Will these tires work for my purpose?

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street rod mach 1

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Jul 28, 2015
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Location
Minneapolis, MN
My Car
I own a 1973 Mustang Mach 1, currently in the restoration process.
Ok so I have 4 Cragar SS rims, the two in the front are 15x7 inch rims and the two in the rear are 15x10 inch rims. I was searching for answers online and I found that BF Goodrich Radial T/A's P225/60R15 will work for the 15x7 and that P295/50R15 will work for the 15x10. Anybody know if this is correct or know of a better tire? My purpose for them will mainly be for cruising on the street and just having fun, no tracks or drag strips though just street. Thanks!

 
It's a good thing you asked, because I actually have some experience to share on this topic. ;) :whistling:

First off, BFGs are excellent tires and what I was after for mine, except that after being back-ordered for almost 4 months, I ran out of time before an important [to me] car show and decided instead to go with the Cooper Cobras I currently have, since they were on the shelf at Discount Tire.

Mine are Cragar S/S 15x8 with 245/60R15 and 15x10 with 295/50R15 out back. When I initially installed them, I loved the look but discovered that the default 'off the shelf' backspacing on the S/Ss was 'only' 4 1/4" - which is bad because it causes the tires to stick out about an inch too far. I buzzed them on the wheel well openings just bouncing through a small dip in the road at 30 mph. That will not do for the long term... especially, since the roads are parts of the drainage system in San Angelo. Here are some pics:

The day I put 'em on

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At the car shows:

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I absolutely LOVE the look! However, I hate the thought of tearing up the sheet metal I replaced and damaging those expensive tires.

I had originally ordered the S/Ss from Summit Racing straight from their online catalog - not knowing they have an option to call and order custom back spacing, offsets, etc., from Cragar (as in, they'll custom make a set of rims for you... same price, too).

Once the new custom back spaced rims showed up, I took the rear wheels and new rims to Discount Tire and had them swapped, then popped 'em back onto the car.

Here are some better shots of the difference in 4 1/4" and 5 1/2" back spacing (respectively):

4 1/4"

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5 1/2"

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You can definitely see the difference, and while I haven't had a chance to drive the car yet since making the swap, I'm pretty confident I shouldn't have the rubbing issues anymore.

Hope this helps!

 
It's a good thing you asked, because I actually have some experience to share on this topic. ;) :whistling:

First off, BFGs are excellent tires and what I was after for mine, except that after being back-ordered for almost 4 months, I ran out of time before an important [to me] car show and decided instead to go with the Cooper Cobras I currently have, since they were on the shelf at Discount Tire.

Mine are Cragar S/S 15x8 with 245/60R15 and 15x10 with 295/50R15 out back. When I initially installed them, I loved the look but discovered that the default 'off the shelf' backspacing on the S/Ss was 'only' 4 1/4" - which is bad because it causes the tires to stick out about an inch too far. I buzzed them on the wheel well openings just bouncing through a small dip in the road at 30 mph. That will not do for the long term... especially, since the roads are parts of the drainage system in San Angelo. Here are some pics:

The day I put 'em on

attachment.php


attachment.php


At the car shows:

attachment.php


attachment.php


attachment.php


I absolutely LOVE the look! However, I hate the thought of tearing up the sheet metal I replaced and damaging those expensive tires.

I had originally ordered the S/Ss from Summit Racing straight from their online catalog - not knowing they have an option to call and order custom back spacing, offsets, etc., from Cragar (as in, they'll custom make a set of rims for you... same price, too).

Once the new custom back spaced rims showed up, I took the rear wheels and new rims to Discount Tire and had them swapped, then popped 'em back onto the car.

Here are some better shots of the difference in 4 1/4" and 5 1/2" back spacing (respectively):

4 1/4"

attachment.php


attachment.php


5 1/2"

attachment.php


attachment.php


You can definitely see the difference, and while I haven't had a chance to drive the car yet since making the swap, I'm pretty confident I shouldn't have the rubbing issues anymore.

Hope this helps!
Do you have a measurement of how far the rears stick out when you had the backspacing at 4 1/4''? My backspacing is 4 1/2''

 
Ok so I have 4 Cragar SS rims, the two in the front are 15x7 inch rims and the two in the rear are 15x10 inch rims. I was searching for answers online and I found that BF Goodrich Radial T/A's P225/60R15 will work for the 15x7 and that P295/50R15 will work for the 15x10. Anybody know if this is correct or know of a better tire? My purpose for them will mainly be for cruising on the street and just having fun, no tracks or drag strips though just street. Thanks!
Hi

I'm a newbee to this forum and cannot judge whether the size of the choosen tires will match with the used rims but in my opinion this kind of tires is some kind of dangerous toy. ;)

I have had BFG and Cooper Tires on my rims and even if someone had spit on the road in front of my Mach1, it went sideways on the road. There was no noticeable cornering nor grip.

Last year I have changed from 235/60x15 BFG to 225/60x15 Falken ZIEH tires and it was a change in worlds. Even during a drive in intense rain, my Mach1 was going like it was put on rails and the brake distance is already minimized.

Falken is not the only manufacturer producing tires at current technique, there a several others. I'm sure you will find them.

