15x7 steel wheels , suggest a tire please

hey all,

I have a 67 belvedere that i would like to put my set of 15x8 steel wheels on and just run some chrome lugs on there. I am very new to this classic car stuff and have limited knowledge of parts and repair etc. My question is, is this 8" wheel the normal cop wheel you see around for that plain jane look, or is that more of like a truck wheel etc. I have never had an 8" wheel and have having a heck of a time figuring out what size tires to buy that will clear and look good on these wheels.

I have done no modification to the wheel wells etc so that part is stock.

Do any of you guys have a 67 belvedre/gtx/coronet etc with this type of wheel or have the knowledge to suggest tire size for the front and back that would look good. I am all for more beef on the back but i dont want to push the limit for clearance and cause rubbing etc.

please suggest a tire that would fit these rims and hopefully clear.

I am looking to get some radial t/a's for these btw.

any help would be awesome, thanks.

chuck

Well, on an 8" I wouldn't go larger than 275 in either 60 or 50 series tires (275/50 is really pushing it, but I've done it) The 275/60 is a 28" tire, 275/50 is slightly over 25" (not actually doing the math here) so its pretty short. MOunting the bare rims on the car is a could idea to get a visual about clearance to springs and fender. You can even make a cardboard crosssection of the various sizes you might consider (its easy)

For the fronts a 235/60 or 245/60 is good, but I am not sure the 245 will fit--others will know. FOr the fronts the issue is clearance to the frame segments and the fender itself. The 8 inch rim will be more than enough to handle the size.

Backspacing is the key to running a big tire on a 67 Plymouth or Dodge. If you run an 8" rim you need 4.5" backspacing. The factory 8" rims are 4.25" this will be a factor. A 265/60/15 fits but is tight on the outer wheel well. 255/60/15 is a good fit. A 225/70 15 is a good fit all the way around the car.

i just checked the backspacing on my police wheels and they are indeed 4.5 , if im doing it right. I put a straight edge across the back side of the rim and then measured down to the bolt face on the inside and it came out to 4.5"

does that mean i should be good to go with the above suggested tire sizes ?

moparpollock, I also have a set of 7 " wheels, would this change the tire size rec. or would you still go with the 225 70 15, the back spacing is also 4.5"



thanks.

chuck

Ive got 275/60 in the rear on my steel 8's. Its kind of a tight fit but not too bad. I likey....

okay so there is some confusion for me measuring backspacing on my 15x7 police wheels ,

i have both 15x7 and 15 x 8 wheels, but now i think i will just use the 7's

i have heard to measure backspacing to measure from the bolt face out the the outer lip like if you place a straight edge across the wheel, but i just read a post on this forum that contradicts that and many other tutorials i have read

"I'd like to point out the importance of proper backspace measurement. I've seen police wheels listed as 4.5" BS and that isn't true.
Even some wheel manufacturers (namely Centerline) use an improper measuring system.

Backspace should be measured from the bead (not the outer lip) to the area that contacts the hub/rotor/drum.
"

so what is the correct way, to the outside edge or just to the bead seat, if i go outside edge then im at like 4.5 if to bead seat its like 4.25 on my police wheels.


so if i indeed have 15x7 with 4.25 spacing , could i run a 255/70 on back and then go with like a 215/60 on front?

im trying to get that back end to stand up higher and the front be lower , the classic muscle look , what tire on the front would you go with on a 67 to get that back end standing up look?

thanks for any help
i made a mess of this forum with all the contradictory information.

just for clarification i have 15x7 not 8" cop wheels , thanks

I do not have a '67, but I think you would be good with a 235/60 or 245/60. I have run both on my 71 Satellite. (Admittedly, the 71 is quite different)

Jim

I HAD 275x60 mounted on a 7" wheel on the rear of my '67 Plymouth. It's TIGHT and requires extra work to change. I had to unbolt the shocks so the rear housing could drop low enough to get the tire up in the wheel well. Also, a 275x60 is really too big for a 7" rim, 255x60 is the largest recommended.
I went from 275-7" rear/245-7" front, to 255-7" rear/ 235 on 6.5" front. I can now change tires without the big hassle.
BTW, most of the aftermarket cop wheels do have 4.5" BS but all OEM 7" & 8" wheels are 4.25" BS.

275-60-15, This i know i need to post a ? about A body cars though 72 scamp did they ever make 15 " wheels for sbp a bodies?

225-70-15 on 15x7 cop wheels with stainless nuts

chuckpolzin
I put 235/70/15s T/As on the 66 using 15x7 cop car rims.

Ron

I know they say no 275/60's on a 7" rim, but I've had them mounted for at least 5 years and just ran a 12.00 on them. I have no rubbing on a 67 Coronet. These are the BFG street radials.

no such thing as an 8" cop wheel....the only 8" wheels mopar made were the super coupe wheels (look like cop wheels but without the nubs for the poverty caps) or the ramcharger wheels. IIRC both were in the 3.75" BS range.

a 7" wide wheel will be 8" outside to outside. it's 7" from bead seat to bead seat. an 8" wheel will be 9" outside to outside. sounds like you have 15x7's and 15x6's to me. for the 15x7's a good size tire are 255/60R15's.

I ran 275/60/15 on a 15x7 steel rim under a 67 'net and GTX. Tight fit but it will work. I'd think 15x8 would be ok as long as the extra inch was backspacing.

The back spacing is the key. I have 8" ramcharger wheels and they will NOT fit with 275/60 or 255/70 15's. It's the "bulge" a couple inches up on the "inside" of the outer whee well. If the BS was 4.5 or 5 it would be fine. At least on a Coronet. I don't know if the Plymouth has the same "bulge".

I couldn't agree more.

I installed the same tire/wheel on a 68 Fury and they'll rub the inner wheelhouse. Had to install a slightly narrower rearend.

Be cautious with advice/size recommendations relating to any car other than your own year/body style. There can be some seemingly-subtle BS and tire size differences that make all the difference, especially when you get into 8" wheels.

okay so i have confirmed i have the 7" rims, i got confused because my regular mechanic told me that cop wheels were 8's so he was wrong, but i measured them.



if i want the rear to sit up more for that certain stance do i go with a lower profile in the front or what, i have air shocks but i dont like to rely on those to "pump up " the back ..

if i put 70's , say 225 70 on the back, what tire would you suggest for the front to have the back sit up higher. or would you flat out not rec. that idea to begin with and just keep em the same all the way around. If it makes a diff. i dont care about longevity or ability to rotate as i put minimal mileage on the car every year ,

thanks

275/60's in back and if you want the big 'n sknny look go with 205/75's up front (if your rims are 5-6" wide.) If you want more of an agressive look 235/60's up front on 7" rims look good too. I say 5-6" for 205/75's because any wider rim and the tire gets to distorted in the sidewall area "stretching" out to meet the rim edge.

jeff i have 7" all the way around so in that case what combo would you suggest to get that stance . ,

i dont necessarily need the ultra skinny in front look but i just want the back end to be pumped up a little more than the front, i think the 67's that ive seen with this stance look pretty cool.

275/60's 28" tall
235/60's 26.45" tall or very close to that

That would give you a nice rake I think, if that's what you're looking for. There is a 66 Satellite that comes to the cruise I go to every Sunday with that combo on 15x7 magnum 500's and it looks great.

jeff if i go with that combo , should i have enough clearance with the cop wheel 7's with 4.25 backspacing with no mods?\

thanks for all the help .
chuck

What rear springs do you have? I do have SS springs , which probably helps. Other than that, no mods.