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Old 08-12-2021, 12:19 AM
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Default Front tires rub

I have a 65 gto with 15 x 6 cragars in front with disc brakes 215 70 15 tires,when I turn the wheel the tires rub against the back of the fender,I have the same combo on my 67 with no problems,what should I check for?

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Old 08-12-2021, 10:14 AM
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64 /65 can not run a tall front tire , bottom of fender rolls in & will make contact.

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Old 08-12-2021, 08:03 PM
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What tire height is good for for 64 or 65?

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Old 08-12-2021, 08:40 PM
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The original 14" tires on a '64-'65 GTO were about 27" tall, but the tires were skinny.

I'm wondering about the backspacing on your 15x6" Cragars (typically 3.25"). If there isn't enough backspace, that could be a reason. Also, you have disc brakes on this car which typically pushes the wheels out about .25", so that could also be a factor.

I have run 235/60/15's and 215/55/17's on my '64 GTO with front discs. Tire height is 26.1 and 26.3 respectively, but my car is lowered. Your 215/75/15's are 26.85 - very close to the original tire height, but much wider than the OE tire. BS on my 15x7's was 4.25 and on my 17x7's is 4.625. To put the tire in the same spot with 15x6's would require at least 3.75" BS to match my 15'x7's.

It could be that your front springs aren't giving you the original clearance which may also be part or all of your problem.

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Old 08-12-2021, 09:05 PM
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After you get the right offset rim and proper sized tires, check you caster and other alignment settings too....

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Old 08-12-2021, 11:06 PM
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Do you have aftermarket control arms (uppers specifically)? Many have additional caster built in, or the ability to dial in more caster. Positive caster will push the wheel aft in the wheel house. In such situations you may also need a lower control arm that re-center's the ball joint to get the wheel back in it's oem position with higher level's of caster.

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Old 08-12-2021, 11:10 PM
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Had cheap tubular arms but I replaced them with reproduction stock replacements,what kind of control arm will re - center the ball joints?

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Old 08-13-2021, 04:01 AM
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I wanted more pos caster on my 66 GTO, so bought adjustable upper control arms. More than 3*, & the the tyre hits the rear opening in the fender on turns.

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Old 08-13-2021, 08:54 AM
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I don’t think you have enough backspace on those Cragars. I have run both stock 15x7 GM steel rims (about 4 1/4 backspace) and Rally 2 rims(4 3/8 backspace) with 215/65/15 tires and I have no problems. You might be able to get away with your tire size if more backspace pulls the tires in a little more

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Old 08-13-2021, 11:58 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RA6T7GTO View Post
Had cheap tubular arms but I replaced them with reproduction stock replacements,what kind of control arm will re - center the ball joints?
If you've got stock uppers, too much caster isn't your issue. I'd be looking at what others are saying in regard to the backspacing of the wheel/tire package.

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Old 08-13-2021, 12:14 PM
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Probably cheaper to buy shorter tires than it is to get new rims/start replacing suspension components. My car had 215/70/15s on it (Rally IIs and front discs) when I bought it, and it rubbed. I went to the steel wheels with dog dishes (6") with 205/60/15 (as part of my restoration) and that's not a problem anymore.

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Old 08-13-2021, 12:59 PM
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How fresh are the bushings body mounts etc?

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Old 08-13-2021, 09:51 PM
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Quote:
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How fresh are the bushings body mounts etc?
Every is new,I did a frame off few years ago,

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Old 08-14-2021, 08:02 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris65LeMans View Post
Probably cheaper to buy shorter tires than it is to get new rims/start replacing suspension components. My car had 215/70/15s on it (Rally IIs and front discs) when I bought it, and it rubbed. I went to the steel wheels with dog dishes (6") with 205/60/15 (as part of my restoration) and that's not a problem anymore.
That was a gross overreaction to the problem, and you changed rims anyway.

Dropping the tire diameter by 2" and tire width by .4" to solve a tire rub is a major move. You could probably accomplished your goal by just going down to a 205/70/15 - .5" shorter and .4" narrower would have most likely given you plenty of clearance.

FWIW - Those 205/60/15's were designed for a much smaller, mid 80's/early 90's 4 cylinder Grand Am or Pontiac Fiero - all years.

Personally, I feel getting the right rim for a vehicle you plan to keep is the better answer in the long run.

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Old 08-15-2021, 04:56 PM
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You should look into moving the lower control arm forward. I know SPC tubular lowers with the press in .5 tall ball joint move the spindle forward while adding positive caster..

The wheel width should be the same as the tread width or slightly smaller. This will give you a better fit..


Last edited by 389; 08-15-2021 at 05:01 PM.
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Old 08-15-2021, 05:14 PM
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I will look into that,I also have power steering and car is hard to steer almost like its a manual,I changed 3 or 4 steering boxes and tried afew different pumps,when turning the steering wheel does not return back,been to 3 alignment shops with no luck yet

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Old 08-15-2021, 05:24 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RA6T7GTO View Post
I will look into that,I also have power steering and car is hard to steer almost like its a manual,I changed 3 or 4 steering boxes and tried afew different pumps,when turning the steering wheel does not return back, been to 3 alignment shops with no luck yet
Try the Lee 800 series box. They take a brand new box and completely take it all apart and blue print it..

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Old 08-15-2021, 05:27 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RA6T7GTO View Post
I will look into that,I also have power steering and car is hard to steer almost like its a manual,I changed 3 or 4 steering boxes and tried afew different pumps,when turning the steering wheel does not return back, been to 3 alignment shops with no luck yet
Try the Lee 800 series box. They take a brand new box and completely- take it all blue print it.. I used to think you needed all kinds of positive caster to get the wheel to bounce back. Now I know it was due to over

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Old 08-16-2021, 12:28 PM
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Quote:
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That was a gross overreaction to the problem, and you changed rims anyway.

.
Are you really suggesting that he buy new rims and springs while calling my "get shorter tires" tip an "overreaction?"

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Old 08-17-2021, 05:47 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris65LeMans View Post
Are you really suggesting that he buy new rims and springs while calling my "get shorter tires" tip an "overreaction?"
I pointed out that you purchased new rims anyway, not that he should.

The gross overreaction was dropping front tire diameter by over 2" and tire width by .4" to solve a rubbing problem. Dropping tire size by only 1 size (205/70/15) would have solved your problem.

The OP never gave us enough information to really help determine his problem. In my original response to I speculated that his 15x6 Cragar's may indeed be his problem due to improper BS. Typically, the 15x6 Cragar only has 3.25" BS, which will always limit his tire options, especially when disc brakes have been added to a car that did not come with them.

If his 15x6 Cragar's have proper BS, then it's possible springs or some other front end part is the culprit.

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