p25486

Hi,

I'm thinking of getting new wheels for my 73 coupe. I currently have a set of 15 inch American Racing wheels. I think they are outlaws, but I got them more than 20 years ago, so I don't remember.

Anyway they are 15 inch rims. Not sure if they are x7 or x8, or what. How can you find out without removing the tire?

My current tires are P235 / 60 R15 98S BF Goodrichs. Can these fit on either the x7 or x8s? What difference does it make?

I was going to buy larger wheels this time, but Magnum 500s seem to come mostly in 15 inch, or 17 inch and larger. There's only a couple of places I've found that even mention the 16 inch wheel.

So, I was thinking of going with a 15 inch Magnum, but x7 or x8 is the big question. I will be getting new tires too, I was thinking of staying with the P235 / 60 on the front, but maybe bumping up to a P245 for the rears.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!!

palerider

7 is fine for 235s. I would go with 8s for anything higher. I'm running 7" for 235s in front and 8s for 255s in back. Check out prices for Magnums at Summit they were the lowest price I could find.

kalli

you could mount them on 8" as well, but 235/60 look like a nice bulgy baloon on an 82 they would we rather straight. I'd prefer 7" wheels with that

in my opinion if you go for such a classic wheel you might as well go for the 15" again. can keep your tyres as well then

i wouldn't like 17" magnums on a mustang. If you'd go for those AR torque thrusters or so, that can look good with 17" ... but not the good old magnums

4reboy

I have 245's (245/60R14) on my rims and they fit fine, they are 7" wide. Its a big balloon out but it looks pretty sweet IMO....

I hear that with the 16" magnums the inner diameter is the same for them and the 15". The 16" rims just have a larger lip on them to get the extra 1" diameter, the centers are the same. The main benefit for going up to a 16" rim is the better tire selection with more modern tire designs. There is almost nothing for 14" anymore, 15" is limited, but 16" is pretty good.

71Mach14spd

I have a 71 mach 1 with the factory mags. They are 15x7 and i am running 235/60/15 BFG's on them and they looks great.

tx65coupe

My vote goes for 15 inch Magnum 500s, thats what I have on my 65.

On your car, I would probably run 235 60 15 on all 4 15x7 wheels.

Norm Peterson

Take the tire & wheel off the car and lay it flat on the floor. Lay a straightedge across the tire and measure how high the bottom of it is from the floor (this is the tire section width being measured). Then measure from the bottom of the straightedge to the wheel flange (right next to where the tire fits).For steel rims, do not measure to the little lip. Subtract this measurement from the overall width that you measured first. Turn the tire over, make the same sort of measurement to the other flange and subtract it. Then subtract about 1/4" (two thicknesses of wheel metal). That should be close enough. IOW, if the tire section width is 9.75", the measurements to the flanges from the straightedge are both 1.25", and it's a steel wheel, it's 7" wide.

If you have alloys, make your flange measurements to any lips, and subtract 1" for the two metal thicknesses instead of 1/4".


They will work well on either width. Assuming that either will fit without causing rubbing, the 8" will give you better cornering and more responsive handling (but will ride a bit "stiffer"). 7" will favor ride quality at a cost in handling. As far as appearance considerations go, I think the 7" wide wheels will make the 60 series tire look a little too "baloon-y", and on 8" wide they'll look a little more up-to-date without being "stretched". FWIW, 235/60-15 is approved for fit all the way out to 8.5" or 9" wide depending on the specific tire mfr.


Start by taking all the emotion out of your research.

Next, define the kind of driving you expect the car to be doing or need to do well a little closer, still without thinking of any exact tire size just yet. Then see what tire makes/models best fit your criteria. You may find that your wheel size ends up being determined by what is available in what you demand in your tires (or at least whatever exists at the point below which you are unwilling to compromise any further). Do make sure that whatever tire size that you choose carries an adequate load rating for your car (though with anything close to 235/60-15 that won't be a problem). Keep the idea of how long into the future that size may be supported - if only one or two mfrs even make it now, don't expect it to be easily available next time you need tires.

Then take all of the non-technical thoughts (appearance, tread pattern, etc.) and use them for making a final tire decision, which may well end up being the deciding factor for the wheels.


Norm

p25486

Ok, I measured the existing wheels, they are 15 x 7. But, I measure only about a 3.75 inch backspacing. The Magnum 500's I've looked at from Summit say that they are 4.25 back spacing. I assume that is ok, since these wheels are for Mustangs. Any thoughts?

tx65coupe

They should fit just fine, maybe even better than the other wheels do. Mine are the same backspacing.

p25486

Thanks for all the advice. I'm thinking 15x7s all the way around now (even the spare). I like the way P235/60 looks on the front, and in general.

Looking at my current setup, the rears appear to be smaller than the fronts. An optical illusion of sorts. Should I step up the rear tire size a little to offset this? If I do, it sounds like I won't be able to use the spare on a rear tire for very long (but that may be ok).

Sorry for all the questions, but I want to make it look right, and not cause too much family stress!