best size tire?

[dallastx75208]

Have a 62 Hawk. Looking at some rims that are 15 X 7. What size tire is going to work best for this rim on a Hawk?

[dallastx75208]

off set

I forgot to ask, what type of offset will I need to have?

[N8N]

I forgot to ask, what type of offset will I need to have?

probably abouty 3/4" offset and what is the "best" tire will really depend on what your goals are. If you're not looking to go crazy I would think that a 215/70 or thereabouts should work well, but you can fit 245/60 or even larger with a thin spacer on the front

nate

[HammondA100]

I'm almost to the tire buying stage.

I myself will be looking for good performance tire over looks or cost (which will make up for cost in the MPG department). I am using AMC Eagle wheels which are practically identical to the stock rims but weigh less and accept the wheel covers. For the tire once you select the size you want some vendors have a good database to select by weight.
I hope I can find something such as the Toys T1S I used to use in several cars. These are not cheap but the soft rubber is forgiving to the frame fatigue issue, allows for controlled drift and excellent in rain. A competing tire by Bridgestone which was less cost and advertised as a great rally tire (S-Curves in Arkansas for instance) grabbed terribly, was hard causing some back problems and whiplash..
You really get what you pay for in tires but unfortunately it takes a LOT of research!

P.S. On a 60 Corvair sedan - a car with terrible handling and dangerous over steer, I drove for two years with 2-1/2" white wall bias ply tires from Wallace Wade in Dallas. I actually got used to them mainly cruising from Dallas to Tucson or Omaha at the time but in city traffic especially on big mix-masters they were sort of scary!!

[Mr Mike]

I use 215/75 on my '62 Hawk with Ford Crown Vic wheels which are 6-1/2" wide. I chose this size because it is the closest to the original tire diameter which keeps my speedo close. The lower profile tires (60's & 70's) have a considerably smaller diameter.

[53k]

I use 215/75 on my '62 Hawk with Ford Crown Vic wheels which are 6-1/2" wide. I chose this size because it is the closest to the original tire diameter which keeps my speedo close. The lower profile tires (60's & 70's) have a considerably smaller diameter.

You are a wise man indeed. I have been preaching 215x75x15s for a long time for the reasons you state. This illustrates our point- from the left, first tire is an original 6.70x15 bias-ply tire. Next is a P215x75x15 radial, third from the left is a P205x75x15 radial and last, on the right, is a P195x75x15 radial.

[N8N]

are there any actual decent tires still available new in 215/75 though? I had a look around a while back and they all seemed to be aimed at the grocery-getter market.

nate

[Gunslinger]

There are a few decent tires available in 215/75R15. It seems most are SUV/light truck tires but Cooper and Michelin make car tires in that size. Pep Boys does as well in their Futura line which I believe is made for them by Cooper.

[StudeRich]

Another needed Part becomes NLA

Here is all the info you will ever need about Studebaker Lark and Lark type tires, you can also use the same info to move up to the Hawk size 215X75R15 to replace the 6.70X15 instead of the P205X75R15 to replace the 6.40X15 bias ply originals used on Larks.

You do need to get the Firestones and Coopers quickly, while they last though, because all correct narrow whitewalls AND all 75 Series Touring type non-off-road tires are being phased out soon!

See my post from 8/2/2010, the third one down.

http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.c...ht=trendsetter