Wheel Sizes - Battling Everyones Dilemma

[myk]

I'm getting close to pulling the trigger on new wheels and tires, but as usual I'm still unsure about sizes. 

For example, I'm pretty much set on the diameter at 18", however I'm not sure about the width.  I was guess-timating that with this nose-heavy 2nd Gen I should keep the wheels and tires up front not as wide, like maybe a 245?  The stock tire width on my '99 F-bird is a 285 and it's a handful to turn sometimes, which I figure could only be worse with the Charger.  So, if I have a 245 wide tire, what about the rim itself?  Would it be an 18x7?  18x9? 

I figure my rear wheels aren't as important, I'm "guessing" 18x9 wheels with a 285 tire width? 

[Dino]

I just put 245/45r17 on the front and it drives a bit different then when it had the skinnies on there.  There's nothing wrong with how it drives but you can notice the play in the steering wheel more and I have to work a bit harder at it to keep it straight when I stomp on it.  My front rim is 8" wide.

I run a 275 on the rear which is 9.5" wide.  I love the look because it's a high sidewall tire but likely your tires will be low profile.  If you go too wide, the tire will look stretched, too narrow and it'll try to balloon which is a bad thing on a low profile.  9 should be pretty spot on. 

Find out what the real width of rims and tires you want is.  One brand to the next there can be quite the difference between two identical sizes.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,101768.0.html

[brassgod]

AdamA, what are those wheels - who makes them?  Looking nice!

Street Lite made by Billet Specialties.

[WHITE AND RED 69]

I'm getting close to pulling the trigger on new wheels and tires, but as usual I'm still unsure about sizes. 

For example, I'm pretty much set on the diameter at 18", however I'm not sure about the width.  I was guess-timating that with this nose-heavy 2nd Gen I should keep the wheels and tires up front not as wide, like maybe a 245?  The stock tire width on my '99 F-bird is a 285 and it's a handful to turn sometimes, which I figure could only be worse with the Charger.  So, if I have a 245 wide tire, what about the rim itself?  Would it be an 18x7?  18x9? 

I figure my rear wheels aren't as important, I'm "guessing" 18x9 wheels with a 285 tire width? 

If you are looking at a 245 tire go with an 8" rim. I run a 245/40/18 on the front of mine and have absolutely no issues with rubbing or problems turning.

As for the rear, you can fit a 10" wide with up to a 295/40 without any modifications. Mine are 10" wide with a 285/40/18 with no problems.

What wheels are you thinking about getting?

[myk]

I just put 245/45r17 on the front and it drives a bit different then when it had the skinnies on there.  There's nothing wrong with how it drives but you can notice the play in the steering wheel more and I have to work a bit harder at it to keep it straight when I stomp on it.  My front rim is 8" wide.

I run a 275 on the rear which is 9.5" wide.  I love the look because it's a high sidewall tire but likely your tires will be low profile.  If you go too wide, the tire will look stretched, too narrow and it'll try to balloon which is a bad thing on a low profile.  9 should be pretty spot on.  

Find out what the real width of rims and tires you want is.  One brand to the next there can be quite the difference between two identical sizes.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,101768.0.html

Thank God for your thread; I've been agonizing over a wheel and tire selection since 1994 when I bought this damn car and coincidentally I narrowed it down to your wheels, the MB Old Schools, or the Replica Alloy's knock-off Torq Thrust D wheels.  $1300 is a great price when all is said and done...

If you are looking at a 245 tire go with an 8" rim. I run a 245/40/18 on the front of mine and have absolutely no issues with rubbing or problems turning.

As for the rear, you can fit a 10" wide with up to a 295/40 without any modifications. Mine are 10" wide with a 285/40/18 with no problems.

What wheels are you thinking about getting?

Interesting.  Would you happen to have a side view shot of your car?

So, 18x8 rim up front, and I guess I'll go with an 18x9 out back.  I couldn't help but notice how pricey tires are for the rear like the ones you guys are running, though.  Still not sure about the backspacing/offset measurements also...

