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What type and size wheel to use with radial tires

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  • Wheels / Tires: What type and size wheel to use with radial tires

    I have read that using radial tires on original Avanti/Studebaker rims will cause the rims to crack. What is the best wheel to use with radial tires that will fit the Avanti.

  • #2
    Hundreds of posts here on this very subject. Personally I've used rear wheel drive Chrysler wheels found in the 80's LeBarron or the Dodge & Plymouth relatives. Ranger wheels are another that can be used. A good thing is that the bolt pattern used was also used by AMC, Ford, & Chrysler. The lug nuts though must be changed due to the different setting angle in the Studebaker wheel. If your using a full wheel cover there isn't a problem but the Studebaker "hub caps" (dog dish, poverty caps ect) will not go onto the other wheels.

    One last thing......Welcome to the forum!!!
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    • #3
      speak with Dave Thibeault, I have order new powder coated rims for my 64 Avanti R2, my 63 GT Hawk and previous Avanti II 1973

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      • #4
        I like the 6" wide wheels, with 3.75" of backspace. With 205/75 tires, they look and perform very well. I got the last two sets from Summit. If you do a search of the archives here, you can probably find the part number.

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        • #5
          Forget FoMoCo wheels...read on and I will explain. When the Studebaker wheels on my Avanti finally gave up the ghost I had to quickly find replacement wheels. At the time I purchased new FoMoCo wheels from National Wheel and Rim. Before I had the old wheels removed from the tires I placed one new wheel on the car and immediately saw something I new would not IMHO be safe....one could plainly see that the wheel was held on only by the lug nuts....the center of the rim was larger than the Avanti hub, which is also a support and safely feature of a properly fitted wheel. I did not mount the tires on the wheels.......I had the shop send the wheels back.....I then ordered new MoPar 6inch rims that were standard on Cordoba's.....when the wheels came in I returned to the shop and again just put one new wheel on the rear drum....immediately I saw that the center of the wheel hugged the Avanti hub on the drum tightly, giving added support strength and safety to the wheel. I proceeded to mount the tires on the MoPar wheels, and have never had a problem in the 25 years the wheels have been on the car. Only downside for you might be those wheels , so I am told are very difficult to obtain new.
          Originally posted by Floyd J View Post
          I have read that using radial tires on original Avanti/Studebaker rims will cause the rims to crack. What is the best wheel to use with radial tires that will fit the Avanti.

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          • #6
            Pete Boaz, prez of the Hudson Club bought a new '62 GT Hawk from Rancho Motors Studebaker in North Hollywood CA

            Fred Roth, another H-E-T member bought it from him 6 years later and installed 1968 14" Fairlane/Torino wheels and Pirelli radials.

            I bought the car from Fred in 1970, installed NOS Studebaker 14" wheel covers.

            I sold the car to a relative of Chuck Naugle in 1973 and the entire time that Fred and I owned this car, putting over 50,000 miles on it, we had no trouble with the wheels.

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            • #7
              Hawklover; what you are talking about is the difference between "hubcentric" and "lugcentric". If the rear axle is tapered and splined, hubcentric is not an option, in fact it was not an option on the front any of the Stude's I've had either. The factory wheels on the two '53's, '56, '61', and '62 I've had have all been lugcentric. There is nothing wrong with a lugcentric assembly; most vehicles were lugcenteric through the 1950's, some into the 1970's. I agree, hubcentric is the better choice if it is available. To that end, I machined the hubs of my current '62 and added fixed spacers to make them hubcentric to fit Ford wheels. However, the main reason I did it was to fit Ford disk brake rotors to the Stude hubs.
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              • #8
                Ben, yes I see your point, but as I remember the original Avanti wheels in 1964 were "hubcentric", and as it is an R1, has a tapered rear axle, I will admit to being anal about safety things, and wanted the wheels to not only be supported and held on via the lug nuts, but.....wanted no "play" or potential movements, and with the wheel snug to the drum hub I feel better about the cars safety. Thank you for your thoughts:-)
                Originally posted by bensherb View Post
                Hawklover; what you are talking about is the difference between "hubcentric" and "lugcentric". If the rear axle is tapered and splined, hubcentric is not an option, in fact it was not an option on the front any of the Stude's I've had either. The factory wheels on the two '53's, '56, '61', and '62 I've had have all been lugcentric. There is nothing wrong with a lugcentric assembly; most vehicles were lugcenteric through the 1950's, some into the 1970's. I agree, hubcentric is the better choice if it is available. To that end, I machined the hubs of my current '62 and added fixed spacers to make them hubcentric to fit Ford wheels. However, the main reason I did it was to fit Ford disk brake rotors to the Stude hubs.
                [ATTACH=CONFIG]71979[/ATTACH]
                [ATTACH=CONFIG]71978[/ATTACH]
                Last edited by Hawklover; 04-25-2018, 05:29 AM.

