Customs 1957/8 Ford Ranchero WWW tire size?

Hey everyone...I have a question for everyone out there running bias-ply's on these cars...
My Ranchero, god willing, eventually wants to be a mild custom, early 60's era-ish.
I want to keep the wide whites, and chrome oem jobbers, but, I bought radials for it because the car is/has/WILL go EVERYWHERE, and I reckoned I'd like the ride, handling, etc...
Well...They ( IMO ) handle and ride like shit anyway, and I stay awake nights, tossing and turning because of things like sidewall tread patterns, and ugly, wide, bulky cross sections, now.
So....I've decide to toss them...in the face of all reason, and go bias ply.
I used to not mind the radials on a low, fendered car, but...lately, I think I'm well...hating them.
I really despise the directional sidwall tread on the BFG's especially...
So, anyway:

The car wants to eventually be shaved, filled, and painted...and go the mild custom route, but, even so, IMO wheels and tires along with stance are the VERY FIRST things to consider, as they make the biggest single difference in the cars appearance.

Since I long to return to my 'ol bias plys, I'm wondering what size you 57/58/59 Ford guys are running, and what manufacturer?
Any pix would also be great...
The car in question is lowered approx. 4" up front, and 5" out back.

I have pix I can post, but, I'm not sure if I have any current ones here, on this 'puter...

Love to see/hear what you late 50's Ford guys are running...
Thanks!
Mark.

 

I applaud your decision to return to bias plys..They do look the best..I believe the years in question had 14" tires so I would look at Coker or Lucas Tire catalogs to see which have the white wall width and side wall design you like..Good luck and I really like Ranchero's.............

 

Thank you! I like 'em too...I miss my A coupe, and it's gorgeous bias-plys, though!
Yes...They DID have 14's from the factory, but, I do want to stick with a 15" wheel, since...well...I already have the chrome oem-style wheels.
Also, I like the cap options I have, too, in case I ever get bored...or, well...WHEN I get bored...

 

You need to PM Tuck on here. He has one of the sickest Rancheros I've ever seen.



And this is a picture before his recent DeSoto grill treatment.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=467182&highlight=kevin+lee

 

You know what...I forgot about that car!
Love that thing... looking at the offset on the front wheel, and the fender arch/vs. tire height, I'm lost as to how I am rubbing now, with my 6" wheels out front, and that car works?
Is that car clipped out front? Hard to see, but, it doesn't seem it...
Hmmm....p.m. in order...thanks!

 

I had G78-15 they should be about 2.75" white wall. BTW don't toss the radials sell then to cover some of the new tire costs

 

Oh, yeah...for sure! By "toss" I of course mean list in the classifieds!
I had G78 - 15's on the back of my Model A ...I kind of thought they might be a bit too tall...???
Denman has one with a 4" wall...My coupe had those...I liked 'em...nice tire, I thought.

 

OEM was 8.00x14 on Rancho/wagon and maybe retract; 7.50x14 on pass. car

 

what size radials were you running?

 

It has 215/70/15's up front, on a 6" wheel at present, and 225/70/15's out back, on a 7" wheel...kinda big, I think, now that it is lower...
It certainly doesn't look bad, but...it looks decidedly too "modern" I guess...


The idea was to fill the wheel well as much as possible, when the car was at stock height...but, it kind of looks like a steamroller, to me, now....if I stare at it and contemplate for too long. Which, of course, I do...

What are you running on that '57 of yours?

 

I'm running 5.60 14s on the front and G-78 14s bias ply on the back of my 57 with stock rims. They were on it when I bought it, I'll go a little bigger on the front next time. No issues on how it drives, this is my daily now for almost 2 years.

 

I'm running a set of 205/75R15s on mine. Had Coker Classics on there, which were nice. Now I have a set of Diamondbacks. Very pleased with them thus far. 15" wheels look way better than 14"s on the '57s IMHO.

I see your point about the bias plys looking better, and don't disagree. It's a bigger deal on fenderless rods. When it comes to customs tho, I don't know. If my radials are the first thing someone notices on my car, well then I probably don't care what their opinion of my car is any way.

As long as you have the right width whitewall and they're clean, you can't lose with bias or radials.

 

I keep hearing horror stories about Coker...I'm not having much luck balancing these Silvertowns so far...I figure if the thing is gonna ride like shit anyway, it might as well have the bias plys!
Actually, I like the 15's, too...I think the car is a bit big and square for 14's, but, that is just me...
Yeah...it's way less of an issue on a custom, and I really like the Diamondbacks, from what I see of them.
To me, they look much more appropriate, in the sidewall, and the cross section, than the BFG's...the BFG's are just, well...they just look square.
The wheel size, as well, is playing it's role, too, but...still: Square.
I don't like the directional sidewall on the Silvertowns, either.
I guess I could toss a pair of Diamonbacks up front, and I'd certainly notice the tread less.
Maybe I'll just keep a set of bias plys in the bed, mounted, and put 'em on when I arrive wherever I'm going?!
I'm thinking too much about this thing...I'm supposed to be building another Model A, and I'm getting sidetracked by my daily/beater!
Crap...

