1970 Newport tire change

[Izil726]

Hello. I'm considering upgrading the wheels/tires on my 70 Newport convertible. I have some pretty pitted chrome wheels that aren't original and seem to be some generic after market brand. At some point someone put those on and they required spacers. Front tires are 225/70 15 and backs are 235/70 15. I came across a set of wheels and tires from another Chrysler (not sure what though) that have the same bolt pattern however the tires are front 235/60 15 and back are 255/60 15. I'm not sure the size of the actual wheels but its probable that someone maxed the tire size that would fit those rims. I'm looking to the forum to see if folks think the size upgrade would be an issue or not and anything else to consider, or if anyone has a similar setup on a similar c body car. Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[live4theking]

You really should aim to get a tire that is as close as possible to what the factory tires were so that your speedometer is right. Otherwise you're constantly trying to guess your speed. I mistakenly bought tires that are shorter than stock so my speedo constantly reads fast. It has to indicate almost 85 to do 70.

 

[luigi164]

This might help:
Www.tiresize.com

 

[Izil726]

You really should aim to get a tire that is as close as possible to what the factory tires were so that your speedometer is right. Otherwise you're constantly trying to guess your speed. I mistakenly bought tires that are shorter than stock so my speedo constantly reads fast. It has to indicate almost 85 to do 70.

Is there a way to see what tires were standard on cars that old? I searched online but couldn't find anything.

 

[Yeahrightgreer]

Is there a way to see what tires were standard on cars that old? I searched online but couldn't find anything.

Might be a little late - but this is the sizes located in the 1970 Factory Service Manual

 

[ayilar]

@Izil726, I missed your thread last year. What did you end up choosing for wheels and tires? Got any pics?

 

[Izil726]

@Izil726, I missed your thread last year. What did you end up choosing for wheels and tires? Got any pics?

I ended up going with those larger wheels (235/60 15 front and 255/60 15 rear). what was interesting is with the other tires I had on the car, the speedometer had a constant play, in that it was always jumping close to the speed i was traveling (if I was going 55, the speedometer would bounce between like 45ish and 65ish). with the larger tires the play has been reduced significantly. now it just jumps between 50 and 60 at 55.. I guess this just means I need to keep upgrading size of the tires …. or I can realign the speedometer cable and all that, but that's for another project for another day.

 

[Snotty]

Spacers? If your car has front drums you will need to use spacers for any rims unless it's a factory one. I used them until I swapped my drums to disks.

If you were not in Buffalo, NY, I would offer you my original rims as I do not use them.

 

[Izil726]

Spacers? If your car has front drums you will need to use spacers for any rims unless it's a factory one. I used them until I swapped my drums to disks.

If you were not in Buffalo, NY, I would offer you my original rims as I do not use them.

View attachment 277333

I got rid of the rims that required the space and got Chrysler ones that fit perfectly. Was just wondering about getting the larger sizes for the car in that original thread. I wanted to get a nice stance with wider tires and I think it looks good.

 

[ayilar]

I wanted to get a nice stance with wider tires and I think it looks good.

OK, enough teasing. The rest of the and I want photos!

Would you be so kind as to post some here and/or in this other thread: C-Body Wheel and Tire Survey

Thanks!