Maybe I'm really late to the game on this since I did not know about them, but I wanted to share my experience on how I got to discovering that there is a 15 inch Road Wheel for any of you purists out there. I just remember Road Wheels on most of my cars and Rallye wheels are fine as well. I'm also kind of a nut about seeing the red drum through the Road Wheel and/or Rallye Wheel, so when I redid my brake system, I decided to stay with drums because I wanted to go with 14 inch Road wheels and Kelsey FR70-14s. I found NOS 11x3 drums for front and 11x2.5 for rear. Lines, master cylinder, and everything else was done. So it actually does a decent job at stopping the car. But you do need to plan out your stops like in the old days.
So when I got my current car, it had air shocks and 275 60-15s in the back and 225 70-15s in the front. The tires were over 15 years old and hard and the car drove like the tires were metal. So I decided to look at the build sheet and saw that it came with 14x5.5 Road Wheels. Two different decoding websites said different things. One said that it had Rallye wheels and another said Road Wheels. Very recently (like two weeks ago) I found out that it was Road Wheels -- so Road Wheels it is. At first I thought it was Road Wheels, then Rallye, then confirmed Road Wheels. Ok, Road Wheels, done.
After Bilsteins shocks all around and finding 14 in Road Wheels and Kelsey Tires, I used this for about 100 miles. It was fine, but did not handle quite as well as my 68 Road Runner that I had a about 5 years ago. The Previous Owner of the 68 put on 15x7 Chrome Magnums with 235 70-15 Redlines. I loved the way that this car drove even though the tires were a little tall, it just drove perfectly to me and mentally it just reminded me of my old GTX that had 14 inch Road Wheels. I have no idea of the tire size on my old GTX, but I'll include a pic below for reference.
So I then found a bargain basement 73 Road Runner and bought it from a neighbor and decided to get 15x7 Rallye Wheels for it. Many of you here helped me look at the car until I got it. Well, I found OEM15x7 Rallyes for it but massive life changes happened about 9 months ago and I needed to sell the car. So I put the black steelies that came with it on it and sold it.
So then I decided to try to the 15x7 Rallyes on my 70 Road Runner since I'd thought that they might have been correct. I got 235 70-15 BGFs since I did not want to break the bank on another repro tire like the Kelsey FR70-14s and I liked the 235 70-15s from my 68. Once I put them on the car, my 70 felt like the 68 and drove and handled better, not too much, but really felt more sure footed on the road and braked a little better I suppose due to the additional surface area.
So, I decided to sell my 14 Road Wheels and use the Rallyes. They went to a collector and he was very excited to get them with the Kelseys so everyone is happy!
But then I stumbled on the 15 Wheel Vintique Road Wheels! Huh? So I again looked at my build sheet and two sources said Road Wheels. Ok, fine -- Road Wheels. I think next time I ask here but I'm now sure that it came with Road Wheels. When I originally researched I might have blown through everything since I was so excited about the car. However, I'd sold my Kelseys and OEM Road Wheels!
So, I ordered 4 Wheel Vintiques from Summit and got 15 x 2 3/4 Brushed Rings from Classic. I know that none of this is OEM and are not exact as the 14, but at this point, I figured I'd give it a shot and return the Road Wheels and use the Rallyes if I was not happy. I also did not step up and buy 15 Polyglas Repros or anything like that, I just had the 235 70-15 BFGs transferred from the Rallye's to the new Road Wheels.
The result? Very happy and I recently sold the Rallye wheels to a really nice E Body guy. I think I'm done, but I wanted to share because my car is not a garage queen. I love driving this thing and I while I know I'll always regret selling the Kelseys for shows, but I feel very comfortable driving with modern cars.
Just wanted to share in case anyone really wants the Road Wheel look (not all Chrome Magnums since it's a 70) but wants newer affordable tires and keep the OEM look. I know I could have gone with 17s, etc, but I just love seeing the red peeking through and the Road Wheel look. YMMV...
Here it is in it's current state:
So when I got my current car, it had air shocks and 275 60-15s in the back and 225 70-15s in the front. The tires were over 15 years old and hard and the car drove like the tires were metal. So I decided to look at the build sheet and saw that it came with 14x5.5 Road Wheels. Two different decoding websites said different things. One said that it had Rallye wheels and another said Road Wheels. Very recently (like two weeks ago) I found out that it was Road Wheels -- so Road Wheels it is. At first I thought it was Road Wheels, then Rallye, then confirmed Road Wheels. Ok, Road Wheels, done.
After Bilsteins shocks all around and finding 14 in Road Wheels and Kelsey Tires, I used this for about 100 miles. It was fine, but did not handle quite as well as my 68 Road Runner that I had a about 5 years ago. The Previous Owner of the 68 put on 15x7 Chrome Magnums with 235 70-15 Redlines. I loved the way that this car drove even though the tires were a little tall, it just drove perfectly to me and mentally it just reminded me of my old GTX that had 14 inch Road Wheels. I have no idea of the tire size on my old GTX, but I'll include a pic below for reference.
So I then found a bargain basement 73 Road Runner and bought it from a neighbor and decided to get 15x7 Rallye Wheels for it. Many of you here helped me look at the car until I got it. Well, I found OEM15x7 Rallyes for it but massive life changes happened about 9 months ago and I needed to sell the car. So I put the black steelies that came with it on it and sold it.
So then I decided to try to the 15x7 Rallyes on my 70 Road Runner since I'd thought that they might have been correct. I got 235 70-15 BGFs since I did not want to break the bank on another repro tire like the Kelsey FR70-14s and I liked the 235 70-15s from my 68. Once I put them on the car, my 70 felt like the 68 and drove and handled better, not too much, but really felt more sure footed on the road and braked a little better I suppose due to the additional surface area.
So, I decided to sell my 14 Road Wheels and use the Rallyes. They went to a collector and he was very excited to get them with the Kelseys so everyone is happy!
But then I stumbled on the 15 Wheel Vintique Road Wheels! Huh? So I again looked at my build sheet and two sources said Road Wheels. Ok, fine -- Road Wheels. I think next time I ask here but I'm now sure that it came with Road Wheels. When I originally researched I might have blown through everything since I was so excited about the car. However, I'd sold my Kelseys and OEM Road Wheels!
So, I ordered 4 Wheel Vintiques from Summit and got 15 x 2 3/4 Brushed Rings from Classic. I know that none of this is OEM and are not exact as the 14, but at this point, I figured I'd give it a shot and return the Road Wheels and use the Rallyes if I was not happy. I also did not step up and buy 15 Polyglas Repros or anything like that, I just had the 235 70-15 BFGs transferred from the Rallye's to the new Road Wheels.
The result? Very happy and I recently sold the Rallye wheels to a really nice E Body guy. I think I'm done, but I wanted to share because my car is not a garage queen. I love driving this thing and I while I know I'll always regret selling the Kelseys for shows, but I feel very comfortable driving with modern cars.
Just wanted to share in case anyone really wants the Road Wheel look (not all Chrome Magnums since it's a 70) but wants newer affordable tires and keep the OEM look. I know I could have gone with 17s, etc, but I just love seeing the red peeking through and the Road Wheel look. YMMV...
Here it is in it's current state:
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