Ok, just wondering if anyone has experimented with narrower tires in the front, to aid a little in the non power steering things we drive I need tires all the way around. Currently have 225 60 15's, was thinking about a 215 or 205 up front, thinking it may make steering a bit easier. I want it to be plenty safe too, not looking to risk that for little to no help in steering, but thought since I need new ones anyway I would consider these things. I like the 225's in the back, with the motor I have I need all the meat I can get, and thats about as wide as I can go it looks like. Just found this, its pretty neat little tool http://www.autowaretech3.net/nextwheels/newstal.htm
I like the way cars look with big 'n' little staggered size tires, especially if the stance is a tad bit down in the front. Gives 'em a strong performance vibe. I think a 215 or a 205 would be great looking, especially if they are wide whites and the whitewall is a bit narrower as well. Steering effort is less with smaller tires. I have no power steering on any of my hot rods / customs ('48 Plymouth hot rod, '55 Buick semi-custom, '52 Victoria mild custom), or even on my daily driver Chevelle El Camino. All my cars have staggered tire sizes, usually one size smaller than standard in front and one size larger than standard in the rear. I don't find the effort objectionable in any of them, nor was it in any of my prior non-power steering cars, and there have been many. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't think steering effort will be excessive as long as you keep your tire pressures correct. These cars were driven by women as well as men back in the day, with nobody complaining about them being overly difficult to steer. I prefer non-power steering myself, and think you will too...once you get used to it.
Yup, I agree that sometimes smaller is better, especially regarding tires & manual steering. I put 205-70R-15s on mine all around to start with. Steering's no problem, actually it's much easier than I anticipated. I still have to get used to that HUGE stock steering wheel though! Whew, when I first got behind it, that wheel had me thinking Peterbilt & reaching for an 8 track of CW McCall. . .) But, I'm also thinking like you Eric; I've always kinda liked the big-in-back, smaller-in-front look. I'm neutral on the WSW issue but I like the rake that having this setup gives most cars. So while I may stick with the 205s on front I'm considering going to something a bit wider & taller in back, maybe 225-75s? Not sure yet.
The slight difference in whitewall width emphasizes the visual difference in the tire sizes. It's a small thing, but often the difference is in the details. Sorry it's not a Ford, but my Buick is a good example of this concept. Front tires are 215/65/15 while the rears are 235/70/15. The whitewall is 1/2" wider on the rear than on the front. No power steering. Drives great! Though the sizes will not be the same as the Buick, I plan to have a small big 'n' little tire stagger on my Vicky as well...perhaps only one tire size. We'll see...
ive got 205/70/15s all around on mine . not to bad with the steering . thats what was free at the time that would work .
Good input guys. I to like the rake of larger back, smaller front, nose down a bit. This is how mine sits right now (with the shackles correct ) 225 60 15 all around Now that you mention it, I could got taller in the rear to, there is plenty of room for a taller tire in the back, like a 70. So maybe 205 60 15 in the front, and 225 70 15 in the back. My main concern was whether a 205 in the front would be to narrow, but it sounds like some of yall drive that now so I guess it would be fine. I almost think with the backspacing I have on my rims I might could squeeze a 235 back there, have to double check. How much clearance should I strive for on either side of the rear tire? It just looks like to much meat up front right now on mine
well you will know if its to wide when you cant get it in without droping the rearend down, lol . i think you will need minimum of an inch for movement and such as the rearend twist going over uneven bumps and such
Well I think 225 is about it then, I have about an inch on either side right now. I really need some new rims, these were cool in the 90's, but I have gotten old now and not so much. But right now they are free
Okey, dokey, then... Here's my suggestion: Ask Scott to photoshop the profile photo of your car until it sits exactly the way you like. It will most likely take several tries. Then ask him to experiment with tire/whitewall sizes until it looks perfect to your eye. Then build the picture. This is the "Foose Method" of car building. It saves you the heartbreak and expense of false starts. When you can visualize the destination it's much easier to figure out how to get there. Hope this helps.
Thanks I emailed Scott to see if he wasnt to busy. I also ran across this website, its pretty neat, not much for selection of our year cars, but you can do paint colors, wheel size, rims, tinted windows, etc...Check it out http://www.autowaretech3.net/nextwheels/newstal.htm
Found a local guy selling 2 take off michelin primacy mxv4 205 60 15's with 75% plus tread left for $50 for both. Think I may pick them up and put them on for that price and see how I like them. They are H rated sport coupe and sedan tires. he is gonna look for some matching 225's for the rear, he gets the takeoffs from nissan and honda dealerships when they are not full matching sets.
This is what I'm talking about . This is a sharp 56 mainline, looks like smaller up front, larger back tires to. Wish I knew the size. http://www.rodandcustommagazine.com/featuredvehicles/custom_1956_ford_mainline/index.html
Why not ask the owner? Curt Cunningham [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Carriage Works, Inc.[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]4303 E. 140 th Street[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]P.O. Box 858[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Grandview , MO 64030[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]816-966-1405 | Orders/Tech[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]816-966-1611 | FAX[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]e-mail: info@carriageworksinc.com[/FONT] Seems like the simplest way to get the info you need, eh?
I got to admit I like that Mainline's look - not exactly what I'm looking for, but still nice nonetheless. Todd if you find out what size tires he's running, post the info, eh?
Will do, sent an email over this afternoon, dont expect to hear back, but maybe I will get lucky. Fired up the 56 this afternoon, sprung a coolant leak. Great...Looks like its leaking between the block and intake, of course its where I decided to use no gasket and just a thick bead of silicone. I havent checked/retorqued the head or intake bolts since I drove it a few times, it was about 8 ft lbs looser than it should be, lets hope that does it and I dont have to pull the intake.
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