Gentlemen,

I recently picked up a nice set of Cooper Cobras for my 72 Cutlass. 235-60-15 for the front and 275-60-15 for the rear. Are 15x7 SSIIs compatible with the 275-60-15's ? Anybody have that setup ? Love to see how it looks before I have the rims mounted.

Thanks

 

275 tires really want an 8" to 10" wide wheel, to be honest. The rule of thumb (which is somewhat flexible) is that the wheel width should be within an inch or so of the tread width.

 

I think 7" is too narrow for 275 tire.

 

Thank you for the input Gentlemen.

 

Lots of folks run 275-60-15 on a 7" wide tire. It may not be the best setup (wider would be better as Joe posted) but from those I have talked to with 7" wide wheels there weren't any complaints.

 

they will work, but as Joe said they really don't fit, the side wall height will be off a bit. My cousin owns a Firestone, he'd put those on for me if I wanted them but strongly suggested not to. But.... since you already have the tires I'd give it a try. I know a few crazy's who put 295/60/15s on a 7" wide tire - that's too risky for me

 

Are SSIIs available in 15x8 ?

 

The largest factory SSII/III wheels were 15x7, but there are wider versions available from the aftermarket.

 

Thanks for the help Joe.

 

if you get the aftermarket 15x8s then I would suggest look at 295/60s as well as the 275/60s. Stick with your 235 up front as the 255/60 will rub when locked or turning while going up steep apron.

 

Thanks for the advice Steven.

I was hoping a member could post a picture or two of what 275-60-15 with SSIIs would look like. I've searched herer and found pics of that tire size but they had either aftermarket SSIs or brand name rims. Not SS IIs.

 

i will see what size tires i run when i get home. Might not be as big but would give you an idea

 

I have 295 on a 10" wheel if you wanna see that.

 

Thanks guys. Appreciate it.

 

Here is a picture of a 295/50 on a 10" wheel.

So you can imagine how 275 (less than 1" narrower) would like on a 7".
Like crap IMO.
You want wider on the back, do it right, with a wider wheel.

[IMG][/IMG]

 

I like 275 60 15s on 8" rims. 255 60 15s are best on 7" rims.


You can mount 275 60 15s on 7" wide rims but some tire shops will not do it as tire manufacturers state that you need at least a 7.5" rim for a 275 60 15.


Funny how GM used 275 60 15s on 7" wide rims as OEM on the 1990 & 1991 454 SS trucks. Something to think about.

 

It's not the looks that are the problem, it's the fact that forcing the sidewall in like that on a rim that's too narrow can cause all kinds of problems, from bead seating to sidewalls rolling under during an emergency avoidance maneuver. As noted, do it right.

 

Again Gentlemen, thank you for taking the time to help me out. I will post when and if I the car is done and tires are mounted.

 

Yeah, I had this conversation last year at our All Olds Car Show with a guy who had a 72 Pace Car that had 275-60s on 15x7 SSII wheels on back. Interesting that it was OK for GM to do it and apparently there weren't any issues.

 

There are a few companies who can widen your 15x7 steel wheels to 8, 9, or 10" wide. They can even take a 14" SS wheel and make it into a 15" wide wheel as the 14" SSII centers are the same diameter as the 15" SSIII centers.

 

Really ? Any suggestions ?

 

Do you have the wheels already or are you shopping for aftermarket?
I got mine from http://www.wheelvintiques.com.

 

Can it be done? Yes
Does it look weird and ugly? Hell Yes.

[IMG][/IMG]

 

Dayum that's fugly !

 

I have 4 SSIIs 15x7. Leaning toward a pair of 15x8 SSIIs for the rears. I can use the 2 extra 15x7s for spares I guess.

 

Be aware that the aftermarket SSII wheels are the chrome style and not the body color style from the early-mid '70s.

I stole the pic on the left from a post by oldsmobiledave and the one on the right is a random internet search result:





Stockton Wheel is one company that does widening. When this topic came up a while back there were two other companies mentioned, but I don't remember the names. One was in Colorado.

 

I am not sure what those are but this is what a 275-60 on a 15x7 wheel looks like:

http://gbodyforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=35574


ab3475df.jpg

 

Sorry but that is equally ugly.