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Member
Posts: 11
Location: Gualala, CA | I have a 1955 Dodge sedan that I recently converted to four wheel disc brakes. (AAJ Brakes are awesome!) The new brakes require the use of 16" wheels(I went with the big brake kit) so I am in the market for a new set and I would like to go a little wider. The current set is 15x6" with 215/75/15 tires. I have already rolled the rear fender a little to fit these so I am not opposed to doing a little trimming but I don't want to get into anything major. I am not looking at going crazy wide, ideally I would like to go with a 235/70/16 on a 16x8" or a 16X6" rim. Unfortunately the wheels I am looking at don't come in a 16x7" which I think would probably be ideal with the 235's. The 16x8"s are available in a 4" or 5" backspacing. Anyways, I am wondering if anyone has experience fitting wider tires on these models. It seems like the rear is going to be the problem. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Sean
PS If anyone is looking for a set of 15x6" smoothies that need to be painted but come with new chrome baby moons and pristine stainless steel trim rings, lets make a deal |
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Expert
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Location: Michigan | I haven't gone there yet. Stayed with the stock size rims. But will watch this thread for response. Wouldn't mind wider tires on the rear. |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 9666
 
Location: So. Cal | I put 17x7 with 225x55 tires on the front of my '56 Plymouth and 17x8 with 235x60 tires on the rear. You can check them out here:
http://www.forwardlook.net/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=57904&...
The rears are really tight and require the *perfect* backspace. I had to use a thin spacer on one wheel to keep it from rubbing the frame. I had to trim the inside lip of the fender too to keep it from rubbing there. In hindsight, I would have chosen 17x7 for the rear instead to make it easier, but the current setup does work. I had no issues with the front. I listed the offset I used, which is best because it can be translated to any wheel size to give you a backspace number. I used a 0 offset on the front and a +1/2" offset on the rear with a '68-'70 B-body axle. (The B-body axle is about .2" wider than the original, so an original axle would need .1" less offset) So the 6" rim should have a 3.5" backspace on the front, and a 4" backspace on the rear to duplicate the wheel position on my setup. The backspace for the 8" rim would be 5" on the rear. |
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Member
Posts: 11
Location: Gualala, CA | Thanks for the info. Your Plymouth looks great! It has a similar stance to mine as well because I am running the rear springs off a 55 wagon. Sounds like I am in the ball park as far as size. I may need to go with a slightly lower profile tire. Did you go with the 7" in the front because of fitment or just for looks? I will definitely be using the same size front to back, just because I want to be able to rotate tires.
Thanks again for the info,
Sean |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 9666
Location: So. Cal | My car is a little lower in the front than most because it has a 331 hemi motor that weighed it down by about an inch. I wanted to run a 225 or 235 series tires on the front so a 7" rim made sense. I didn't consider a 6" or 8" there, but having all 4 of them as 7" seems to be ideal and is what I would do in hindsight.
....But, if you insist on having them rotate, that is going to put your rear wheel 1/2" further out from an ideal backspace, so maybe a 6" rim with a smaller width tire would work for that, like maybe a 205x70 tire.
Edited by Powerflite 2016-05-28 2:09 PM
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1955-56 Dodge/Plymouth Wheel Fitment
