[Sebro1231]

69 gto convertible, new oem springs and components, 2" dropped spindles, 15x7 rally 2's
245/60/15 tires scrubed front lower corner of passenger side front fender when partial turn to left. Thought 235/60/15 might be the answer because of the "slight touch" to the wheel well trim. NOT going to 225's.
The front passenger tire does sit forward in comparison to drivers side. Car has been aligned . When I askes the alignment shop guy .... can the tire be "set back" a small amount to avoid this scrub with the tires I have. Comments were yes but car will not track correctly or pull. I " think I know that playing with the caster may help but also saw http://www.anewtoronto.com/wheel%20alignment.htmlhere that "setback" is another adjustment that might help without rolling fenders or swapping to a more narrow or shorter tire.

I am also considering 1 inch drop springs in addition to the spindles and this "might drop the fender corner down ... just enough to clear the partial left turn.

All comments welcomed!

[TheGrudge]

245/60/15 is a very tall front tyre (tire!) , almost 2" taller than stock. It is doable, I have fitted 205/70/15 to my 70 GTO at stock height which is only 3/8" shorter than your 245/60.
Caster adjustment can help you but you will need to adjust both sides to suit.
Generally it is advisable to run more caster on the passenger side to compensate for public roads that typically camber away from the center to aid with drainage etc. That being the case you would need to reduce caster on the driver's side as well to keep the car pulling straight. Reduced caster does mean reduced straight line stability though so it's a fine line. You can compensate for the reduced caster without touching the driver's side by giving the passenger's front about 45' of extra negative camber relative to the driver's side to counteract pull but that may increase tyre wear on the inner edge. This, in turn can be compensated for by increasing toe in but as you are probably gathering there will be a compromise somewhere. Worth it for the sake of a couple of tyres? Your call.
My recommendation would be to fit 215/65/15s to the front and keep the other pair of 245s for the rear (you're gonna need 'em anyway) and set up the alignment so that the car drives right, not compromise the way the car drives for the sake of a pair of tyres. The 235/60s you suggested would work too (1/2" shorter than the 245s).
Hope this makes sense and/or helps,
JJ

[Sebro1231]

JJ thanks for your comments. Sounds like you know the scoop. Anyone else welcomed to "chime" in.
Steve

[TheGrudge]

No sweat, Steve, I'd be happy to check out the numbers if you have a printout of your last alignment if that helps. Please don't think I'm an Internet know all, I do this for a living and often set up cars that leave others scratching their heads. I also dislike when people on boards like this condescend and try to dismiss ideas as without trying to nut out a solution. I think the 245s are doable but it's rolling diameter and not width that's the issue. My '70 had 265/50/15 fr and 275/50/15 in the 80s before pro touring or whatever was invented...
Knowing what the spindles have done to the angles in the front would be handy as would the offset/backspacing of the wheels. Does the car have power steer (guessing yes)?
Another thing is that there is a difference in setting a car up for radial tyres as opposed to the factory settings that were spec'd out for bias ply/fabric/fiberglass tyres.
One last thing - intended use.
Sorry to ramble, please let me know if I can further assist. JJ

[Sebro1231]

Car is a/c, auto, convertible. I bought it in 98 as a father daughter project when she was 12 (never happened). Now she is almost thru graduate school and I have busted it the last 3 years for her graduation present (she has worked very hard). It is now a very nice car that was once toast!

She will only drive it occasionaly..... when she wants to be seen. :-)

As of today ... I put a set of 235/60/15 on the front and same issue. Touches inside front corner of passenger fender when turning car into a 10:00 turn. Is slight though.
Tires are BFG TA's all mounted on 15x7 Rally II's (even the rear 275/60/15's).

I personally liket the look of the 245/60/15s if I can get them there, safely of course.

Yesterday went to Summit and picked up a set of front 1" drop springs. I think I'd like the front lower than the 2" drop spindles are working presently. I't might be possible that the added drop of the tire into the well prevents the 235/s from touching due front fender corner being lower on tire... dunno!!!

Also, drivers side of the car is about 1/2 lower than passenger side. I ordered a 1 1/2 inch rear spring spacer for drivers side rear, and 1 inch spacer for the passenger side from Global West to give a 1 inch "jack" to rear and even her up a bit. Yea... I know, I am an ol' fart re-living the days. That said I don't know if that will "skew" anything up front.

Lastly ... when I get it all together, I am gonna get it re-aligned at a real alignment shop theres on in a nearby town that's been around over 50 years the owner (about 75 and still works there some days) vs. the Quick and Easy Lube. Then I'll get the stats to run by you and update the clearance issue.

Thanks for your help,
Steve

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by TheGrudge

245/60/15 is a very tall front tyre (tire!) , almost 2" taller than stock.

The original "stock" tire on a '69 GTO was a G7814 - which was 27.1" tall.

A 245/60/15 is actually SHORTER than stock by .5". It is much WIDER than the stock though.

To the original poster - I'm surprised that you're having fitment issues with 235/60/15's. I run those on my '64 GTO with stock factory 15x7" rims with 4.25" BS - and from what I understand the '69 has even more room in the front wheelwells than my '64.

My front end is stock height however.

[pont3]

Yeah, I run 235-60-15 on 15x8 inch wheels at all four corners on both my '71 and '72 with no issues. And my cars are as close to stock ride height as I can get with aftermarket supposedly "stock" replacement springs.

I think you should investigate what is causing the side to side height difference. Once that is sorted, THEN have the car aligned. If you change anything about the ride height AFTER the alignment, the alignment becomes compromised.

I remember reading somewhere that a 1/4 inch difference side to side was the max acceptable.

[TheGrudge]

[QUOTE=The Champ;4857881]The original "stock" tire on a '69 GTO was a G7814 - which was 27.1" tall.

A 245/60/15 is actually SHORTER than stock by .5".

1000% correct - terrible calculation on my part, must have been drunk (!) 2" wider maybe.
Fact remains that I've had front tyres almost identical in radius on my car without problems.
Best tyre combo ever for '70 in my opinion is 205/70/15 & 275/60/15 for what it's worth.