I've read all the threads about putting wider tires and rims on baby birds, and after much contemplation decided to stay stock. When I finally got around to taking the tires of my '55 bird, I was surprised to find it had 30 year old 215/65R15's on the stock 5" wide wheels! Yes, there wasn't much clearance at the upper ball joint, but it didn't rub! The skirts fit in back, with about 3/4" clearance, no signs of rubbing on any sidewall! Pics posted here.



I'm getting ready to buy wide whites for the stock wheels, and I'm wondering if there is any disadvantage in going back to 215/65's, as opposed to the normally recommended 205/75's. I know they are a little smaller diameter, and about 3/4" wider tread, but I'm concerned about driving them hard on such a narrow rim. Will the tire squirm in the corners, or risk breaking a bead and loosing air?



While the wheels are off, I'm installing drop'n'stop spindles (1.5" drop) with granada disks. I won't have any side clearance issues in front, and a smaller tire would be less likely to rub in the fender.



Let me know what you think. Cheers!

Diamond Back tires has a chart on page 6 that shows the 215\65 at a 5.5 minimum rim. You might call and ask them, but if they've been on 30 years, that seems like a pretty good recommendation. All the lawsuits about low tires resulted in some pretty conservative specs.



I've never used their tires, but the local guys seem to think Coker's look better. I don't know why. The Coker results here have been mixed, as I recall. I'm on 15+ year old Coker's that have to be replaced before I drive more than around the block, so keep us posted.

miker
55 bird, 32 cabrio F code
Kent, WA
Tucson, AZ

Just got the wheels back from powder coat and over to the tire guy. When I asked about 215's on 5" rims, his only comment was that the edges of the tread will wear faster. Funny, I would have thought that a "too narrow" rim would wear the center of the tread faster...



He deals a lot with classic cars & rods, and says it's not a problem if you don't put many miles on the car. I decided that an additional 10mm (0.4") of tread width isn't worth it, and have him looking for a set of 205/70R14 wide whitewalls.