Joined: Sun Jul 18 2010, 11:11PM
Location: DFW
Posts: 811
I'm ready to order tires for the Imperial. It's going to be a while before I get the wheel/tire/brake upgrade done so I need to get some 15s. The 235/75-15 looks good for height but from the front or rear the car looks like a pig on stilts. Would a 255/70-15 fit the stock wheels without rubbing on the sirts or fenders?
Unfortunately, I thought of this after leaving the house so I can't measure the car.
Joined: Wed Aug 11 2010, 10:15AM
Location: E WA
Posts: 1230
feets wrote ... I'm ready to order tires for the Imperial. It's going to be a while before I get the wheel/tire/brake upgrade done so I need to get some 15s. The 235/75-15 looks good for height but from the front or rear the car looks like a pig on stilts. Would a 255/70-15 fit the stock wheels without rubbing on the sirts or fenders?
Unfortunately, I thought of this after leaving the house so I can't measure the car.
That is exactly what I have on my 69 Imperial Coupe. General XP 2000 255/70/15s on the factory steel rims. Plenty of room at the back. At the front there is the smallest rubbing on one side (forget which) when the steering wheel is fully cranked.
In my opinion these tires look really good on the car. Big tires for a big car.
Joined: Thu May 27 2010, 08:22AM
Location: Central Ohio
Posts: 232
Not necessarily conducive to your question, but last fall I saw a members '68 Fury with 255/70-15 BFG's on the back and it really made the car look mean. I agree with your assesment of the 235's being too skinny and I think these cars have a tendency to look fat and wimpy with 255/60's. The 255/70's, however, really filled out the wheel wells and made a big car look not so big... but it did look really angry. !thumb
<span class='smallblacktext'>[ Edited Mon Mar 19 2012, 03:48PM ]</span>
Joined: Sun Jan 31 2010, 03:36PM
Location: Dublin, PA
Posts: 414
It's going to be really tight or not fit in the rear. Chrysler widened the rear track on the fullsize cars in 1970 and again in 1972. The '72 and '73 Imperials are tight in the back with the stock tires and rims. The best bet would be to find a used tire in that size and try it out before you lay out cash on new rubber.
Joined: Sun Jul 18 2010, 11:11PM
Location: DFW
Posts: 811
We had a severe storm hit when I was leaving work. It was too nasty to go crawling around outside. This evening, it slowed to a steady rain so I ran out there barefoot with a raincoat and a flash light to check things out. Twice. I've got MILES of room in there. It looks like there's an inch and a half to the outside and nearly twice that to the inside.
Judging by the ease of removing the rear wheel previously, there should be ample room to get them in and out of there too.
So, does anybody want to slide me $500 so I can get a set of QUALITY tires for this thing? I've already found what I want. I'll check with my sources at work once more tomorrow. If they can't make it happen, I'll give Tire Rack a buzz.
It'll be NICE to have tires that don't wobble around and shake the car but I'll hate punching the numbers to pay for it.
Joined: Thu May 01 2008, 11:15AM
Location: Chicago,IL
Posts: 2868
For $500 you can't get the fancy wheels on the car? Or will the tires that worked on the hot rod make the Imp look like a clown car? Even without the fancy brakes, I'd spend money on the final tires rather than a $500 middle step.
Joined: Sun Jul 18 2010, 11:11PM
Location: DFW
Posts: 811
I will have to finish the hot rod and sell it before I'll be able to do the brake upgrade to the Imp. Once I've got the brake package worked out, I'll be able to order wheels and tires. That could be later this year. It might be next year. There's a chance it will take longer than that. I bit the bullet and ordered the 255/70-15s today. I'm not real happy about dropping $500 on tires but I absolutely hate the idea of driving any farther than necessary on worn out all terrains of questionable origin. The horrible tire vibrations above 60 mph need to go away as well. If I upgrade sooner than later, I'll put the tires on Craigslist and get a few bucks back or leave them on the steelies for rollers should I need them.
Joined: Wed Aug 11 2010, 10:15AM
Location: E WA
Posts: 1230
furious70 wrote ... Oh, I was confused, I was thinking the wheels off the hotrod were going to work on the Imp.
Different bolt pattern.
I wish Imperials used the same bolt pattern as C-bodies.
I have three full size Mopars (64 Imperial, 67 Polara, 69 Imperial) all with 15" wheels each with a different bolt pattern. I woud love to be able to swap the wheels around at will. No such luck.
