Pics of 255/60-15s on Grande or coupe?

[Mustangfeverrr]

I had 255/60-15s and 235/60-15s on 15x8 and 15x7 Magnums on my '73 Mach I, which looked great.

I'm in the market now for new wheels and tires and want something wider on my '71 Grande, but obviously it looks like anything but a race car, so I really don't want a raked stance and rear tires that are massively different in size - especially height - from the fronts. I've already pretty much decided on 235/60-15s on 15x7 Magnums on the front again, like I did on the Mach I, but am unsure about rear fitment. 15x8s are probably a given to help fill out those enormous wheelwells in the back, but am thinking about maybe 245/60s to help keep the stance even, front to back, and yet still be a bit wider (especially on the 8" wide wheels), than the front.

The details:

The "stock" 205/75-14 tires are 26.1" in diameter.

The 215/70-14s I'm running all around now are 25.9" (and I love the way it sits - low and even).

235/60-15s are 26.1" (so bang-on the same diameter as stock)

245/60-15s are 26.5"

255/60-15s are 27.0"

So, I understand that the car will ride higher by only half the difference of the diameter of the tire with the taller tires, so the 255s should make the car sit a mere 1/2" higher in the rear than the 235s on the front...but I really want the car to sit as evenly front-to-back as possible - and to add to the drama here, I don't feel that taking the easy way out and just putting 235s on the rear will be wide enough looking.

Hence my request for pics from anyone who has 255s on the rear of their Grande or coupe, so that I can visualize  just how much of a difference it is, and whether it truly is a noticeable amount.

 

[mach71351c]

I would try the 245s you can always go up to 255s later.

 

[luxstang]

You can put 255s on all 4 wheels. That's what I did and the stance won't change.

 

[turtle5353]

I am runnzing 255's on my Mach. Not a coupe but might give you an idea. I went with them to get a little wider look in rear. 



free image hosting gallery

 

[mach71351c]

I personally like 245/60 on 7s up front and 255/60 on 8s out back. I did run 245/60s on 8s all the way around on my 71 Grande. 235s look a little small to me on these cars.

 

[Fabrice]

I have 15x7x255x60 behind and 225 front

 

[Bru]

I didn't like all that space between the tire and wheel well with the 235x6015s in the back, so



I went with the 255x7015s in the rear.



I am changing my suspension to TCP so I will be changing my tires again for better road handling.

Guess I'll be forced to burn these up first. ;-)  Oh darn !!

 

[Mustangfeverrr]

Thanks for the responses and pics, guys.

Although I like the width of the 255s, I don't like the height. I really like the fairly low, even stance I have now, and would like to keep something similar, if I can.

And you have to remember that I've got a pretty "Plain Jane" looking Grande here, so anything too wide, or having the jacked-up in the rear look will just look silly on it (in my opinion, anyway). My intention is to beef up the look a bit, and add some flashy chrome, but not go too crazy with something that will look like too much for the kind of car that it is. Besides, I have a nice "sleeper" effect going with the 351C 4v under the hood that I don't want to mess up.  

 

[BeerDontCount]

Dude, your Grande's awesome! Almost a dead ringer for my old one back in the day. I know it completely goes against what you said your preferences are, but 295/50r15s are just begging to be installed in the rear. Just saying. Anyhow, I love the pic of your car. Brings back memories. Thanks.

Scott

 

[mach71351c]

Nice car!

 

[Mustangfeverrr]

Wow, thanks for the compliments, guys!

It's a lot more basic Mustang than I'm used to having, but I bought it specifically to be a driver that I could just have fun with, and not be freaking out about every time I got a nick or ding - and as it turns out, I'm actually really loving it! You can't beat the ride quality and handling, and now that I've addressed several cosmetic problems, it's really coming along nicely.

Here's a couple of "before" shots:





And another semi-recent one (I've replaced the body side moldings and re-done the front bumper since this shot):



Anyway, back to tires/wheels. After looking at some of your pics, I'm thinking now of maybe going 15x8 all around, with maybe 245s rear, 235s front...or 245s all around...or...

Anyway, thanks again!

 

[Mustangfeverrr]

Well, I had quite a change of plans! While searching through my storage room for something completely unrelated, I came across a set of wheels I'd bought a few years ago for my '66. I ended up liking the factory Styled Steel wheels on the car better, and ended up packing the new ones away with probably less than 50 miles on them!

They're 15x7s, so they fit my plan pretty well, but the tires on them (bought for the '66) were way too small. So, ordered a set of 235/60-15 Radial T/As all around, and BINGO, just the look I was looking for! Not so wide that it looked silly for a Grande', but something that beefed it up a bit and really jazzed up the looks some, too, and the 15" diameter looks way better on the car than the 14s did. I may have originally decided on 15x8s, but the added attraction of not having to buy wheels was worth the compromise - and I ended up loving the look anyway.

 

[luxstang]

Those look good!!

 

[mach71351c]

Looks good.

 

[Bru]

Very nice !

 

[Mustangfeverrr]

Thanks! ::thumb::