I put together two cars into one, a '72 with these R15 rims with 235/60R15 tires on them and another with SSIIs all around. Sadly, the tireshop says those unidentified R15 rims are completely warped, causing vibrations from 30 MPH and up.

I have a pair of SSII rims, the standard R14 ones like the ones on the front, with 205/75R14 on them. How wide a tire will those rims comfortably support? That would mean I'd have the nice SSII rims on both axles, which is only a plus.

 

Not sure if the biggest, but 225/70R/14 look good on my SSI's. Most common size I see on 14" rims and still fairly easy to find.

 

You might be able to straighten the 15" rims.

 

I might, yes. The tire shop guy didn't sound convinced, though, and I wasn't there to look at the work done in person.

 

Do you have 7inch wide wheels? I have 245/60/14 tires on my 7inch rims with no problems

 

The rough rule of thumb is that the tire section width should be +/- one inch of the wheel width. Personally I've run 245/60-14s and 255/60-15s on 7" wide SSII/III wheels with no problems. The real problem is that 245/60-14s just look too small in diameter for an A-body in my opinion, especially on the rear. Too much daylight left in the wheelwell.

 

I am not sure what sizes are available where you are at. I saw these 225 70 14 available at www.tirerack.com in either BF Goodrich or Firestone. They would give yo a taller tire option

 

It looks like a 235/70R14 is as tall as a the 205/75R14s I have in front, assuming the page I found is correct. The current rear tires, 235/60R15 are the same height. I guess that'd work.

SSII wheels only come in R15 for fullsize cars, yes? Do those have the same bolt pattern as the R14s?

 

I run 235 60,s just fine and 30 inch slicks really fill the wheelwells.

 

Uh, no.

Again, SSII/III wheels were ONLY made in the 5 x 4.75" bolt circle. The 15" versions were first used on the 1969 H/O and were available on the Cutlass line starting in 1973. They were not used on the full size cars until the downsized 1977 models came out, as that was the first time (since the J88) that the 4.75" bolt circle was used on the (then not so) big cars.

Didn't we just have this discussion in another thread last week?

 

I wouldn't know, this didn't become an interest area for me until today, when my rims were identified as the problem.

The confusion on my part is due to bad memory, I seem to have picked something along those lines up without getting it right.

 

There are plenty of places (including a pad of paper and a pencil) where you can figure out tire sizes, but I'm partial to this one. It creates an image showing the actual profile of the configuration you are proposing, in addition to an outline of the tire you're comparing to, to compare final diameter.

- Eric

 

Excellent. Now to find such tires!

Thanks for the help.

 

you could do what i did i run 14's in the front and 15's in the rear to give it the big n little attitude. Front are 205 75 14 if i remembered right and the rears are 275 60 15

 

I agree, that's a good look. My problem is finding 15" SSIIs over here. :P

 

I got 2 15's dunno what shipping would be to you.

 

More than I want to give for rims at the moment.

Thanks for the offer, though. :P

 

Found these, does anyone recognize the rim?

http://www.smallblock.dk/modules/MyA...ces&lid=144448

 

Buick

 

Damn. They'd be perfect.

 

Those are Buick Sport wheels, good looking wheel but wrong for your oldsmobile...

 

LOL.... damn I was this close LOL.... if it was a gunfight I be pushing daiseys up in boothill


fast on the draw my friend and I agree completely

 

Hrm. Gotta keep looking.

 

A piece of hear-say I just caught: Tires in the US are required to have (M+S) on them by law, even if they're not winter tires? Sounds outlandish.

 

Mud & Snow tires are not winter tires. They are all-season tires, which is why the M+S designation is so common.

Winter tires have a little snowflake and mountain logo.

- Eric

 

I also belive the snow tires are of a softer compound.

 

Snow tires being softer makes sense - when cold, they won't get overly hard like summer tires and lose traction.

 

Most tires sold in the US are "all season" (M&S) and are a compromise. Like most compromises, OK most of the time but not the best at anything. Will never hold dry roads like a summer tire and never get the traction of a winter tire in messy weather.

 

Gotcha.