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                • #9
                  I believe that Hawklover has a valid point if you own a "performance " model. Both mine have the Ford 6 inch wide rims that were used on the Crown Victoria with 205/75r/15 tires. You need the larger lug nuts. DON"T USE THE STUDE NUTS. I have driven the 64 about 40000 miles and the 60 about 30000 miles with this set up. The Crown Victoria was a heavier v8 car than a Stude and they have performed just fine on my cars. The Stude rims when mounted with todays radial tires will flex more than they were designed to and the wheel disc turns on the rim, stressing the schrader valve. Movement of the wheel discs is minimal with the Ford rims. By the way I sometimes tow a small RV with the 64, so my wheels "work" harder than most.
                  And welcome to the forum.
                  Bob
                  Bob
                  Welland Ontario
                  60 Lark Convertible
                  64 Daytona
                  sigpic
                  "They were meant to be driven ... so keep on cruizin"

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                  • #10
                    Greetings Bob from a lover of St. Catherine:-) My rubber schrader used to bend due to my wheel disc moving, I cured this by putting on steel valves used on trucks.
                    Originally posted by pinehurstbob View Post
                    I believe that Hawklover has a valid point if you own a "performance " model. Both mine have the Ford 6 inch wide rims that were used on the Crown Victoria with 205/75r/15 tires. You need the larger lug nuts. DON"T USE THE STUDE NUTS. I have driven the 64 about 40000 miles and the 60 about 30000 miles with this set up. The Crown Victoria was a heavier v8 car than a Stude and they have performed just fine on my cars. The Stude rims when mounted with todays radial tires will flex more than they were designed to and the wheel disc turns on the rim, stressing the schrader valve. Movement of the wheel discs is minimal with the Ford rims. By the way I sometimes tow a small RV with the 64, so my wheels "work" harder than most.
                    And welcome to the forum.
                    Bob

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Hawklover View Post
                      Greetings Bob from a lover of St. Catherine:-) My rubber schrader used to bend due to my wheel disc moving, I cured this by putting on steel valves used on trucks.
                      I stopped the wheel cover from rotating on the wheel by adding a ridge to the wheel; just like the factory Stude wheels stopped the rotation of the covers.

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                      • #12
                        Thanks for the tips, but since changing to the Ford wheels my wheel covers do not rotate
                        Bob
                        Bob
                        Welland Ontario
                        60 Lark Convertible
                        64 Daytona
                        sigpic
                        "They were meant to be driven ... so keep on cruizin"

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                        • #13
                          Does anyone have part numbers for new wheels, so everyone does not have to do the research all over again?
                          RadioRoy, specializing in AM/FM conversions with auxiliary inputs for iPod/satellite/CD player. In the old car radio business since 1985.


                          10G-C1 - 51 Champion starlight coupe
                          4H-K5 - 53 Commander starliner hardtop
                          5H-D5 - 54 Commander Conestoga wagon

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                          • #14
                            Quite an article on this subject in this issue of Turning Wheels....but I've read thru it yet....another sign I'm getting old....I started at the front of the magazine instead of from the classified section like I used to.....

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by RadioRoy View Post
                              Does anyone have part numbers for new wheels, so everyone does not have to do the research all over again?
                              What part numbers might these be?

                              You want Ford part numbers or something else?

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