bias ply tire question

Nate, this is some kind of a Sunday morning joke, yes? Bias ply tires? I'm not aware of your owning a trailer queen. If you drive your '62 more than five feet per six months, put radials on it!

DS

I had a set of G78-15's on my VW bug years ago. The VW had narrow rims but they fit and worked fine. They 'just' cleared the fenders.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

Nate Nagel wrote:

Beat me to it. The only reason to keep those stock wheels and have bias ply tires is for a car that is show perfect and always remains sealed in plastic. If my experience is of any value, I say get some wider rims, some nice 15x7s or 15x6s (I dunno if this size is common) and modern tires.

I have the original bias-bly tire for my '73. It's narrow and I can't imagine trying to drive a car on 4 of these things. (I've had it on the car a couple of times when I've rotated or changed wheels, never driven on it)

Here's the problem I'm having. The stock rims for my car are 15x4.5" (yes you read that correctly.) It would then appear that my only options are to get either bias ply tires or else 185 or 195 series radials, which are hard to find, especially in decent tires. To add insult to injury, I've occasionally heard that the stock wheels are relatively thin metal compared to modern wheels and that they shouldn't be used with radials due to the fact that the bias ply tires actually add some strength to the stock wheels and that radials will allow them to flex (which is usually discovered when you start repeatedly losing hubcaps.)

I do have a set of 15x5.5" Chrysler wheels which theoretically should work as they have only just a hair less offset than the stock wheels, but with those wheels and 205/75R15 tires I'm getting horrendous fender lip interference in parking lot type situations. I would dearly love to get, say, a set of the new American Racing "salt flat" wheels but I suspect they just won't fit. Likewise, there's a vendor selling new production 15x6" Ford wheels (ISTR that they're actually intended for a Ford Ranger) as a universal replacement for Studebaker wheels but they appear to still set the centerline of the wheels about

3/8" farther out than stock and I just don't think that will cut it on a Lark.

Currently I have some 15x5" wheels from an Avanti on the car with a set of 215/70R15s and those seem to be OK (although I haven't driven on those more than around the block) but those belong on my friend's Avanti and finding another full set of Avanti rims in good condition may be difficult. In any case the whole question is academic as I ended up going to a movie yesterday afternoon and forgot about the end of the auction :(

nate

Go get some wider wheels, then. Steel wheels are easy and inexpensive in any variety you need. There are plenty of places that'll put together whatever which steelie wheels you need using shelfstock "barrels" and center chunks.

So....use a 195/70R15, or change down to a set of 14" wheels and use whatever set of 14" tires will fit. If Chrysler wheels will fit, then it implies you have a 5-on-4.5" bolt circle. There are ZILLIONS of options in this bolt pattern!

Naw, just spec what you want to one of the wheel builders.

DS

Hmmm... if you can use a ford bolt pattern then you should be able to find something that works. Even if you have to resort to a place that has the rims and centers then welds them to the offset desired.

be of help to you.