This section will touch upon some of the general tire & wheel issues we come across.
What wheels/tires will fit my car?
Since cars differ, we can’t tell you what tire size/wheel package will fit on your car. Whoever has the car must measure this specific vehicle to determine what size tires and wheels will fit it. We can tell you what was original or stock on the application, and often which optional wheels & tires were offered on a vehicle, but when you deviate significantly from stock – we can’t say what’ll work or fit on your car.
Reproduction Tires
Yes, these things are the real mccoy. 1960′s look along with technology
a) They are bias/belted construction, so they will make your car ride like a truck
b) They wear out after about 10-15,000 miles
c) They bend over and almost pop off the rims under hard cornering
d) If you let the car sit for a few weeks, the tires develop “flat spots” (go out-of-round) and go “thump-thump-thump” for a while as you drive down the road.
These are “museum-quality” tires—meaning if your car will be parked in a museum, & NOT DRIVEN, they’re great. If you plan to DRIVE your car, then either be prepared for all of the above or you should select modern radial tires.
Measuring wheel backspace, offset
Backspace and offset are 2 common ways to represent a wheel. If you take a 7 inch wheel and split it in half – the wheel has a ZERO offset. 3.5″ are in front of the hub and 3.5″ are behind the hub. So the wheel will have a 3.5″ backspace. Backspace is the amount of distance from the mounting hub of the wheel to the back edge of the wheel. The more backspace a wheel has, the more the wheel will be tucked under the car. Insufficient backspace will push the wheel OUT from under the car. Too much back space will pull the wheel under the car too far and possibly rub on the inner wheel well.
A 4″ – 4.25″ backspace is typical on a 7″ wheel. As the wheel gets wider, you need to increase the backspace to pull the wheel under the car and keep the wheel centered within the wheel well.
Rim Width is measured between the tire bead area. A 7″ wheel is WIDER than 7″ overall.
