Exactly What Wheels & Tires Fit C Bodies?

[amazinblue82]

Thoughts on Aluminum Wheels

Owner reports

"I have 215/70-15 front on 15x7's and 255/60-15 rear on 15x8's. Would look about the same on 7's all the way around since the 255's can go on either. Sits basically level since they are same diameter tires but looks a bit higher in rear in this pic since the parking space is on a slight incline"

 

[SGT FURY]

I got a rare set of these 15 inch Oldsmobile delta 88 wheels off a car at the scrap yard.
They are 5 on 5 imperial pattern.
I will try them out on a 68 imperial.
They kinda remind me of the recall mopar wheels.

 

[fury fan]

I got a rare set of these 15 inch Oldsmobile delta 88 wheels off a car at the scrap yard.
They are 5 on 5 imperial pattern.
I will try them out on a 68 imperial.
They kinda remind me of the recall mopar wheels.

View attachment 602004

Depending on their condition, you might be able to sell them to an Olds guy and get enough money to buy any wheels you want for the Imperial.

BUT - if you do that, throw at least one on the Imp and take/share the photos first!

 

[amazinblue82]

Respectful, friendly reminder.

Please also try to help out with this thread? The questions people have - when they want to consider using wheel/tire combinations that were NOT offered from the factory, appear over and over, all over the forum.

Maybe one thread could be a efficient/easy way for people to reference to get successes and failures. Help save 'em money, time, and help be safe.

1. Picture of C-Body with wheels/tires (year, model, discs/drums, etc.)
2. Wheel size (diameter & width), and, offset, backspacing
3. Tire size, e.g., metric radial, old-style alpha numeric radial, bias ply
4. Be Accurate As Possible: may be your car, maybe something you found on internet, or whatever
5. Known issues, e.g., interference with suspension parts, body parts, etc
6. Known adaptations, e.g, needed air shocks, special lug nuts, spacers, moved leafs, etc

Thanks again for your help.

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My summary observations of the 100 posts above, what I saw the MOST OFTEN on this site/public internet, including my own experience with my vehicles, that people reported they tried that FIT the available space "envelope" without mods to the car were the following.

Note that every combination of wheel and tire ranges below, does NOT "work" (i.e., fit without vehicle mods, are safe combinations, etc.,). If one is not gonna stay with "as-built" standard and optional combinations, some planning/measuring before the switch might be useful.

. 26-29 inch tire diameter
. 15-17 inch wheel diameter
. 6-8 inch bare wheel width (bead-to-bead)
. 4.0-4.5 inch backspacing (not same thing as "offset" - see post #96 above)
. less than or equal 11 inch inflated "section/overall" width (image /definition source: Summit Racing webpage)

Lotta wheel/tire combinations "work", lotta combinations dont "work". Kinda seeing detailed examples of both outcomes might be helpful to folks.

Anyway appreciate everyone's input so far. We'll see if we can keep adding "data points" for things people have done/tried for anyone interested.

 

[71FuryGC]

15x6 Road wheels (4 inch backspace) with 235-70-15's on the front, 15x7 police style (4 1/4 backspace) with 255-70-15's on the rear. My intention was to retain the fender skirts that the car was born with and can do so on the passenger side but it's so close on the driver's side (about 1/16th) that I'm either going to install bright wheel well moldings on the rear to match the front or remove the moldings around the front. My plan is to buy matching rims for the front in the same size as the rear and keep the 235-70's. I'll keep the skirts and the 15x6 road wheels for a quick switch back if I choose.

 

[amazinblue82]

1970 Polara

Owner reports 15x6 235/70 in front, 15x7 275/60 out back.

 

[71FuryGC]

15x6 Road wheels (4 inch backspace) with 235-70-15's on the front, 15x7 police style (4 1/4 backspace) with 255-70-15's on the rear. My intention was to retain the fender skirts that the car was born with and can do so on the passenger side but it's so close on the driver's side (about 1/16th) that I'm either going to install bright wheel well moldings on the rear to match the front or remove the moldings around the front. My plan is to buy matching rims for the front in the same size as the rear and keep the 235-70's. I'll keep the skirts and the 15x6 road wheels for a quick switch back if I choose.

View attachment 603128

I followed through with 15x7 4 1/4 backspace wheels on the front with the 235/70 r15's and removed the stainless wheel well moldings for now. Looks ready to run some moonshine now

 

[amazinblue82]

1965 Sport Fury

seller reports, "255/60R14 rear tires, 235/60R15 fronts, 15” American Racing billet Magnum 500 wheels".

may be typo on rears as they appear same diameter like 15 vs. 14 inches.

Backspacing not listed, wodth neither but tire size would indicate 7 or 8 inches, in turn suggesting bksp around 4 inches.

 

[fury fan]

I thought the billet 500s were all 17"?
Today must be the day for me to question sizes of Magnum wheels, like in the green 72 Monaco wagon thread.
NOT MINE - REDUCED! 1972 Dodge Monaco Station Wagon - $15,000

For the car shown below: 17" Magnum 500s, no tire size nor offsets listed.