[Dino]

Myk also look at the Coy C55, that's where MB got the design from.  Notice the wider lip on my rear wheels, you can only get that with the MB 17x9.5.  The 18" version is 9" wide and has the narrow lip like the front.  I'm not sure how the Coys are.

My rear tire was around $140 each after rebate, that's not too terrible for the size.  My wife's T/A tires are double that.

[WHITE AND RED 69]

Interesting.  Would you happen to have a side view shot of your car?

So, 18x8 rim up front, and I guess I'll go with an 18x9 out back.  I couldn't help but notice how pricey tires are for the rear like the ones you guys are running, though.  Still not sure about the backspacing/offset measurements also...

Here is a side shot from recently. My wheel measurements are fronts are 18x8 245/40/18 with a 4.75" backspace and the rears are 18x10 185/40/18 with a 5.5" backspace.

I think my rear tires were only like $20 bucks more for each. Not too bad.   

 

[myk]

Myk also look at the Coy C55, that's where MB got the design from.  Notice the wider lip on my rear wheels, you can only get that with the MB 17x9.5.  The 18" version is 9" wide and has the narrow lip like the front.  I'm not sure how the Coys are.

My rear tire was around $140 each after rebate, that's not too terrible for the size.  My wife's T/A tires are double that.

No it isn't too bad of a price, maybe my timing is just off with no rebates or specials going on as of now.  I will definitely go with the MB's like yours or the Replica Alloy's Torq-Thrust knock-off in gunmetal.  

What sort of T/A are we talking about?  My WS6 clone has the factory 17" wheels and I spent about $600 on a set of Hankook's, which I happen to like ALOT...

Here is a side shot from recently. My wheel measurements are fronts are 18x8 245/40/18 with a 4.75" backspace and the rears are 18x10 185/40/18 with a 5.5" backspace.

I think my rear tires were only like $20 bucks more for each. Not too bad.  

Thanks for the picture, that helps a lot and your car is awesome, BTW.  

I think part of my problem is that I'm dealing strictly with Discount Tire; I trust them implicitly with my wheel/tire needs and maybe it's time to go somewhere else.  Although, I've been thinking about wheels and tires for so long I might just pull the trigger regardless of the quality of the deal.

Question: asides from "looking better" is there an actual performance benefit to having a wider rear tire than the front?  My two F bodies and Mustang have the same wheel width on all corners and they seem to run just fine.

Another question: both of you boys have the air dam-thingy under your cars; what is that and where can I get one for my car?

[Dino]

Myk the T/A is an '02 WS6 Ram Air, one of the last to roll off the line.  It's running Good Years now, I'll take a look at the Hankook's.

The same size wheel and tire all around is always the best when it comes to performance.  A staggered look actually hurts it but you'd have to race the car to notice.  For a street car it's fine as long as you don't go too crazy with sizes.  My current setup gives the car a much better and stable feel than it did with the stock 14" rims.

The spoiler is for a '69 Camaro.  Find the one that comes with the brackets.  There is a long bracket that comes with it that when you flatten one end fits perfectly between spoiler and K member.  The whole thing was something like $40, I forgot where I got mine, some online Chevy shop.  If I can find it I'll post it.  Mine is the plain black plastic they come in, W&R's is painted white.

[Dino]

Found it.  I got the spoiler from Ground Up and you're in luck, they have a sale going on!  $30 for spoiler and brackets.

http://www.ss396.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=camaro6769&Product_Code=MSK-69F

Note that the spoiler in the picture is the higher model from the 67 models but it should be the smaller one.  You may want to email them to make sure you get the one you want.  NYCMille is running the tall one on his 68 btw.

IF I still have the packaging I'll post the part number.
.

[chargerboy69]

I also run the larger diameter wheels. Custom made Boyd Shrike wheels with Nitto 555 tires.

Front- 17X8 with 4.5" backspace. Tires 245 40 17.

Rear- 18X10 with 5.5" backspace. Tires 285 40 18.

I do not get any rubs anywhere.  My stance is just like Claytons car. You can go wider tires if you do some "work" on the rear wheel wells.

