what size front tire

[arizona satellite]

I just picked up a set of 15x 3.5" weld drags stars and want to know know what size tire will fit? I am trying to stay budget minded, I work for a tire store but rather than trying to search inventory I thought I would ask you all first. will a 215 75 15 fit or will it be too tight. thanks.

Patrick

 

[Sweet5ltr]

I use a 28x7.5-15 on a 4" wheel on the front.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/MTT-1574/

Minimum recommended size is a 3.5" wheel.

 

[rrowdy]

What size tire?

I just picked up a set of 15x 3.5" weld drags stars and want to know know what size tire will fit? I am trying to stay budget minded, I work for a tire store but rather than trying to search inventory I thought I would ask you all first. will a 215 75 15 fit or will it be too tight. thanks.

Patrick

With a wheel that narrow I'd be more concerned about saftey. I run 3.5 Drag stars on a
1700 lb altered but only in a straight line.

I had some 4 X 15 centerlines with 165's on my B body and it acted like like a boat around corners. I went to a 7X15 wheel with 215's and what a difference in handling.

So I'd put on the widest tire available for the wheel and hope you don't roll a bead around corners.

Good Luck!

 

[coloradodave]

I use a 28x7.5-15 on a 4" wheel on the front.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/MTT-1574/

Minimum recommended size is a 3.5" wheel.

Note that the tire pointed out is for a vehicle with a total weight of UNDER 3,000 lbs. I wish............

 

[arizona satellite]

thanks for the input, the car is for moderate street use and I have run the 3.5's on my 66 coronet with a big block and yes they are Ill handling beast's! and I had the moroso drag tires on that one. I was just wanting to keep the cost down on the tires. I do carry the M/T sportsman front runners but was trying to save a buck with an LT tire. the M/T offer's an LT 8 ply sidewall that is recommended for veh over 3000 lbs, maybe I'll just drop the cash and be done with it. ok on to something else, the rear tires I have a set of 28x11.5 quick time pro tires and they just kiss the fender lip, now I know I am pushing them on 8" wheels but they were free and why not give em a try. so that being said I was thinking of the mickey Thompson sportsman pro 28x10.5x15 tires I really dont want to cut the fenders on the car for clearance and the wheels fit just fine with about an inch between the the wheel and the body.thanks for putting up with my stupid questions, I am just trying to avoid the old mount it and try scenario.

 

[Sweet5ltr]

thanks for the input, the car is for moderate street use and I have run the 3.5's on my 66 coronet with a big block and yes they are Ill handling beast's! and I had the moroso drag tires on that one. I was just wanting to keep the cost down on the tires. I do carry the M/T sportsman front runners but was trying to save a buck with an LT tire. the M/T offer's an LT 8 ply sidewall that is recommended for veh over 3000 lbs, maybe I'll just drop the cash and be done with it. ok on to something else, the rear tires I have a set of 28x11.5 quick time pro tires and they just kiss the fender lip, now I know I am pushing them on 8" wheels but they were free and why not give em a try. so that being said I was thinking of the mickey Thompson sportsman pro 28x10.5x15 tires I really dont want to cut the fenders on the car for clearance and the wheels fit just fine with about an inch between the the wheel and the body.thanks for putting up with my stupid questions, I am just trying to avoid the old mount it and try scenario.

I am going to a 295/65/15 M/T ET Street (Radial) (30x12.5-15) on the rear. The 275/60/15 (28x11.5-15) fit with a large amount of clearance between the tire and the fender lip. 8" wheels as well.

The front sportsman tires have performed very well for only being rated to 3,000 pounds. (which I noticed after I purchased.) Probably cannot handle the pressure of a 3,500 pound B-Body slamming down on top of them after a "wheels up" run. Good performing tire for the street. Even with SSBC disc brakes up front, the car needs a good amount of room to stop when you have three to four people riding with you. Not enough tire tread on the road. Recommend front and rear discs for a car that runs these that is near the 4,000 pound mark. I have ran them for a few thousand miles on the street with no issues. I wouldn't get any shorter of a tire unless you want to have the 'nose dive' look.

