[Arocket]

Good afternoon, I am sure that this question has been addressed more than a few times on here but I will ask again:

What is the largest(Widest) tire that I can get on my factory Rally II 7" wheels that will fit in the rear wheel openings of my 69 without having to lift the rear end to gain clearance.

I seem to remember that I had a set of F-70 x 14's (Firestone "Parnelli Jones") on my 69 and they filled the rear wells nicely with no rubbing issues. If my tire size was right could you get something larger that would still fit or would you need to alter the fender lip? (Would rather not do this!(

I have a set of 14 x 7 Rally II's that I would like to use however I want to avoid that "little tire" on a "little wheel" look.

I appreciate your response in advance!

[JLMounce]

In wheel fitments under 17" in diameter and stock wheel houses, shock location and ride height, you are limited on the outboard side by the fender lip and on the inboard side by the lower shock mount.

Assuming the rear of the car is pretty square and you have even space left and right, a 255/60/15 can typically be fit in a 1969, as long as the wheel has proper backspacing. If the rear axle is Pontiac, it's typically a half inch hub to hub wider than the chevy counterpart and why the pontiac wheels typically carry an additional .25" of backspace. 14" wheels start to become an issue because the tire starts carrying it's width in the sidewall and you actually lose space between the lower shock mount and the sidewall compared to a 15" wheel which will typically have it's rim at the same height as the shock mount.

The F70x14 is about a 195/70/14, but not quite The width is about right, but the height is not. If you are planning on running your 14x7 wheels and they have the correct backspace for a first gen firebird, you should be able to run a 225/70/14 in the rear. This gets you a bit added width to the tire and a nominal 26" tall tire so your speedometer is accurate with an F70x14 tire.

to gain practical width beyond this in those smaller wheel sizes will require either a shock relocation, raising of the rear end and or trimming of the fender lip.

Once you get in 17" wheel fitments, you gain a LOT of room because the shock mount can now slide into the barrel of the wheel. A 285 section width tire is possible on a 10" wide wheel when the backspacing is nailed and the fender lip is aggressively trimmed.

[Arocket]

Thank you for your comments I appreciate it!

[69FIREBIRD76MM]

Go 255-60-15's.