[myk]

Myk the T/A is an '02 WS6 Ram Air, one of the last to roll off the line.  It's running Good Years now, I'll take a look at the Hankook's.

The same size wheel and tire all around is always the best when it comes to performance.  A staggered look actually hurts it but you'd have to race the car to notice.  For a street car it's fine as long as you don't go too crazy with sizes.  My current setup gives the car a much better and stable feel than it did with the stock 14" rims.

The spoiler is for a '69 Camaro.  Find the one that comes with the brackets.  There is a long bracket that comes with it that when you flatten one end fits perfectly between spoiler and K member.  The whole thing was something like $40, I forgot where I got mine, some online Chevy shop.  If I can find it I'll post it.  Mine is the plain black plastic they come in, W&R's is painted white.

Wow ok thanks, I didn't know that, although the Corvette since.......'97 (?) has run a staggered wheel setup so I figure it shouldn't hurt our cars too much, right?  Regarding your wife's T/A, if you're running Good Year I wouldn't bother with the Hankooks-I went with them because they were cheaper and had a decent warranty with them, about 40K. 

Thanks for the lead on the air dam-now I can get the Charger stuck on the same speed bumps and curbs that my '99 T/A and '97Z's airdams get stuck on, lol...

[BLUE68RT4ME]

Hey MYK,

I ran 17X7's in the front but I would have liked to go with 17X8's however the 7's were discounted enough to justify going with them.  The width I'm running handles great and the lower profile sidewall eliminates a lot of roll in the corners.  I'm really happy with it.

If it wasn't for Discount Tire I wouldn't have even known about the tires I have on the car right now.  The tread pattern alone adds such an amazing aspect to the look of the car that it wouldn't even be the same car now if I had to replace them with something else.  I owe it to the guys at Discount Tire for bringing the KDW 2's to my attention.

I know a lot of people running 18X8's in front with no issues.  I think you'd be happy with that.  I think you'll love that handling improvement too, especially if you've gone through the front end.  But as mentioned before, if your dealing with some big HP your may get a little squirly when you're really into the throttle because you're running on the corners of the tires.

Good luck and I look forward to seeing what you end up doing! 

[myk]

Hey MYK,

I ran 17X7's in the front but I would have liked to go with 17X8's however the 7's were discounted enough to justify going with them.  The width I'm running handles great and the lower profile sidewall eliminates a lot of roll in the corners.  I'm really happy with it.

If it wasn't for Discount Tire I wouldn't have even known about the tires I have on the car right now.  The tread pattern alone adds such an amazing aspect to the look of the car that it wouldn't even be the same car now if I had to replace them with something else.  I owe it to the guys at Discount Tire for bringing the KDW 2's to my attention.

I know a lot of people running 18X8's in front with no issues.  I think you'd be happy with that.  I think you'll love that handling improvement too, especially if you've gone through the front end.  But as mentioned before, if your dealing with some big HP your may get a little squirly when you're really into the throttle because you're running on the corners of the tires.

Good luck and I look forward to seeing what you end up doing! 

Hmmm...17x7's?  What width of a tire did you run?  245?  What are your sizes now?  Nice car btw...

[BLUE68RT4ME]

Thanks a lot!  My tires are 235/45R17's and 275/40R18's.  I essentially had two choices for tires front and back because of the 17 by 7 wheels in front and going with the KDW 2's in order to maintain at least the same size side wall front and back with the KDW 2's.  It would have looked ridiculous if I ended up with less sidewall in the back.  That's one thing everyone should keep in mind, subtract the wheel diameter from the tire diameter both front and back to make sure your rears don't end up with less sidewall than up front.  Wide tires are sexy but not if they fail to coordinate with the fronts.

[myk]

Thanks a lot!  My tires are 235/45R17's and 275/40R18's.  I essentially had two choices for tires front and back because of the 17 by 7 wheels in front and going with the KDW 2's in order to maintain at least the same size side wall front and back with the KDW 2's.  It would have looked ridiculous if I ended up with less sidewall in the back.  That's one thing everyone should keep in mind, subtract the wheel diameter from the tire diameter both front and back to make sure your rears don't end up with less sidewall than up front.  Wide tires are sexy but not if they fail to coordinate with the fronts.