 

[coloradodave]

I am going to a 295/65/15 M/T ET Street (Radial) (30x12.5-15) on the rear. The 275/60/15 (28x11.5-15) fit with a large amount of clearance between the tire and the fender lip. 8" wheels as well.

The front sportsman tires have performed very well for only being rated to 3,000 pounds. (which I noticed after I purchased.) Probably cannot handle the pressure of a 3,500 pound B-Body slamming down on top of them after a "wheels up" run. Good performing tire for the street. Even with SSBC disc brakes up front, the car needs a good amount of room to stop when you have three to four people riding with you. Not enough tire tread on the road. Recommend front and rear discs for a car that runs these that is near the 4,000 pound mark. I have ran them for a few thousand miles on the street with no issues. I wouldn't get any shorter of a tire unless you want to have the 'nose dive' look.

I hate to be mean but I don't know where to start! I'll just say I hope I'm not in front of you if I have to make a panic stop...........Please reread what you wrote, "a good performing tire for the street". After the accident you can bet that the insurance adjuster will check those D.O.T. ratings on your front tires. I hope you take this to heart and change them.

 

[Sweet5ltr]

To clarify, I was referring to the point that if your car weighs in at over 4,000 pounds; 5" worth of tread is not up to the task of stopping the car on a dime regardless of brake rotor/caliper size, pad choice, or tire composition. Judge your distance and always try and stay in an open lane and brake early; which any defensive driver should do regardless.

Under normal conditions with you and your wife, etc. the car stops better than most cars on the highway. Just not with a full tank of gas and an additional 600 pounds of weight from passengers. It probably takes an additional 10-15ft to stop while going 60MPH. Still has twice the braking performance than it did with rebuilt drums on the front.

After driving my Z06 Corvette, every car on the highway feels like the brakes are sub-par..

 

[arizona satellite]

lets face it if you run narrow front tire the car will not stop on a dime and give any change!in fact they will have to send you a bill for the extra $1.50 lol. the point is what size tire will fit and i think that was answered. thanks all for your input, I am taking the wheels to work in the morning and trial fitting some shoes.

 

[Sweet5ltr]

lets face it if you run narrow front tire the car will not stop on a dime and give any change!in fact they will have to send you a bill for the extra $1.50 lol. the point is what size tire will fit and i think that was answered. thanks all for your input, I am taking the wheels to work in the morning and trial fitting some shoes.

Exactly. 28" tall is the shortest tire I would install on the front of a B-Body. I've had a 26" tall VW radial tire on a 91' lx coupe fox body mustang for the front draglites on the street (3.5" Wheel) but it really didn't fit the 'look' that well; even with the 275/60/15 Mickey's on the rear. Didn't handle very well either (brakes were also pathetic for a 3,000 pound car), and it was always trying to roll itself off the wheel at any corner over 25MPH. Off topic, but the car actually handled better in the rain with the drag radials than it did with the radial T/A street tires! Really loose stall, Panhandle Performance Small block ford, and poor front-rear weight distribution made it a pretty fun car though! Sold it for half of what I had in the engine.... Absolutely no resale and was in perfect condition.

 

[coloradodave]

I think we all agree that skinny tires don't stop as well as wider ones. The point I was trying to make (maybe not so clearly) is that if you're going to pay attention to the manufacturer's recommendations for minimum wheel width, then why not the recommendation for maximum load? I used to run 760X15 VW tires on all my hotrods when I was young. Now that I am old and value life more I would worry about CATASTROPHIC failure of an underrated tire.
OK, I'm stepping down off my "dad" soapbox.

 

[Sixer]

One more for hatin' on the skinny front tire on the street. Looks cool, drives bad, and can be a killer. In 1979, a friend and I were out in his A12 Bee, with exactly this kind of combo. On the freeway, a sudden avoidance maneuver attempt on our part put me in the hospital for a week with a concussion and a collapsed lung from supporting the right side of the car as the bumper of another car hit me in the head on the way past my window, and ultimately on it's roof after we lost control. The Bee was junk. Racing combos are for racing, street has different demands therefore the two don't mix well. Just like a .700 lift cam, leave the pure race stuff for the track.

Old guy that's been there