I have read 33 different posts about tires and wheels and I am more confused than ever! I have a great looking 1973 Maverick 4Dr. with 4 wheel drum brakes. The car has super narrow 185/65 R 14 tires on skinny 4.5 inch rims. Because the other half holds the purse and I have a 97 Suzuki Sidekick, a 99 Cavalier Z24 Convert. and an 04 Ranger my budget is limited. I would like to by great wheels but it isn't in the cards. So in order to get bigger better looking tires I need to be happy with steel wheels. I don't understand offset and spacer stuff. I just want to get 4 steel rims with wider tires with no spacers. I would consider going up to 15, 16, or 17 inch rims to have a better tire choice. However, I need to know the exact rim specs I need to buy and what tire size will fit on the front and what tire size will fit on the back without spacers. I once bought Cragar mags for a Camaro I had and no one told me I needed adapters so the drums didn't warp when installing the mags. I don't want adapters and I sure don't want to warp the drums front or back. So is there a simple cost effective way to upgrade the look for my 73 Maverick? Part 2. The car wallows a great deal in any turn. Would newer socks help or should I beg my other half to let me install sway bars front and back. If sway bars are the answer do you have recommendations that are reasonably priced. Remember I am not trying to turn this old girl into a drag or race machine, I would just like a decent driving car that handles fairly well. My Dad had a new 74 or 75 4dr., but his car with heavy duty suspension and stiffer sidewall tires so his car handled significantly better than my current car does. Maybe I can get Santa to give me some Maverick stuff for Christmas if I am a good boy! Sorry I am so dim but hopefully I will improve with your help. Bigt73
" The car wallows a great deal in any turn." this needs to be corrected before you install any size taller/wider tire.
The first step would be to learn about how to measure for tires and wheels. Here's a link that explains it all. https://lmr.com/products/how-to-measure-wheels You want cheap wheels that will still be an upgrade? You'll want to measure first (see above) but I've seen one with 17 x 7 steel wheels from a Crown Victoria Police Interceptor. A 235/45 R17 tire would be almost exactly the same overall diameter as the 185/78 14 bias ply the car came with (or its letter equivalent)...but a full 2" wider, more aggressive looking, more contemporary, and give a much more direct feel at the steering wheel. Used wheels should be available cheap. Give them a coat of paint, trim rings and if your budget allows add trim rings and center caps which are readily available on Ebay or Amazon. First, though, check everything on the front end to make sure it's tight and in good shape. Control arm bushings, strut rod bushings, steering linkage, sway bar bushings, all of it. It all needs to be in decent condition for the car to drive properly. I can tell you from experience that polyurethane sway bar bushings for the mounts and end links will immediately tighten up the feel and reduce lean on the cheap. After all that, find a shop willing to align the wheels to YOUR supplied specs. The factory wheel alignment is made for those skinny, tall, bias ply tires rather than modern radials with some width to them. The specs you want to use should be from the section "Please align to these specs “1967-1970 Mustang, Falcon & Cougar Performance Alignment with or without Shelby drop” on this page. https://dazecars.com/dazed/suspension101.html The folks at DazeCars know a ton about the suspensions of Falcon-chassis cars. That means Falcons, all Mustangs up through 1973, Fairlanes after 1964, Torinos, Granadas, and the Mercury variants of all those cars.
The 16"(I've never seen 17") Crown Vic wheels from '03-up have far too much offset to use on a Maverick. The '98 to '02 should fit. I have a '98 & '07, wheels are totally different. As far as polyurethane strut rod bushings, couldn't give me that stuff. Installed it on my Comet ruined the compliance (ride) of suspension, removed and installed Moog stock replacement bushings. Happy. Have same in both of my Fairlanes.
If you want good handling, you're not gonna get off cheap. That 50 year-old suspension probably needs completely rebuilt. Do not use polyurethane on anything EXCEPT sway-bars. Most wheels don't require adapters unless the back-spacing is incorrect. Mavericks like a 4-inch back-space when a rim width of 7 inches or more is used. A front disc brake conversion should be on your list as well. While my '73 doesn't handle like a world-class sports car, it handles pretty dang good. This is due to being lowered, all suspension components tight and in good condition, good alignment, Koni shocks up front/KYBs in back, new leafsprings, larger front sway-bar (which may not clear the oil pan of the inline-6), after-market rear sway-bar with custom mounts and end-links, and urethane sway-bar bushings. I recently bought a new set of roller spring perches for the front but have not installed them yet...
Thanks folks for your replies! I showed your comments to my sweet Santa Claus! LOL I have been told that new rear shocks and a rear sway bar might show up under the Christmas tree! Keep sending me suggestions LOL
17" x 7.5" steel wheels for 2006-2011 Crown Vic. https://www.getoemparts.com/oem-par...9xOJiuuY9ALjR5TkELqUhjcpmOEzy5JhoCTxwQAvD_BwE I agree with you on strut rod bushings, which is why I didn't recommend poly strut rod bushings.
I'd measure the wheel wells to see what will fit, but here are the dimensions for early and late Crown Vics. http://gdmjoe.com/gothvic/documents/lxsport/wheels.html