Ok thanks for the heads up, but....you wouldn't get less sidewall in the back unless the aspect ratio number (40, 45, etc) in the back was smaller than the front, right?  If you don't mind would you be able to post a side shot of your car?  Not only do I want a better look but I want to see how a setup with a smaller front diameter looks.  Is your car at the stock ride height?

[Dino]

Thanks a lot!  My tires are 235/45R17's and 275/40R18's.  I essentially had two choices for tires front and back because of the 17 by 7 wheels in front and going with the KDW 2's in order to maintain at least the same size side wall front and back with the KDW 2's.  It would have looked ridiculous if I ended up with less sidewall in the back.  That's one thing everyone should keep in mind, subtract the wheel diameter from the tire diameter both front and back to make sure your rears don't end up with less sidewall than up front.  Wide tires are sexy but not if they fail to coordinate with the fronts.

Ok thanks for the heads up, but....you wouldn't get less sidewall in the back unless the aspect ratio number (40, 45, etc) in the back was smaller than the front, right?  If you don't mind would you be able to post a side shot of your car?  Not only do I want a better look but I want to see how a setup with a smaller front diameter looks.  Is your car at the stock ride height?

The numbers don't compare like that.  If you take the ratio of the front vs ratio of the rear, the rear still has more sidewall.  40% of 275 is more than 45% of 235.

[myk]

Ok thanks for explaining that; you really can learn something everyday.  I didn't know that the aspect ratio number was a percentage of the width of the tire, I thought it was just a "number," that referred to the measurement from the rim to the tread itself, lol.  Forgive my ignorance, I'm the only Asian on the planet that's bad at math...

[1974dodgecharger]

Front 20x9 265-35-20
Rear 20x11 325-30-20

how did you fit 11inch wide rims in there I thought 10 was the most you could do?

[68CoronetRT]

Hey Guys - Got a question. Looking at the American Eagle rims (111 series, gunmetal), basically a Torque Thrust II. But I'm a little worried on the BS stuff. The fronts would be 15x7 with 3.85 BS with zero offset, the rears would be 15x8 3.966 BS with -12 offset. I'm a little worried about the rears, the fronts I think will be fine. Tire size is 275/65/15 rear and I think it's 245/55/15 front , maybe not, but Im 100% sure on the rears.

Think I will have tire rub issues in the rear? The front I believe is the same specs that I have on the car now which I dont think will be a problem.

[Lord Warlock]

Figured i'd add input as i just put on new wheels and tires on the charger's rear set.  I bought American Racing AR500 17x11 (magnum 500 style) with a 5.5" backspace (not sure what the offset if  any was) and installed Nitto 555R 315 35x17s on them.  The wheels fit the width of the wheelwell just fine, the sidewall is a bit lower than the L50-15 bias ply's that have been on the car forever....or the last 35 years,  but do clear the outer lip of the wheelwell, and have decent clearance on the inside.  The Nittos were chosen because of their width and a past preference to the 555 line of tires.  For anyone who is considering 17x11 magnum 500s (as the first poster mentioned), I'd keep them as a possibility,  the appear to fit just fine on my car.  I don't expect it to actually use this rubber anytime soon except to support the vehicle, but now i can consider what to get for the front set.  17x8s would probably be the best bet for me.



This shot should show the position of the tire while mounted and sitting without support, sorry i couldn't get a side view, i was blocked, did the best i could with what i have,  when i get the fronts i will get a better picture.  The wheels are inside the lip of the fender, I may have to lower mine a little to reduce the gap of the lower profile tire, I'll worry about that later, today the wall of rubber in back is impressive to see. 

[myk]

PBBBBBB...........

