Yet another tire/wheel question....

[rusty65]

My '65 Daytona is currently running modern (TW vendor)6" wheels.What are the biggest (tall/ wide)and smallest (short/ narrow)tires I can run on the car using these wheels? I'd like to get as much beef under the rear fenders as is possible with the stock suspension.Also,I have a set of nearly new P185/65R15s that I'd like to run up front if possible.Your thoughts? Also, I noticed when the first set of tires were mounted on these wheels,the stock lug nuts looked a little small.Advertiser states use original lug nuts;I haven't had any issues with these on several long trips, but IMO they look kind of anemic.Thanks in advance for your replies,and I always enjoy the Forum.

[ROADRACELARK]

If the lug nuts look too small, they probably are. Go to your FLAPS and buy the "Ford" style lug nuts (10 to the box). They use a 13/16" socket instead of the 3/4" that the Stude uses. These will fill up the taper in the wheel stud holes. Don't forget to check your lug wrench for the correct size end. The original Stude wrench will not fit. Get a 4-way, then you'll be sure. Hope this helps.

Dan Miller
Atlanta, GA

[img=left]http://static.flickr.com/57/228744729_7aff5f0118_m.jpg[/img=left]
Road Racers turn left AND right.

[bailsout]

What are you running on the rear? And you're using the full hubcaps?
I don't know '65 Studes, did they offer dogdish caps?

[rusty65]

I am currently running P205/75R15s all the way around.Dog dishes were available in'65, however mine came with full size 'wheel discs'.Have a near perfect set of dog dishes in my stash, but I can't use them on this particular wheel.The 2 rear tires have the Maypops thing going on; this coupled with the fact that Mrs. Claus is getting me an impact wrench for Xmas, makes me want to take care of this issue.My stock Studebaker lug wrench stays in the trunk where it belongs.

[bailsout]

Rusty, thanks for the reply. I just put an old set of 205's on the daytona and will test drive it later today. They'll be riding on the original rims and I know it's not as safe as it should be, but I just want to get an idea of the general feel of the car's suspension integrity. I noticed a broken torsion bar link on the driver's side and the last time I drove the car to see if it would even run after 4 years of sitting the mismatched tires made the car feel scary. Let's see how it does on these newer matched tires.

[rusty65]

You should be okay running the 205s on original rims;I did it for at least six years (!!) without incident.That broken torsion bar link dosen't sound too kosher though.I WOULD NOT take it out on the highway;if you want to do a shakedown (pun intended)cruise, just take it around the neighborhood.This will #1 keep the towing bill at a minimum, and #2 will minimize property damage and loss of life (not trying to sound like Johnny Hardtail or anything).Anyway, in the words of my 9th grade Social Studies teacher,I still don't have an answer to my first question!!?

[StudeRich]

Rusty, maybe the reason you do not have an answer yet, is that not everyone has a set of those repro Ford wheels to check the backset to see just how much tire they will take, and a '62-'66 Lark Type! It does not make it any easier now that they are no longer available either!

You should be able to run P215X75R15's with no problem and probably the 225X75R15's also and P215X70R15 as well, on the rear only, trying them for fender clearance is always the proof of course.


StudeRich at Studebakers Northwest -Ferndale,WA

[rusty65]

Pardon me for sounding impatient Rich,I just thought one of the Tire Gods would have chimed in by now.In the interim, I'll check out some other tire/wheel related sites to see what I can come up with.Being a Chevybaker owner,I'm used to being at the end of the line, and being sent to my room with no dessert.

[Dick Steinkamp]

quote:Originally posted by rusty65

Pardon me for sounding impatient Rich,I just thought one of the Tire Gods would have chimed in by now.In the interim, I'll check out some other tire/wheel related sites to see what I can come up with.Being a Chevybaker owner,I'm used to being at the end of the line, and being sent to my room with no dessert.

You might do a search on this site also. The quantity of threads about wheel/tire sizes are second only to threads about oil.

Dick Steinkamp
Bellingham, WA

[WCP]

If the wheels you are talking about are the 15x6" wheels made in Venezuela and sold by a vendor in Texas, then the backspace is 4" and they do use the smaller lug nuts. I'm running them on my Avanti. BTW the center hole is slightly larger than the stock Stude wheels, as opposed to Ford's which is slightly smaller. 215-70R15's are fine on the Avanti. On a previous Avanti, I used 205-75R15's on 6.5" Chrysler rims that worked well. I can't recall the offset, but I have it noted somewhere if you are interested. I tend to measure everything I buy and record it for future reference. My current Avanti had 225-70R15's mounted on Ford rims when I bought it. The tires had little wear but were ancient and the rims wouldn't fit the centering boss of the Fairborn axles due to the smaller hole size. Easier to buy new wheels and tires.

[rusty65]

Yes, WCP, these are the wheels in question here.Actually, I had to peel off the "Hacho en Mexico" stickers before I took them to the tire shop.As per the suggestion of D.S.,I did a search here and found that at least one member ran 235/70/15s on the rear.I still don't know if I could use the 185/65/15s on the front, but after further review, I may opt to put them in my shed and save them for another car.