tire rim related question

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Joined
Apr 8, 2015
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Location
Upstate NY
My Car
71 Mach 1, 351c 4v, C6 trans, grabber blue with white interior
Currently on the car are polyglas F60-15 lettered tires. When I eventually get new tires, I would like to use one of the existing tires as a spare.

What rim specs should I be searching for? Not looking for a custom magnum 500 rim.

Anything more than basic steel rim, size 15"x7",  bolt pattern 5" x 4 1/2" and backspacing of 4 1/4" ? I have an original 14" rim that came with the car as a spare but the tire was dryrotted. Is that rim useful at all?

Thanks!

 
Just use the 14" rim with a 205/70/14 tire. The diameter of that tire will be right at 26 inches, which is right where you are at for a F60-15 tire. Will be more than adequate to use it as a spare. 

 
If you're staying with bias ply tires, then sure, a bias ply tire as a spare would be ok, but if you decide to get a set of radials, then no I would not use it. I actually have the original spare that was in my 71 Mach 1 and it is surprisingly in excellent condition. I do use it occasionally for show purposes only. Generally, I carry a radial for my spare as you can't mix the two types when driving unless it was just to get you off the highway.

 
If you're staying with bias ply tires, then sure, a bias ply tire as a spare would be ok, but if you decide to get a set of radials, then no I would not use it. I actually have the original spare that was in my 71 Mach 1 and it is surprisingly in excellent condition. I do use it occasionally for show purposes only. Generally, I carry a radial for my spare as you can't mix the two types when driving unless it was just to get you off the highway.
Can you post a few photos of the original spare and rim please?

 
If you want to run a bias tire, then just run an E78-14, about the same diameter as a F60-15. Personally, I would not be too worried about running a radial on the rear of the car just to get me home, but I do understand the hesitation to do so, as manufacturers for years told consumers not to mix radials and bias tires, but this was for everyday driving not for emergency use. My high school driver was a 1972 Rallye Charger with a factory 440 Magnum. I ran L60-15 bias tires in the back and radials in the front for years, never really noticed a problem, and back then there was no internet, so no one told me you should not do that :lollerz:

My car came with the space saver, don't know if these are the photos you are looking for, but there are some on the site here:




 
Thank you. 
 Here's a couple I found of my spare wheel and "never-been-on-the-car" tire. I'm sorry if others thought I meant a "space saver" wheel & tire.

Also, to clarify, I only meant that if there was a bias ply spare in the trunk and it was an emergency, I would use it to get me home or a tire shop with radials on the other 3 corners. I would not mix the two types ordinarily.

IMG_0540.JPG

IMG_0541.JPG

 
Just use the 14" rim with a 205/70/14 tire. The diameter of that tire will be right at 26 inches, which is right where you are at for a F60-15 tire. Will be more than adequate to use it as a spare. 
Well I plan on staying with biasply tires so I was trying to avoid using a radial as a spare, as well as having to acquire another tire.

If you want to run a bias tire, then just run an E78-14, about the same diameter as a F60-15.
I wanted to use one of the tires off the car F60-15 as a spare as opposed to having to buy another.

 
You should be able to get a 15" steel wheel in 5x4.5 bolt pattern from a junk yard, issue will be that it fits the F60-15 which is quite wide for a spare. Jegs will sell you a brand new 15x7 5x4.5" with 4.25 in backspacing steel wheel for $75.99 that you could use for a spare:

https://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/681210/10002/-1

 
You should be able to get a 15" steel wheel in 5x4.5 bolt pattern from a junk yard, issue will be that it fits the F60-15 which is quite wide for a spare. Jegs will sell you a brand new 15x7 5x4.5" with 4.25 in backspacing steel wheel for $75.99 that you could use for a spare:

https://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/681210/10002/-1

I've heard (here or elsewhere, can't remember) that the reproduction wheels have a different rim profile and the original trim rings won't fit. Does anyone know for sure if the original trim rings and dog dish hubcaps do indeed fit or not?
Steve

 
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 Here's a couple I found of my spare wheel and "never-been-on-the-car" tire. I'm sorry if others thought I meant a "space saver" wheel & tire.

Also, to clarify, I only meant that if there was a bias ply spare in the trunk and it was an emergency, I would use it to get me home or a tire shop with radials on the other 3 corners. I would not mix the two types ordinarily.

View attachment 57299

View attachment 57300
So factory is a full size spare? My m code 71 looks like will be the same color as yours...

 
So factory is a full size spare? My m code 71 looks like will be the same color as yours...
Yes it was unless you got the fold down rear seat, then you got the space saver.

When my car was painted back in 2014, the PPG code (V) was not available in Canada, so it was color matched from unfaded paint under the rear window valance. Check with your paint supplier.

 
My car does not have the fold down seat, but it does have the space saver tire. Are you sure only cars with the fold down seat got the space saver tire? It's a 71 Mach 1 M code. I guess that it could have been added later by a previous owner.

 
My car does not have the fold down seat, but it does have the space saver tire. Are you sure only cars with the fold down seat got the space saver tire? It's a 71 Mach 1 M code. I guess that it could have been added later by a previous owner.
 To be honest no, I'm not sure. I think the mount point is different for the space saver tire. Perhaps it was an option and could be ordered that way. However, I've never seen a non-fold down with one. 

 
Space saver was equipped one of three ways...

A - the car was optioned with F60-15 tires 

B- the car was optioned with a fold down rear seat

C - the vehicle was a Boss 351 (F60-15 tires standard)

There's great pics and info on the 429 Megasite

http://429mustangcougarinfo.50megs.com/trunk.htm

 
Then for certain that spare saver did not belong to this car. It is brand new and never used... So, what spare tire was correct for a Mach 1 with standard 14" rims and hub caps? 

I just figures something out, this car has original 15x7 Magnum 500's, but it definitely did not come with them. I guess that when they got the Magnum 500's they might have taken the spare from the donor car, that would explain why the car has the space saver spare. 

 
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Then for certain that spare saver did not belong to this car. It is brand new and never used... So, what spare tire was correct for a Mach 1 with standard 14" rims and hub caps? 

I just figures something out, this car has original 15x7 Magnum 500's, but it definitely did not come with them. I guess that when they got the Magnum 500's they might have taken the spare from the donor car, that would explain why the car has the space saver spare. 
That could be for sure. My car originally was a Plain Jane, low (very low) optioned car. It would have had hub caps on standard 14: rims. The tire/rim I show is what ought to have been in your car if that was the case.

 
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