I am in need of better shoes. I know the bolt pattern is 4.5 and I have to watch back space or use spacers for some, not sure which ones. Recently put on a set of 5 spoke Mustang wheels and really liked the look, very similar to my Cragar SS rims now that are rusty and 14". Any help on what to look for on sizes and types that are able to work on a 66 Fury. FYI I am married with 2 children a mortgage and limited budget so brand new is out of reach, ebay, swap meets and friends.
What size tires do you have now, and what do you want to end up with? Same size? Taller? Wider? Both?
Are you talking about the new 17" Mustang 5-spoke wheels, like came on the Bullitt Mustangs & such?
If so, there are plenty on the used market, and if you shop around for a bit, you MAY be able to find a set for $2-300. They're 17x8, with 5.7" of backspace, so you'll have to have something like a 1" spacer/adapter to make them fit properly, and that adds in to the cost. Figure on about $150 for QUALITY spacers with their own lugs pressed in. Safety matters. Also figure on lots of measuring to verify that this will work, I'm only familiar with what I'm planning on using on my 68 Fury... YMMV, etc...
Tires won't be as cheap as for some 14's, but you've got sevaral sizes to choose from that will fill the wheelwells nicely... 255/60-17 is 29" tall - 16 on Tirerack.com from $97-163/ea 255/55-17 is 28" tall - 6 on Tirerack.com from $85-455/ea 235/60-17 is 28" tall - 5 on Tirerack.com from $92-142/ea 235/55-17 is 27" tall - 29 on Tirerack.com from $65-197/ea 245/45-17 is 25.7" tall (OEM Mustang GT) - 84 on Tirerack.com from $69-291/ea
As long as your suspension is in good shape, they won't wear out overnight, and will provide probably the best bang for the buck in improved handling you can get. The "tall" sidewalls (50-55-60) will still give a good ride, too.
The OEM Mustang size is a true performance tire size, and will ride a bit harsher, but still not bad (IMHO). The good thing about them is that they are almost always the tires that are left on the Mustang wheels when the wheels are being sold, so that COULD be a bolt-on-and-go situation IF you like a slightly shorter tire. All about taste.
When I switched to 17" wheels I was pleasently surprised to find that it seemed I had more choice than I did in 15". The tires were either just slightly higher or even lower in some cases. It is much easier to find an affordable high performance tire in 17" also. Nitto 450's I am running have awesome traction, I have to try and make them break loose. The 15" BF Goodriches would break loose when the trans shifted! They look awesome and were about $115 for a 275/50-17 online! Can't beat that! I think the profile of a 17" wheel just looks more proportionate to a C Body and they do help ride and control.
No, just measure your backspace better then I did! We went with a 4.5" backspace when we should have gone 5.5". Now I am swapping in a 68 Roadrunner rear to fix the miscalculation. We measured that stupid thing a hundred times....
Scott, What wheel width did you use again? I've got 4.5" BS on my 16x8's, and you're worrying me... I'm guessing with a 275 tire you were using a 17x9?
Clair, I have 17x8's, I would have liked 9", but my wheels only came in 8" or 10", and 10" was not going to happen without moving the springs. The 275's just rubbed, 255/50-17's with a 4.5" backspace fit, but do rub on big bumps or sharp turns.
I don't know where we went wrong, there were 3 of us measuring, and using a 15x8 with 3.5" backspacing to measure off of. It had a 255/60-15 on it I believe, and it just barely rubbed on bumps. We figured the 4.5" would have centered it perfectly, but there is almost 2" between the springs and tire now.
Hmmm... I'm hoping that's just a difference between the slab sides and the Fuseys, although I would have put GOOD money on a Fusey being able to take more tire than a slab. Don't they use the same rear axle? Looks like I've got more measuring to do before I buy tires...
Joined: Mon Oct 10 2005, 10:29AM
Location: Metamora, MI 48455
Posts: 43
I have 275/60-15's on the back of my '65 and they fit with no problem. If the backspacing on my wheels was adjusted a little bit (about .5" less), then I could fit a 295 or more up in there easily. The rear wheel wells on mine at least are freakin' huge...
Joined: Thu Nov 24 2005, 07:29PM
Location: So Cal.
Posts: 1111
I had a friend with a '67 300 who had 295's on the rear, with the skirts on. My 275's fit quite well on 15X7 cop wheels on the '68. Mopar sure knew what they were doing when they designed those wheelwells!
I wonder if you could bead blast those Cragar's and then powder coat them? Probably need to chemically strip off all the chrome.
