205-70 R 15 is a good place to start. About the biggest that fit in the hole in the rear is 225 -70 195 looks small on the rear, but you can get by with 185 in front if thats the look you want.
Not all radials are the the same section width even though they are the same size,the Cornell radials sold by Pep Boys (have them on my '54) have a narrower section width for more clearance on a '52-54 Ford rear wheel well,these cars tend to have rear well clearance issues one solution is to make a slice every 3"-4" inches on the inside lip so you can roll it up and eliminate the sharp edge that may rub.
Original size on sedans was 670X15 which in the 60's became F78X15 and then 205/75R/15 in radials the original 670X15 was an 85 series profile,problem is the change in section width the old 670X15's were about 4 3/4" wide todays 205/75R15 are about 6.25" wide (depending on brand)
195 profile radials look like cheese cuutters. 205/70x15 give the best look, ride and stance of standard wheels. You shouldn't have any clearance issue with these. Here in Oz everyone went for later model Galaxies wheels that were 15x6" to allow a little more choice of tyre. Those rims are like gold dust now. I personally use 15x6" wheels fitted to our local 1997 Falcon sedan. Plentiful supply with no backspace issues, though the centre hole is a lot bigger to fit over ate model hubs. Regards
I have 215/75r15 and i got a tire rub on the rear drivers side when i lowered it 2 inches... Next time i am going to order the 205/75r15s or maybe even 195's...
rick55's advice holds true on the '55 & '56 Fords there is more rear wheel clearance than the '52-'54 Fords had,you could go the 70 series if you are dead set that's what you want but this has been posted many times on several forums that in order to change a tire and get get them on guys have had to undo the shocks to let the rear drop down further for clearance,picture that scenario when you have a flat and it's pouring down rain.Sound like fun?
The 7.10 was standard on the Wagons and perhaps the Convertibles, regular sedans used a 6.70-15 (Which is what I run on my 54 Customline Fordor) which is about the same as a 205-75R15 in overall diameter.
I have 205/75-14 on 7 inch rims with 3 1/2 back space on my 54. With 3 inch drop in the rear no rubbing problems even with skirts on.
lost, Yes they would. You want to look at overall diameter.. a 205-75-15 and a 215-70-15 have roughly the same overall diameter. The 215 is just 10mm wider.
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