Ok, after much deliberation I'm sure I want to go Dino's route and get the MB Old School wheels that he has:


...but in 18" size.  Problem is, according to 'Discount the only wheels they have available for me would be the 18" with 4.5" backspacing for both front AND back-I guess there's no 5.5" backspacing in 18" for that wheel, on my car.  

What do you guys think?  Will 4.5" stick the wheel out too far in the rearon my car?  4.5" backspacing is good on the front, right?  Also, since I'm not going to stagger this setup, what profile tire should I get?  I'm being told that an 245/45-18 is the perfect size.  Wouldn't that be too tall?  Wouldn't a 245/40-18 be better?  I dunno....

[Dino]

Myk, be aware that ONLY the 17 x 9.5 has the wide machined lip, all others look like my front wheels.

I have 4.5 bs on the front and 5.5 on the back but 5.5 is too much.  The rear should be 5 or maybe even 4.5 but yeah it will get damn close with the latter, if not touching.  Lookup my before I start thread and see what the 5.5 did to my wheel wells.  Nothing major but just so you know.

245/45 18 is roughly 26.7" tall and 245/40 is only 25.7.  That's less than stock.

My rear tire is 275/50 17 and is almost 28" tall.  For an even look having all the same tires I would get the 245/45 or maybe look into a 255/45 at just over 27" tall.  The bs on the front will have to be dead on though so hopefully the 255 wide tire owners can chime in on their backspacing.  Why do I not see the bs on the discount tire website??

[1974dodgecharger]

U got any side pics? Yours looks stock height?

Figured i'd add input as i just put on new wheels and tires on the charger's rear set.  I bought American Racing AR500 17x11 (magnum 500 style) with a 5.5" backspace (not sure what the offset if  any was) and installed Nitto 555R 315 35x17s on them.  The wheels fit the width of the wheelwell just fine, the sidewall is a bit lower than the L50-15 bias ply's that have been on the car forever....or the last 35 years,  but do clear the outer lip of the wheelwell, and have decent clearance on the inside.  The Nittos were chosen because of their width and a past preference to the 555 line of tires.  For anyone who is considering 17x11 magnum 500s (as the first poster mentioned), I'd keep them as a possibility,  the appear to fit just fine on my car.  I don't expect it to actually use this rubber anytime soon except to support the vehicle, but now i can consider what to get for the front set.  17x8s would probably be the best bet for me.



This shot should show the position of the tire while mounted and sitting without support, sorry i couldn't get a side view, i was blocked, did the best i could with what i have,  when i get the fronts i will get a better picture.  The wheels are inside the lip of the fender, I may have to lower mine a little to reduce the gap of the lower profile tire, I'll worry about that later, today the wall of rubber in back is impressive to see. 

[myk]

Myk, be aware that ONLY the 17 x 9.5 has the wide machined lip, all others look like my front wheels.

I have 4.5 bs on the front and 5.5 on the back but 5.5 is too much.  The rear should be 5 or maybe even 4.5 but yeah it will get damn close with the latter, if not touching.  Lookup my before I start thread and see what the 5.5 did to my wheel wells.  Nothing major but just so you know.

245/45 18 is roughly 26.7" tall and 245/40 is only 25.7.  That's less than stock.

My rear tire is 275/50 17 and is almost 28" tall.  For an even look having all the same tires I would get the 245/45 or maybe look into a 255/45 at just over 27" tall.  The bs on the front will have to be dead on though so hopefully the 255 wide tire owners can chime in on their backspacing.  Why do I not see the bs on the discount tire website??

Well in that case the 4.5" backspacing should be fine for the rear then; you have 4.5" backspacing on your fronts so my car should look like yours, the only difference being the diameter.  I've learned that Discount shows offset, not backspacing; I had to use a backspacing/offset calculator to try and convert their offset numbers into backspacing.

Wait a minute.  If backspacing measures the distance from the mounting point to the inner wheel surface then my 18x8 wheel with 4.5" backspacing will be tucked in further into the car than your 17x9.5 wheel with 5.5" backspacing.  At this rate if I really want that style of wheel I might have to go with the 17's.



BTW what is the stock height of a stock 14" wheel and tire?