I’ve got some steel wheels I’d like to use for a project. They’re 4.5” wide which will be perfect for the 5.60x15 front tires. The rears I want to run are 8.20x15. Anyone have pics of an 8.20 on a 4.5” wheel? I ran a search and saw a lot of people running them on 5” wide wheels. But no 4.5” wheel pics. Did see one post of an 8.90 on a 4” wheel So think I’ll be alright but don’t want it to look stupid.
What is the tread width on the tires (manufacturer’s specifications) that you want? If it is, say 5”, then you should get 5” wide rims (measured at the bead seat, not the outer edges - which are usually 1” wider than the advertised rim width). Optional… what is your desired tire’s section width? (max width sidewall to sidewall). If that width is about 2” to 2-1/2” wider than the rim width, then that should give you a good looking sidewall “bulge”. And a cushier ride. I’ve used these factory measurements to get good looking wheel & tire sets for awhile. This is also useful with bigs n littles as the sidewalls / bulges have the same relative proportions.
I run them. back in the late sixties I got some wheels with big tires from a junkyard so this has been going on a long time
This is a 7:50-16 on a 16x4 so probably a fairly close match height/width wise on the rubber end of things. hope that’s helpful
1964 photo of me and my car: 8.20x15on a 5-1/2” mercury wheel. Fronts are same wheel and 5.60x15 tires. I remember the recommended minimum width for the 8.20s was 6” and I don’t remember the recommendation for the 5.60s, but the edge of the rim stuck out enough I had to be careful not to scratch the chrome edge whenever the front wheel was off and laying down. I would recommend using at least a 5.5” wide rim.
So looks like this’ll work and not be too terribly bad. Will post some pics when I get them mounted up. Need to double check the fronts will clear my brakes. Gonna be a tight fit.
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