Wheel/tire sizing for '65

[caliente65]

What size wheels and tires have people be able to fit?

My test wheels while the car is in storage are:

15 *7 4 inch backspacing front
15*7 4.5 inch backspacing rear

Tires are 225/50/15 old Hoosier road race slicks and they barely fit.

Has anyone fit 16s on? In a couple of weeks im going to try a friends spare set and I'll let people know.
Darren

[64 afxer]

I've been able to run 245 50 15s on rear 4.5 backspace with 235 50 15s 4.0 back space on front on my villagers and could go with 245s on front if it wasn't for the front of the fender rubbing. good luck on the 16s, let me know!

[dude95307]

I got new tires and only the back work the front rub a lot on my 64 comet wagon 404, now I had to put smaller ones on

[cyclone67]

i had to build custom rims to fit 10x28x15 slicks under my 67

[dgpmerc]

I've got 16x7 centerline billets on my 64 hardtop with a 4.5 inch backspace and they fit perfect. I'm using 205/55-16 tires all around, but think I could fit 225/50s in the back.

Dave
1964 Caliente 2dr HT

[lavron]

Welcome Dave (dgpmerc) glad to have you here sounds like you have a cool Comet, picts will forthcoming, I hope

See Ya,
Mike

[sixtyfourcaliente]

I'd love to see some pics of the 16's you are running.. I was thinking about 15's but now you have be curious on the bigger diameter. I own a 64 caliente convert, and also wondering how big/wide I can go. Looking at Weld Rod's at the moment.

THANKS!

[dgpmerc]

I'd love to be able to send some photos, but unfortunately I don't have a digital camera. I can tell you that a 16x7 inch wheel with 4.5 inches of backspacing fits perfect. The 205/55-16 tires tuck up into the rear fenders with no clearance problems at all. The wheel I chose is the centerline billet starlite (now discontinued). Its a 5 spoke and I think it looks really nice.

The 55 series tires have enough sidewall to avoid getting the rubber band look that comes with low profile tires. You can go with 17" wheels also, but then you would need to run a 40 or 45 series tire and the sidewalls get really thin and in my opinion don't look as nice as a 16" wheel. About the only downside of running 16s is the cost of the wheel. If you have any other questions, just ask.

[sixtyfourcaliente]

Thanks, for the quick reply... I think you may have conviced me into the 16's... the one thing I didn't want was the "rubber band" look you speak of. I really don't like how many cars are moving in that direction. I'm thinking that 16's would nicely balance out the look of the length of the car. Still would love to see a pic of your car!

P.S. You gotta get a digital camera... I use mine all the time for posting stuff. Super cool and instant gratification!

THANKS!

[dgpmerc]

I know I should buy a digital. The thing is we don't have a PC at home so loading the pictures would have to happen at work. I've been resisting getting a home PC due to the fact that I spend all day on one at work...

I'm pretty sure you'll like the looks of the 16s. They really do look like a proper sized wheel for our comets. I bought my wheels thru Summit racing.

[sixtyfourcaliente]

I spend about an hour on average on the Mac at home... (graphic designer) Good call, not getting a home PC! More time for cruising! Thanks for the info, and I'm sure we'll be talking again soon.

F