Hiboy Wheels & Tires

OK, I did a search on 'bigs&littles' and got some great proportion info on the ratio of backs to fronts. I am in the 'dream&plan' phase wondering about wheels. If I pop for new alloys for a '32 hiboy, dropped I-beam front the wheel choice from my past is Cragar SS. So if I go 15x4.5 for the front, should I jump to 16x8's in the back, or maybe 17x9's? I like the 'traditional' look with modern updates, but I can't get into the 22's with rubber band tires - just not my look. What do you think, 15's front & back, or 15's front with 16's or 17's in the back? Other thoughts?

 

i say no to the cragars period, but that just my .02

 

So what do you like instead, steelies, beauty rings & baby moons maybe? Just looking for ideas on the right look & proportion.

 

ck your pm

 

Wheel's and tire's can make or break a ride. Deciding on what to run should depend on what style and era you plan on building the car to.
If it's a late 60s style then the Cragars would probably fit that era..
I myself love Those old rim's, but how they would look would depend on what was used on the rest of the car part's wise.
There are ton's or selection's to run.. From big and little painted steelies, with or without cap's and rings, Chrome steelies (my personal favorite) ...the list go's on.
As far as sizes, 15 in front and 16 out back has worked for years and look's good..Or if your going to the early narrow look, 16's all around is a winner too. I've alway's just run 15's all around and gave it a 'rubber rake' with tire size.

I guess i should ask after all i've written, what style are you buiding you car in? 40's, 50's, 60's?
Sorry for the book i wrote..


Tony

 

NitroFC - pm was a pic with no words, right?

 

Well, I guess I was leaning to the mid 60's as that's my memory bank - dropped front, big rear meats and a cam lope that scared kids. I also really like the 50's look, too, but lean more to a wider tread in back than you could get back then. Not sure yet, but close to going back to P&J's in Peculiar to visit about a roller frame. My options are still open - need to go through the 400+ pics from the GoodGuys meet recently and study some more.
Sorry, probably should not have asked.....

 

My Model A has 15 x 5 front, 16 x 8 rear with 165R and P245/75R tires. Pic in the avatar. Previously ran 15 x 8.5 and P285/70R tires, but that size has recently become a specialty size (i.e., expensive). The 16 inch tires are used on a lot of SUVs, and available almost anywhere.

 

Absolutely NOTHING wrong with asking questions at all, i wasn't trying to come off that way.sorry about that. I was just wondering what styel you were looking to go with so we had a better idea what style wheel was out then..

Here's a pic of my old 32..15x8 with L78 tires in back and 15x5 560x15 front..the typical big and little bias combo..
You could use the came front's, but step up in rear width if you wanted that 60's look..
You could run the Cragars, OR try to find a set of early American style 5 spokes..they would look GREAT too..

Again, sorry if i came off wrong..wasn't my intention's.

Tony

 

Tony,
You did not come off wrong, and thanks for the information. As I read your post I simply realized that I really have not selected any specific "period" to replicate - I was simply scratching my head about the choices and realized that I had not paid enough attention when I spent the day at the Good Guys show recently.
roger

 

It's cool Roger..
Keep us up to date on your build...Nothing like seeing hot rod's come together.

 

The brown primered 31 on 32 rails roadster has 28" tires in back and 25" tires in front.
Both ends on 15" wheels which is also a fairly common setup.
Wheels are 5" wide in front and 6" wide in back.

Makes for a nice rake and the car is reasonably low, but still high enough that speed bumps and driveways shouldn't be a problem.

The black 32 has 30" tall tires in back and 24" tall tires in front.
10" wide wheels in back, 5 1/2" wide wheels in front.

Both cars have the typical 4" dropped axle etc. although the 32 sits down a little further on th Durant Mono-Leaf - cuz it sagged - than the 31 with it's (used) Posie's Super Slide.

I've gotten a little tired of the 32's too wide of a front tire and a pair of narrower, higher aspect ratio radials will go on it in a few weeks.

 

Here's a profile of my T it's the standard 5.60 X 15 in front and 6.50 X 16 in back which is 29 inches tall.