Tires/Wheels in General

[john108]

1968 Dodge Charger R/T
If I rarely if at all take the car to the drag strip.
For a good handling car, occasionally pedal to the metal.
Should the front and rear wheels be exactly the same?
Recommendations Please.
Thank You.

[JR]

That is a very vague question, but I can answer in a general sense.

If you care about handling, wider rear wheels and tires will promote understeer over a square setup. All other things being equal.

Realistically, if you're just driving the car on the street and not doing much hard cornering, this will almost never be noticable.

2nd gens definitely look better with a wider wheel on back due to the bulging fenders.

Personally, I prefer 9.5 inch wide on rear with 8 inch on front. I've done alot of testing and tuning of suspension and my car handles reasonably neutral with this combination.

[john108]

JR are you referring to drums or tread width?
" 9.5 inch wide on rear with 8 inch on front."?
Thank You.

[XH29N0G]

I'm pretty sure you have looked through http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,63191.0.html already, but if not, I found that worthwhile.  I think the issue is really how you plan on driving it.  If you plan on driving around, not something for track, then I would choose what you like.  I found I needed a softer compound tire to keep it from spinning, but am not running huge tires.  255 60 15 rear and 245 60 15 front.  Those are smaller than just suggested and if you are looking at larger diameter rims, then it would also be a different tire.

[JR]

JR are you referring to drums or tread width?
" 9.5 inch wide on rear with 8 inch on front."?
Thank You.

I am referring to the width of the wheel.

[john108]

Sorry, I didn't mean drum.  I meant the metal wheel.
Senior Moment.

I just plan on normal driving, some showing off, good handling, etc.
It does have a 505 going in but I don't plan on racing it on a strip or track.

[Kern Dog]

The large wheel openings of these cars results in a sunk in appearance when a stock 6 inch wide wheel is used. This is why I chose to go with a 10" wide rear wheel and a 9" wide front wheel.
I would think that a car like yours would look great and handle well with either Rallye or Magnum 500 wheels in a 15 X 8 size.....Bit, The only advantage I see in running the same size wheel and tire all around is to facilitate an easier tire rotation....Keep in mind,  when these cars are only driven a few hundred miles a year, tire wear is minimal anyway. My last set of tires were replaced due to AGE, not wear. They still had almost 50 % of tread on the back and 70% up front.

I say, choose what you like in terms of appearance. A 245-60-15 up front and a 255 or 275-60-15 in the back is a really good setup. It looks great and will handle the road better than the skinny stock tires.

[c00nhunterjoe]

Nothing short of a slick is going to hold the torque of a 505 on the ground. That said, choose a wheel and tire combo that you like. Even putting a 245 on the front will not make it "handle". Its a 50 year old 2 ton turd. To make it corner with the new platforms will take alot of changes. I currently run a 205/75/15 on the front and a 30x9x15 slick on the rear. No problems with spirited street driving here but im also not road coursing it either.

[Kern Dog]

A 2019 Challenger is a heavier car and it handles well. You can get the old cars to handle great but to do that, you need to get your head out of the "Drag Race" mentality. No skinny torsion bars, no 90/10 shocks, no pizza cutter front tires...
Unless you have driven in or taken a ride in a well prepared classic car, you do not know what you are talking about.
Drag racing requires a fast car. Road course racing requires a fast driver. 

[c00nhunterjoe]

A 2019 Challenger is a heavier car and it handles well. You can get the old cars to handle great but to do that, you need to get your head out of the "Drag Race" mentality. No skinny torsion bars, no 90/10 shocks, no pizza cutter front tires...
Unless you have driven in or taken a ride in a well prepared classic car, you do not know what you are talking about.
Drag racing requires a fast car. Road course racing requires a fast driver. 

I have built, owned and driven many of both styles. I never said you couldnt make a 69 handle like a 19. I actually said you can, but slapping tires on it wont do it. I bet my 230,000 mile crownvic will outrun, and out corner 3/4 of the cars on this board.

[darbgnik]

I have built, owned and driven many of both styles. I never said you couldnt make a 69 handle like a 19. I actually said you can, but slapping tires on it wont do it. I bet my 230,000 mile crownvic will outrun, and out corner 3/4 of the cars on this board.

I feel it will out handle mine! lol

[c00nhunterjoe]

I have built, owned and driven many of both styles. I never said you couldnt make a 69 handle like a 19. I actually said you can, but slapping tires on it wont do it. I bet my 230,000 mile crownvic will outrun, and out corner 3/4 of the cars on this board.

I feel it will out handle mine! lol

Its not "hard" to make a 2nd gen corner, it just takes money. Alot of chassis stiffening, heavy suspension changes, big sway bars, and then yes, wheels and tires.

[alfaitalia]

.....and losing about 1000lbs off the kerb weight would help! Cant beat the laws of physics no matter how expensive the suspension parts are.

[c00nhunterjoe]

.....and losing about 1000lbs off the kerb weight would help! Cant beat the laws of physics no matter how expensive the suspension parts are.

Which reverts right back to "how much many do you want to spend?" They make fiberglass bumpers, hoods, trunk lids, fenders, doors, and lexan glass kits for our cars. You can drop more then 1000 pounds if you want to.

[XH29N0G]

I have built, owned and driven many of both styles. I never said you couldnt make a 69 handle like a 19. I actually said you can, but slapping tires on it wont do it. I bet my 230,000 mile crownvic will outrun, and out corner 3/4 of the cars on this board.

I'm virtually certain what you say is true about my car, but even if my car isn't handling, I think its just like 'falling with style...'