pick up truck.

 

That width tire on a 7" wheel has been done for decades with no issues. Do you really think an extra 1/4" on each side of the wheel is an issue?

 

You're not getting what I said.....I will never install a tire in a rim that is outside of what the manufacturer states because that is the SAFE limits that have been determined by the company engineers. I'm not saying it can't, or hasn't been done for years with little issue, just that I feel better knowing that my tire and rim combination are within spec and safe.

If someone wants to try their luck, that is on them, but I won't do it.

And actually I do think that ¼" on each side makes a difference because it changes the way the sidewall is loaded. Once you go passed a certain point the sidewall can't hold up as much weight as it can when it is mounted within spec, and that is why they list those specifications for each tire.

 

Its your prerogative and I respect that. Those charts are recommendations and you can vary a small percentage and I have never had a tire store not do it even as far back as bias plys.

 

I had 295/50's on 8" wheels with 4.5" backspace on the rear of one of my stock height 69's and it fit and looked great. 215/65 works well on front with the 295 rear.

 

I went with repop SS3's on mine. 15x7 with 235 60 15s on the front,275 60s on 15x8s on the rear. I wanted the '69 H/O style wheels with the chrome rim instead of the trim ring. Coker had these later SS3s(pop on centers) already painted like the H/O wheels & each one came with a set of bezels. They were available in 15x7,15x8 &15x10. Unfortunately they are no longer making them. The parts place did have a set of 69 H/O style wheels with bolt on centers in their last catalog but they were around $1000!!

 

I was thinking of going with 225 60 15 in the front with 255 60 15 in the back will that look good or should I stick with 235 in the front? I want 255 60 15 in the back for sure.Just not sure about the fronts.


does anyone have any pictures of what different size tires look like on A 68 olds 442?

 

These are 235 60 15's from the front:

 

I personally think that 225/60/15's look too short. Just look at my car and you'll see the 235/60/15 and how well it fits on the front of car.

 

225/60R15 is almost an inch shorter than original. I used it for awhile (on my '70 442) and never liked how it looked. I don't mind the front end sitting lower, but the tire just didn't fill the wheel well.

 

Anything wrong with putting 15x8's up front?

 

 

205-70-15 is the smallest for 15x7 with 26.22 inch tall and 245-60-15 with 26.55 and 15x8 you can go all the way to 295-50-15 with 26.62 tall
​​​​​​

 

[QUOTE=olds68442;842950]I have a 68 olds 4442 and i want to put 15 inch wheels on it wich size should i go with and what the biggiest tire and smallest tire i can put on the rims[/QUOi have 15" rims and 235/75/15s all around my 1964 Oldsmobile 98...I want the fattest tire in the back I can possibly fit as I think I can go235/60 for front or bigger but back I want bigger fatter ? Help

 

a 15x8 will comfortably hold a 255 series tire and if you still wanted more of a rear stagger, you could also add a 1" spacer to your rear hub to push the wheel out a bit farther - a 245 series tire should comfortably fit up front without hitting the inboard frame or steering linkage.