Radial Tire Size for 55/56 Ford

S

steve fritz

Well-known member
I am going to be ordering Wide Whitewall Radials for my 55 Ford project this week. Question on the 205R 70 15 vrs the 205R 75 15 sizes. The 75 aspect being just slightly taller than the 70 aspect. Any thoughts or experience you can share in selecting one or the other ? I am using the original stock 15 inch rims , stock front end and rear differential , no body modifications.
I believe the 205 dimension is about right for this vehicle , any thoughts on that ? Just don't want fender clearance issues popping up after I pay the big bucks for these tires.
Thanks for any experience you can share.
Steve
 
I don't think you will have any problems with either 205 size. I read testimonials of people using P225 and P235 with no problems. I can tell you that P255/60r15 will rub in the back on hard turns. I'm looking for a couple of good 6" rims with a center hole for an 8" rear to downsize my rear tires that were installed by the previous owner.
 
40cpe.....you have good taste in cars! I have a 40 coupe and its dark blue , but my 55 is a Ranch Wagon , 2dr!!
Anyway, I might be able to help you on 15 inch rims. email me and we can talk
smjfritz@charter.net
Steve
 
I think the size question is answered, but I’ll throw in my experience. I’ve had great luck with Diamond Back tire, more modern high performance sizes. I put many miles on the Coker www, stock size radials and wheels, on my 55 bird. I replaced the bias plies (8.20 and 5.20) on my roadster with the “bias look alikes”. They drive much better. Depends on the “look” your after. But all were round and balanced with minimal weights. Much better than some negative comments on the net show.
 
I have P205-75R-15's on the front and P205-75R-15's on the back of this '55 Ford car in the avatar.
Reason being that the overall diameter of the 75 series is larger than the 70 series and the 75 series is about as close as you could get to the stock tire diameter.
I checked my speedometer against some of those roadside speed indicators and found I did not need to change my speedo driven gear. It's probably within 1/2mph.
Thing is, the radials are a TON wider than the old 710x15's, so the rear wheels are more difficult to get on and off. But you shouldn't need to worry about rubbing. There is enough clearance.
 
Either size will work, but what I found when I made the switch to the radials was the height looked so much lower than the original bias ply. I love the radials, the handling, performance, etc., but, it took me a long time to get used to the overall "look" of the car seemingly sitting lower than it should. I'm used to it now, and it doesn't bother me too much. :)
 
there is enough for 215 as well.if you have trouble getting them on back you can let the air out.some use longer shocks then the rear will drop enough.
 
I had a 54, and a 55. Both were lowered a bit, and both had radials. I found that 225-70R15 on stock wheels would fit in the wheel well, but getting them in there was a bear. I had to remove the nuts from the shock and jack the axle down with a small bottle jack. The way to cars looked, rode, and handles, made the work worth every minute.
 
I just acquired a pretty much stock 55 crown Vic with 50+ year old tires and I need replacements that will not rub the fender skirts as I want to keep them. I think they are stock wheels 6.25”wide 3.75” backset. Do you think the 215 70 15 will do the trick? Or should I be looking at different sizes? I’m seeing posts that radials are a lot wider even though it is a recommended replacement. Thanks for any feedback
 
If the tire size you have on the rear now clear your skirts, then
any good tire shop should be able to match up a radial tire size
that is very very close to the size you have now. ;);)



.
 
I have 215/75/R15 on mine w/15x6 rims that have 3.5" of backspace. To get then on/off you have to let the rear end drop some, but you don't have to unbolt the shocks. This size tire is very close to the original, from what I have read. F F
 
darrell said:
there is enough for 215 as well.if you have trouble getting them on back you can let the air out.some use longer shocks then the rear will drop enough.
Click to expand...

Although you can mount 215 tires on the 5-inch-wide rims, it's not recommended. If you want 215s, get 6-inch-wide rims.
 
I was looking to find 6" rims that I can fit my original centers into.
In NZ I can only find 7".
Are 6' rims available in the USA?
I think that they are described as wheel barrels.
 
I know my 55 bird was a 5x15, and I think the cars, wagons, and police specials too.

Kiwi, 6” rims (hoops?) were more common in years gone by. But a lot of heavier cars used 7’s. I know I had 55 centers in 7” Lincoln rims at one point to mount a set of cheater slicks. Let me use the same dog dish caps on the back as the stock 5” rims on the front.

How you find those in NZ I don’t have a clue. But a good wheel shop can probably find a set that the centers will fit and weld to. That kind of widening and custom backspace was more common before the fancy wheel came out here.
 

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