I might just, for now, bump the fronts down to 205's, too...Pull that tread in more under the fender, in the shadows!

 

That looks really good, too...
Too damn many tire combos out there.
I get all confuzzled...

 

15" - g78 Denmans

 

What width wheel are you using?
That does look great, and I have had good experiences with Denman...

 

Here is the car as it sits now:
Not bad...just not exactly right, I think...I don't know...I might be obsessing too much.
It's a friggin' driver...



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looks good to me

 

yeah that car looks BAD ASS...
I think you're obsessing... nothing wrong with that though.
NICE RANCH-

 

G-78's on my 58 Sledsel.
I also applaud your decision to switch to bias ply. I drive this car a lot, and LONG distances. I would not be caught dead with radials on it!

 

I gotta tell you man, it's hard to get better than that. I notice the 58 hood way before the radials. I think you're being a bit over-critical, if someone gave you crap for radials when you're rolling in a car as sweet as that you can tell em where to go.

 

Thanks guys! I have to tell you, it looks a LOT better in the pix, than reality, it has a long way to go....but, it is a fairly solid car, and, thus far I'm happy with it, and how it is turning out. Again, it is never expected to be a show car, by any means...I want to be able to throw gear in the back, and go camping...carry parts, whatever...

It's actually a '58, with a '57 front end, save for the hood...I bought the car that way...odd.
I will most likely ditch the '58 side trim, too, at a later date, since it is all kinds of lumped up...I might use one of the different '57 side trim sets, or, maybe just fill it, and smooth it...
I guess it depends on the paint scheme we end up coming up with down the road...right now the paint pretty well sucks...and the front fenders and valance don't match.

It's just something about the front tire size/shape that is really irking me, I think...more so than the rear, which of course, I can see less of, so that's probably why...
The 215/70 has an 8.7" cross section, and is on a 6" wheel, up front, and I think that is my problem, more than anything.
Joe, I like the 205's on your car...much less square looking.
My hands down favorite is the G-78's, though...I think.... they have a great look on these cars above.

I think a 205/75 out front will solve my problem for now, but, I will still be going bias again, by next season, if not sooner...I just really like the "honest" look of them.
Of course...the radials go a lot better with the 302/AOD combo I've got!

haha...

 

I think you hit the nail on the head as far as the width being the issue. The larger tire with the 6" wheel makes it look like the tire is ballooning off the wheel and appears a bit bulbous. A narrower radial will more closely mimic the flat look of the bias ply.

I think the side trim is one of the coolest parts of the car. I wouldn't change it.

 

Well, I don't think anything you do will improve on that!

As for bias plys, it's a lowered full-fendered car. If you run bias plys, you're going to see about 2" of pie crust before the tire is shadowed by the car, or by the fender. To me, that's not enough 'gain' to bother with driving around on tires that are sketchy at any time, and downright dangerous on a 3500lb vehicle in the rain. I had bias plys on my wagon too, but will not go back with them again. The radials handle bad roads so much better, and I'd qualitatively say the car accelerates, steers, and brakes 25% better than before. Both sets of tires were brand new from Coker.

 

WACHOOPLAINENBOUT????????????
Thats

 

Sorry, musta burped.
Thats a sweeeeet ride. My 57 ranch wagon sits and waits. Its killin me.

 

That is another thought I had...the white wall thickness itself, vs. the height, the profile...the wheel, which brings it either into or out of the shadow more, depending on the width...I go smaller though, and I lose the whitewall thickness, too, BUT...the tire also tucks farther into the shadow, AND, the car goes a half inch or so lower up front, too, to help the "look" from the veiwers point of perspective.

Goddamnmysteryvoodoomathmatics....
I've been doing calculations on 15 different tires for a week now!

Thanks for the positive comments, everyone.

 

I have 205/75/15's on my 59 hdtp all the way around, mounted on ford 15x5 wheels. Had trouble with 225's (w/ 7" wheels) hitting the outside inner fender. Plus tire changes were a mo-fo. Bottle jack between the axle and frame mo-fo-like.

3 1/2" blocks and 1 1/2 coils out the front. I think I wanna drop another 1/2" in front, but am worried about tire rub on fender. No rub problems now except for the occasional frame scrape....