 

[amazinblue82]

C-Body Wheel and Tire Survey

Seller reports 20 inch diameter, but no width or backspacing was given. Most diameters that big usually are at least 8 inch width, likely with positive offset common on newer vehicles.

"Eyeballing" the stance/apparent offset, I would guess that's the case here.

 

[amazinblue82]

C-Body Wheel and Tire Survey

owner reports 15 x 7 Legendary LW50 wheels with 225/75R 15 tires. I believe this to be a 1966 New Yorker.

 

[amazinblue82]

1967 Sport Fury
Seller reports "The wheels are 16" Cragar Street Stars. The tires are 235/70 front and 255/65 rear. They do not rub."

 

[fury fan]

While I'm not a fan of 'generic' chrome wheels like this, I wonder how those wheels would look with a Mopar centercap on them.

 

[amazinblue82]

While I'm not a fan of 'generic' chrome wheels like this, I wonder how those wheels would look with a Mopar centercap on them.

never seen that look .. you mean like a road wheel center cap?

it'd look cherry to me - i have had that look on gloss black cop steelies.

love to see it on a chrome steelie of any style thats NOT a road wheel - dont think in a few thousand pics we've caught that last look ever

 

[fury fan]

I was thinking of this style of centercap. I presumed it would look better than the '70-74 version.
But as you say, we haven't seen that look yet, so I'd be glad to see it either way.
Even an AMC volcano would be worth seeing.

 

[amazinblue82]

I puy the AMC volcanoes on this. Kinda hard cuz is a one piece, forged wheel, and ya gotta line it up perfect OR the cap will "wobble" in motion. When this one comes out next summer, I'll get pics.

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I have done this look on 15x7 cop steelies .. right below are 1978 Magnum XE caps. The road wheel caps would bolt up fine too if one wanted kidney slot cop mopars on a C. I also have used the J body steelie caps on15x7 cop steelies.

 

[Boydsdodge]

I got a rare set of these 15 inch Oldsmobile delta 88 wheels off a car at the scrap yard.
They are 5 on 5 imperial pattern.
I will try them out on a 68 imperial.
They kinda remind me of the recall mopar wheels.

View attachment 602004

Those Olds wheels might look cool on a Fuselage Imperial.

 

[fury fan]

Followup on this wheel that started here: Exactly What Wheels & Tires Fit C Bodies?

Bought a solo wheel, I can use it for a spare tire, which I was needing anyway.

@fury fan , one source suggests slightly positive offset. 3/8 to a little over 1/2 inch (+10mm to +14mm -- dunno why the range but anyway it appears small if this source is accuratel).

By my calculation understanding, the backspacing would be for a 15x7 wheel, 3.875 to 4.0 inches, which was about how it looked eyeballin' it.

I'd try to get another source, better yet access somehow a real example, and measure it.

Good luck man.

It fit OK but my gut told me it wasn't seated fully on the brakedrum's pilot. Sure enough, I put it on a loose brake rotor and it clearly did not fit properly. (the 14" rim fit fine)
I had to clean up the center bore a little bit, but 'twas very easy because there's only a ridge that must be massaged, it is visible at the base of the pilot bore in this pic.
3-4 circles with the rotary bit and it was complete and fit nicely with no slop.
I may investigate further and see if the main bore measures to the Chrysler dia.

I measured with a vertical level from the wheel lip molding to the flat surface of the wheel (red-marked area). Not very easy with only 2 hands, but should be +/- 1/8"?


The original 14" rim (4" BS) tucks in 6".
A '79 300 rim (15x6, 4" BS) also tucks in 6".
This Explorer rim (15x7, 4.5" BS) tucks in about 5-1/4". (although mathematically, that should be 5.5")

To get 4 more of these rims, 4 NOS center caps, 4 alum pucks to CNC to replace the 'Limited' emblems, and new 15" tires puts me around $975 total. Plus hours of polishing and CNC work.
4 new 17x8 Torq-Thrust wheels would get me 1/2" further out in the wheelwells. And I have a set of used 17" tires for these. So about $900 - and no extra work.

The TT wheels are cheaper and easier, better for resale, and fill out better.
But the Explorer wheels with some custom 300 centercaps would be very unique.
Decisions, decisions.

 

[amazinblue82]

im a fan of TT's on anything. one of my all time fave designs.

if i understood your update on the Ford wheels, the wheel/hub fitment on 15's aint quite right until you massaged some metal?

obviously to get a completely unique mopar look from a "Ford' forging would very likely be neat, it still needs a cost/benefit work, vs options, as of course youre doing.

good luck with the plan, however you decide.

 

[fury fan]

if i understood your update on the Ford wheels, the wheel/hub fitment on 15's aint quite right until you massaged some metal?

Yes, there was a little ridge of metal that needed to be removed from the bore. The rest of the bore might've been the correct size, I haven't been back to the car to confirm that.