Wow, tire info OVERLOAD! Thanks to all of you guys who've posted. First, from the people I've spoken to (at least 5) who are running Excelsiors they've told me that they needed to be trued. Three were radial users and two were bias ply users. I never expected you'd have to true a radial! Second, you're absolutely right about the tires making/breaking the car. I dig bias plies but after driving a friend's '32 roadster 1000 miles over a long weekend and then 400 miles a few weeks later I don't want to run them on my personal car. That's just me. I drive my cars (really hard too) and prefer radials. The car has '41 brakes/spindles/axle already, so don't think I'm going to "street roddy" here. I was originally looking for 16x4" and 16x5" wheels for the car, and was going to run the trusty "dually" 16's in the back. When I came across the set of 4 NOS wheels I jumped on 'em. You would have too! And yes, 15" tires are a pain in the ass to find around here too. The tire store guys aren't happy about it either, stating that 1/2 of the requests they get for 15's they can't even fill the order because they're simply not available. Hey tire manufacturers, not everyone wants to run 22's! So here I am at a crossroads. The 155R15's on the front are a little big but will do. They fill the 15x5" wheels really nice, they're just a little big on a T in my opinion. The rear 235/75/15's wrap around the 15x5's nicely too, I'm just hoping to run something slightly taller (maybe 2" diameter) to get the right rubber rake. Fellas, thanks for the info. You've all confirmed what I've thought and taught me a few things while you were at it. If anyone knows of a pair of ultra elusive 215/85/15's let me know... cuz me thinks nobody ever made such an animal, but they shoulda!!!
By the way Abe, thanks for looking these up and posting them for me. I did search before asking, but the two threads I looked at were old enough I didn't want to revive them. I read each of the four you posted, hoping we can get some NEW info here. I'm thinking we're not though, cuz 15" tire selections are diminshing rather than growing!
Got 215/85-16 radials on 5 inch rims on my 50 Chevy PU.They measure just over 30 inches tall on the truck,probably 31 inches with no load. Being a truck tire they are quite heavy,I don't think a heavy truck tire is the best ideal on a lightweight car.
I dont know if you get these around your parts but have a look at these.........215-80-15 Dunlop Enduro
Seems like some of you guys are not reading the OPs original post. 1). He has 15s not 16s and he loves his wheels. 2). 235 and 265 are absolutely not recommended fit a 15 x 5" wheel and would look goofy IMO. Diamond Back - www.dbtires.com - list a 700R15 radial made by Yokohama, with a height of 29.4", tread width of 4.9" and cross section of 7.7" which would be perfect for this 15 x 5 - a little spendy though at $179 ea in a blackwall. I have always had good experiences with Diamond Back products - 4 sets so far.
7R15 is 29.4" tall and recomended to be mounted on 5-6.5" wide wheels. They will probably ride like shit though. street tread http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...700R5215&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes "dirt track" tread http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...00R5742S&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes Tires-easy list a 215/80/15 but they don't give dimensions on their site. http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop....gorie=6&Ang_pro_Seite=15&Transport=P&dsco=135
I have two sets of Diamond Back 16" radial bias lookalike van tires with 6 ply sidewalls. Inflate them to normal passenger car levels 35 to 40 psi says Diamond Back and they'll ride fine - guess what - they do.
Go with the bias tire. Throw on a 820X15 Firestones on the back. Their tall and skinny and very sexy. Radials suck!
DEAD SEXY!!! Weasel, thanks for following the original idea. I dig my 15's but I'm certainly not married to them. Originally I was looking for 16's but these came up and they were reasonably priced. If anyone wants to do some wheel swappin' let me know. I mounted a set of used 235/75/15's on the 5" wheel and stuck it on the rear. Actually, I thought the section width would be too wide but they look like they belong there. I just want them 2" taller! I'll get a picture posted for you guys soon.
I have 145/15 on the front of my roadster they are about 24.5 inches tall and work well on a 4/5 inch rim, out back I have 265/75/15 on a 7 inch rim and they are about 30 inches tall. I am going to change this winter to the 235/85/16 which is the best brand to get, I keep hearing Hankook makes the best looking one? Thanks RP
Look @ 235 85 16 Falken's also Not a bad lookin side wall and tread pattern Has worked for me more than once.
When I put steelies on my Chevy truck I found the lite truck radials were the ticket. TALL AND SKINNY. No one picked up that they were radials.--TV