[NotaT/A]

I have done many searches on many forums and I still don't have a conclusive answer. I have a 68 coupe that I need to put new tires on and I'm trying to pick a front tire to match the rear.

I will be using 15X7 Rallye II wheels at all four corners. I plan to use a 245/60R15 on the rear to help with the 3.90 gearing. The BFG chart shows the 245 to be 26.6 inches tall.

I would like an approximately 26 inch tall front tire. The same BFG chart shows the 235/60R15 at 26.1 inches and the 215/65R15 at 26 inches.

So, that's the question: 235/60 or 215/65? Any pictures of either combo would be appreciated.

For reference, the stock F70-14 was about 26.2 inches tall. As the car sits now it has 215/70 and 225/70 R14 tires front/rear now. They are about 25.9 inches tall in the front and 26.5 inches tall in the rear.

[b-man]

Here's a '69 that belongs to my brother, it has factory 15X7 Rally IIs all around with 235/60-15s.

The '69 has a more restrictive wheel opening compared to a '68 so you will have no problems going to the 235/60s.

[NotaT/A]

Thanks b-man, that picture in a previous post is what has me considering the 235s for the front.

I'm still on the fence from a looks perspective though. I usually like to fit the widest tire I can get on all four corners, but with this car, I'm thinking that I might like the big and little look.

You helped me to really define my question. From a purely aesthetic point of view, would you choose 215/65 front with 245/60 rear or 235/60 front with 245/60 rear?

[b-man]

We used to run the 235/60 and 245/60 combo on this car and it looked great, but the 245s did come a little close to the wheel lips. Might be because we're running a slightly wider (1" overall) 2nd-gen 3.42 posi rear in the car with the spring perches moved inboard to make it fit. When we bought tires the next time we decided to use the same size all around, this allows us to rotate the tires too.

You won't have that rear clearance problem with your '68, I wouldn't hesitate to go 255/60 in the rear.

[NotaT/A]

You're killing me. I thought I had everything nailed down except the front width, Now you have me thinking.

The 255/60 would help to tame the rear gear ratio on the street, but I would probably want to go to a 8" wide 4.5" backspace rear. But maybe not, the 255 suggested wheel width is 7"-9", measured section width of 10.2 " on a 7.5" wide wheel.

What to do, what to do?

[b-man]

To take the best advantage of tire height to help out your rear gearing definitely go for the taller 255s, they're a good fit on a 7" wheel. Even better on an 8" wheel, but still fine on a 7" wheel.

I ran 275/60s on a 7" wheel and they were fine too, but they don't look at home as much on a 7" wheel as a 255 would.

Recommended rim width depends a little on which manufacturer's specs you look at, one of them recommended a 7.5" wheel for a 275/60 and the rest said 8" minimum. Didn't hurt one bit to use the 7" wheels with the 275s, the sky didn't fall and the car didn't try to find a ditch the first time I drove it.

[NotaT/A]

Yes, I recall a discussion about 275s on a 7"wide wheel. I have a truck with that combo from the factory.

There is never a simple answer. In the grand scheme of things, BFGs don't cost that much or last that long, so it's probably not that big of a deal anyway.

Thanks for the advice.

[68blackbird]

On a classic wheel I would go 215 up front and as wide as you can in the back. 255 is probably right on a 7" wheel. If your looking for something wider and go to 8" with 275's.

Rich

[rohrt]

I have wheel vintiques 15x8 all the way around on my car. All lowered with Hotchkis springs.

I used 235/60/15 FireHawk Indy 500 tires (no longer made). The tires are 25.5 tall. I get a slight rub on the front when turning on one side and paper thin clearance on the other.

Plenty clearance on the back. I wanted all 4 tires the same so 235 is as wide as I can go.

[Jc68fbody]

17 inch rally ii's 17x8 255 45 17 and 17x9 275 40 17

[chris malish]

after lots of trial and error, here's my opinion:

I would run 225 60 15s on front and 255 60 15s on back. This will give it a little rake.

I have a 68 hardtop. No pictures though.

[tjdjr]

I run 255/60/15 on the rears, but can't remember what I put on the fronts. I was looking at the garage pic and noticed the cardboard under the car, I parked where I normally put my tractor (1952 ferguson 30)! The rims are 15 x 7's from specialty wheel in Oregon.