As you know, Germany does not have a general speed limit on the "Autobahn", from time to time I am going fast with my Mach1 and I won't do it with tires without cornering and with limited grip.

Among friends we call this kind of white letter tires "wooden tires". lollerz

Cheers

Frank

 
Do you have a measurement of how far the rears stick out when you had the backspacing at 4 1/4''? My backspacing is 4 1/2''
Precise measurement, No. If I were to WAG it, about 3/4" or so. The extra 1 1/4" back spacing pulled them in to just a shade under 1/2" inside the wheel openings.

Mine are the 'Direct Drill' series wheels, so I don't have the slotted holes - which might explain the difference.

I also picked up a set of Scott Drake 1" extended shackles to pick up the rear end about 1/2", as well I've gone with a set of 5-leaf spring packs. I'm looking hard at a set of Flaming River ride-height adjustable coil-overs, just in case. They're about $600+ for the pair, but they bolt right in (if the '70-and-older shocks can work with our model years, that is). Mine came with air shocks, but had badly damaged the shock cross-member as a result of too much air pressure to pick up the rear end.

 
There are a lot of discussions on the forum about the importance of correct backspacing for fitment and to prevent rubbing on both the front and rear. A rule of thumb for our cars is half the wheel width plus 1/2 inch. You can find the postings by searching in the search box in the upper right.

I have had BFGs on several cars, including my wife's X-Type, and was impressed with both the wet and dry traction. However, a word of warning, tires that are over 5 or 6 years old will get hard, loose traction, and become susceptible to coming apart.

 
Hi

I'm a newbee to this forum and cannot judge whether the size of the choosen tires will match with the used rims but in my opinion this kind of tires is some kind of dangerous toy. ;)

I have had BFG and Cooper Tires on my rims and even if someone had spit on the road in front of my Mach1, it went sideways on the road. There was no noticeable cornering nor grip.

Last year I have changed from 235/60x15 BFG to 225/60x15 Falken ZIEH tires and it was a change in worlds. Even during a drive in intense rain, my Mach1 was going like it was put on rails and the brake distance is already minimized.

Falken is not the only manufacturer producing tires at current technique, there a several others. I'm sure you will find them.

As you know, Germany does not have a general speed limit on the "Autobahn", from time to time I am going fast with my Mach1 and I won't do it with tires without cornering and with limited grip.

Among friends we call this kind of white letter tires "wooden tires". lollerz

Cheers

Frank
The 'old school' tires available for hot rods and muscle cars weren't exactly designed for blasting down the Autobahn at ludicrous speed, let alone during inclement weather - "speed rated" performance tires didn't come about until sometime in the '80s... some time after American muscle cars effectively went extinct back in the '70s. Realistically speaking, neither were any of the cars that use them, for that matter. ;) American muscle cars weren't designed to carve the canyons or blast down the Autobahn at ludicrous speeds - they were designed to go fast in relatively straight lines, and look cool doing it.

Basically, for the sake of keeping the old cars on the road and in tires, the market has shrunk drastically and only a few manufacturers still produce tires in the style/sizes demanded by our old muscle cars/hot rods (in stock and period-correct sizes). Since the purpose is to keep the old cars on the road with some semblance of 'old school' flavor, the design of those tires haven't changed over the years - there's no need to. If a guy wants an old school flavor to his car, he'll need to get some of the old school tires from the handful of manufacturers left making them. If a guy wants to go carving up the canyons or blasting down the Autobahn, he's going to need to build the car to handle those demands, which will most likely include upgrading to performance components - to include wheel/tire combinations.

Can't have your cake and eat it too, unfortunately (I'm pretty sure Falken doesn't make 295/50R15s). ;)

 
Can't have your cake and eat it too, unfortunately (I'm pretty sure Falken doesn't make 295/50R15s). ;)
Probably true. However Hankook DO make 295/50/15, model is H101. My previous experience with Hankooks (Ventus model) was that they were much more grippy than Falkens (ZIEX) in wet and dry. So worth seeking out. The H101s still have a lame speed rating though, like BFG current models. Why did they stop making the Euro T/A & the Comp T/A?

Dunc

 
Probably because they were poor sellers once newer tire models and sizes came out. I had a set of Goodyear Eagle GTs on my '82 Mustang in the 225/60R14 size, and they were very grippy, as I remember - that was in '89. Just 4 years later when my new wife's '87 Grand Am SE needed tires, I wanted a new set of Eagle GTs, I discovered they'd been discontinued and there were none to be found. Turns out, the Western Auto 'House-Brand' Performance GT tires were pretty much Eagle GT clones, in look and performance - and SO much more affordable, as well. Goodyear had moved on to much better tire models by then

I also remember Eagle VR50 "Gatorbacks" were the high traction tires Goodyear offered at the time (actually came standard on the Corvettes and Mustang SVOs of the time), but the tire technology (tread design and compounds) took off in the early '90s - and those tires disappeared from the market rather quickly afterward.

I just wish there were more tire companies out there offering better (more grippy, all-season, etc.) tires in muscle car sizes. I don't intend to upsize my wheels any time soon, because I really like the old school look - and to me, some old cars just don't look right with modern wheels on them... but having better quality ties would be something I'd be willing to live with (blackwalls vs. raised white letters - I'll get some of those tire stickers if I have to).

 
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