im looking for some rear tires, what size would best fit? i want my car to look like a drag on the rear. i have 15'' wheels.
Safest fit is 245/60r15. Any more and you run a very good risk of rubbing. That is on 15X8 rims with 4-1/4" back space.
You could probably go with 255's and still be safe. I am running 275's with rolled wheel lips and get a slight bit of rubbing.
255 max without rolling the lip. i too am running 275 with the lips rolled and still have the occational rub.
My 255s rub just a bit on launch. That is why I said "safe with 245". If he put 255 on with 4-1/2" BS, might not rub on fender, but would be pretty close, if not touching, the leaf springs.
tire size I have 15X 7 with a 31/2" offset. Mounted 275/60/15. 28" tall. they never hit on the spring and NEVER hit on the fender anywhere. Have 2 finger clearance between tire and rear 1/4 and 2 finger clearance at front of tire. B.F tire help line said a 7 in rim is just fine for those tires. they( BF ) recomend a 7in or 8in rim. I have been driving this combo for 2 years and have had no problems. Hope this helps. TTFN. RON
I have P255/60R15's on 7" rims with a Granada rear. Closer to the wheel lip than the springs, but NEVER rubs. Scoop, I'd bet if you had your tires on 7" rims with 3-1/2 backspace, they would never rub too! I think the P255/60R15 looks best on the 7" rim. And it never rubs. Win-win! If you are looking for more bite, taller helps as much as wider, Though I am not sure if anyone on hear runs P255/70R15s'. Personally, 255s look to narrow for my taste, My next set will be P275/60R15's. I am sure if I do my homework and select the correct backspace, they will work. but 255s on a 7" rim is hassle free. "B.F tire help line said a 7 in rim is just fine for those tires. they( BF ) recomend a 7in or 8in rim" Mmm, not exactly... the website recomends 7-1/2" to 9-1/2" wide rims for P275/60R15's, but I am with you. Given a choice, I would rather run a rim 1/2 inch too narrow (maybe lose a negligable amount of traction on the edges) than run a rim that is the widest recommended and have tires getting shredded on springs or wheel lips. The only real solution is... TUBS
I am running 265/50/15 Coopers on mine and use a 1/4" spacer between the wheel and brake drum. The wheels are 15x8 Wheel Vintiques Magnums and I believe the backspace is the same as the original Ford 15x7s I have on the front. WV has changed their size to 15x8.5, so I do not trust that the published backspace has remained the same. With this setup, it is still a bit tight inboard. On steep driveway ramps, the tires barely rub on the inner fender tub.These are raised letter tires, and I have them reversed. It actually is just the lettering that rubs. If I had a taller tire, like a 265/60/15, the rubbing could be a lot worse. Also, keep in mind that actual tire sizes vary wildly with other brands showing the same numerical size. BFGs tend to run larger than other brands for example. Each brand should have published sizes on a chart to use as a guideline. One step beyond that is to physically measure the section width with a friend holding the tire open to the rim width that you will be using. The chart will give you a section width, but that only applies to the rim width that they mounted the tire on in order to measure it. I want to go to the Granada axle width, and doing so I am confident that 275s will be no problem as long as the fender lip is rolled back.
I am NOT going to listen to ray on this one. He basically answered a different question. I am still 100% correct on my answer, if you consider in th 8" wide rims. I was not aware that all these guys running 255 and 275 were on narrower rims, and honestly did not know that you could even install them on 7" rims. So, to further state my FACTs, 245 will fit safely on 8" rims with 4-1/4 BS, 255 will have a slight tendency to rub on fender. Not sure what you can get away with on a 7" rim. Pics to prove my point...currently installed 255s on 8" rim... Rubs just a touch on fender during hard launches, until i put cal tracks on to prevent dipping. Still a small amount of space at the springs.
Not trying to sound like an a-hole but it sorta sounded like it after I reread my post.:sorry: Here is a pic showing where the rub was. It has to be a very hard launch to get it to sink far enough down to get it to leave this light etched line. These are the 255s on 8" rims. And this is WITHOUT any other mods, such as spacers, rolled lips, etc.
i run 275/60's on the street and 28x9mt's at the track. they have never rubbed. 15x8's with 3 1/2 backspacing. traction bars or caltrak type bars will cause the car to lift so you dont have to worry about rubbing on launches.
Not getting at you ray, I, too, was just describing my experiences with my setup with 8" rims. I mean different question by you are describing 7" rims, I am describing 8" rims. Two completely different beasts.
