Mongoose

I've got some old 15x8 Weld Wheels running 275/60-15's in the back and 245/60-15's in the front. They've been on the car for 20 years, but I've kept them polished to a brilliant shine.

While the car is in the body shop getting the attention it deserves, I'm thinking about a more modern wheel/tire combo. I don't want to turn the car into a "Hot Wheel", so after looking at various wheel sizes at shows, I'm probably going to want to run 17's. The most likely candidate is the AR Torque Thrust II... either polished or chrome. I typically don't like to have the same thing that everyone else has, but that old "Crager" style does look really good on these cars.

I like the larger diameter tire I've been running in the back (28"), but I had a slight rub turning into driveways that I don't want to keep. I know the rub is width related, but maybe a shorter tire would eliminate the rub. The car sits lower than stock, don't really know how much, but I'd say about 2/3 of the tire (tread to wheel lip) is inside the fender lip.

There aren't a lot of good chioces in the taller diameter unfortunately. I've been looking at drag radials, since this car has some pretty good power (540hp), but a friend of mine says they really suck on the street, and I should just stick with a good quality radial. Plus any of the drag radials I've seen are more in the 26" tall range... and I'd have to look at that size tire on my car again to see if I'd like the look.

What sizes are y'all running? I'd love to see some pix. Opinions on the drag radials?

dantana

I would recommend Coys Wheels. They have wheels similar to the AR wheels. They are very helpful in figuring out sizes and will mount up your choice of tire. I think you will find that their prices are hard to beat and they know a lot about what tire/wheel combo will work on most cars. www.coyswheel.com

Olds64

I would go with the "classic Cragar" look. You can't go wrong with Cragars.

Rdrokit

You asked for pics and no one put any up so here is one of my 65. Running 17s with 235/45s on all 4. Probably not what your looking for but you can get an idea what 17s look like. Sorry I don't have a better side view. If you think you like the look let me know and I'll take another pic.

IMGP0173.jpg

Mongoose

Those look very nice... the 5-spoke design is what I think will look good, regardless of the final design. Seeing it in a 17" size is great! I'd love to see more if you can. I really think that is the size/look I'm going for... not too big... but still carrying a modernized look.

I'm going to look close at how your 25.5" diameter tire looks in the wheel wheel too. I've run 28" dia tires for 20+ years, so I'm not sure if I'd like the look of a smaller tire. Your pix will help greatly.

Is your car lowered at all?

Rdrokit

Mongoose, Here is a side view of when I bought the car. I have chromed the bumpers and removed the front splitter but have not changed the suspension......yet. I think the car is lowered about 2 inches and the back actually sits lower than the front so I want to raise the rear about 2 inches but keep the front the way it sits.

65sideview-1.jpg

Mongoose

That is a nice view. Thanks!

gearheads78

You might think about a 18" wheel. Your tire selection goes way up for taller tires. I have a 285-40-18 on the back of my car which is 27" tall. Go to the link in my sig to see some pics of how the combo looks.

As for drag radials they hook and hook hard. on a short sidewall 275-50-15's I was cutting 1.52-1.54 60fts in a3600lb car that only made 403 to the tires. Be very carefull about getting caught in the rain with them. If I was you I would mount the DRs on a separte set of wheels and mount them for sunny day drives to the track

ijasond

I went with the Coy's on mine and I'm very pleased.
20s on the back and 18s up front.


[IMG]file:///Users/ijasond/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/moz-screenshot-1.jpg[/IMG]

Mongoose

Good point. A 28" tall tire would have 5" of rubber all the way around it on an 18" wheel, whereas a 26" tall tire would have only 4.5" of rubber around it on a 26" tall tire. So on a taller tire, the 18" tire might not appear so "radical".

This is a fair weather car, but I understand the possibility of a stray thundershower during the summer that I'd have to deal with. How are the drag radials on the street? Do they ride ok? Do they wear terribly fast? Do they hook a lot better on the street than a performance radial? Or only marginally so? I am just thinking I'd like to have something with pretty good bite on the street. If I were just going to have a set for the strip, I'd mount a regular set of slicks on spare wheels and swap at the track. I'm just pretty sure that any "regular" radial will give away with any significant throttle input. But at the same time I don't want to be crusing around on a set of drag radials that feel like crap the whole evening.

gearheads78

For a weekend lower hp car they will last a while. They ride and drive and hook well on the street. It nothing like the squiggily feel of slicks on the street. If the suspension is set up they will hook as good as a slick at the track. The only problem I had was if I ever tried to use the Trans-brake. The short sidewalls of the 275-50 just could not take it and I blew the tire off the car. I went back to flashing the 4500 converter and it stuck. A 28" tall 275-60 would have been a different story. The slow class in our local small tire heads up racing association have to run a 275-60 drag radial. 1000+ HP cars standing on the bumper is common in the class.

gearheads78

here is a 65 PHR is building right now. Builder says they have Rocket Racing Wheels, Booster Greys, 18x8 front and 18x9 rear with Nitto NT-01 245-40-18 F, 275-40-18 R

Mongoose

Holy Cow! That is great! Do you have more pix of this car, or is there a site I can go to to view them?

gearheads78

New Jan issue of Popular Hot Rodding should be on the stands now but I have not seen it yet. That's the only picture on the net I have seen.

damascus

guys,

richard knows his stuff for sure... listen to him. after spending a ton of time listening to richard here and reading the pro-touring forum - i finally went with this tire size as well (245/40/18 - 275/40/18). i will post photos as soon as Budnik builds and delivers my wheels... 18 X 8 front - 18 X 9.5 rear. get the backspacing right too. mine is 4.5 front and 5.5 rear. (thanks again Richard!!!)

gearheads78

After the PM's stopped I thought maybe you got tired of me suggesting to keep looking LOL. Glad to hear about what you picked out. Looking forward to seeing them on your car.

damascus

i understand. it took forever to find the right tire size AND brand... and then the backspacing took a while to confirm. AND then my wheel choices outgrew my budget so i had to come up with more cash... i was going to surprise you with a photo when i got it finished but i'm guessing it may be another 5 weeks or so for the wheels.

the pro-touring forum is a great resource for those who may be moving toward the 18" look.

thanks again.

Mongoose

Damascus, is your car a '65, or is it the 70 model pictured in your avatar? What is the web address of the pro-touring site you're referring to?

damascus

mine is a '71. here is a link to the forum and wheel/tire section:

http://www.pro-touring.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=22

the guys at DriverzInc. seem to be real good for fitment. i bought my wheels from Paradise Road Rod & Custom. they are excellent and had the most competitive pricing.

Mongoose

Thanks!

The Stickman

Not sure if this helps any but here is my wagon. I am running 18 inch Boss wheels with a 5 inch BS. The tires are 275/40-18 BFG G-Force Sports. They are 27 inch tall. I am also on that Pro-Touring site. Lot's of great info there.
100_3289.jpg

100_3291.jpg

100_3293.jpg

100_3292.jpg

kurtdaniel

have a copy of the Jan issue of Popular Hot Rodding..totally great..ive seen a lincoln aviator there and I really like it..

therobski

Richard thse "post car" pictures are eating at my heart!!! Need some help on the trunk turn down extensions to keep this project moving. may see you Saturday at the track for Pate