Wheels....15's vs 16's?

[b5blue]

  As I'll be buying new rims and tires for my 70 Charger soon I've been looking at tire selection. 15's selection is very slim pickings yet 16's seems to have TONS of options! Should I be giving up on the 15's to get better cost/value in the long term? I really wanted 15X8 with 4" backspace all the way around just like Tan Top runs, that size with 255 60R tires is the cat's meow for me.
  I'm old school so any bigger than 16 just will not suit me and I've no clue how to convert the 15X8 4"BS with 255 60R into a rim/tire sizing for 16" rim/tire. 

[XH29N0G]

If you want a 27" diameter 10 " wide tire for a 16 inch rim.  This would be a 255 55 16. 
The width is the 255.  I did not see a 27 inch diameter in this width, but you should be able to find one with some of the online calculators by trial and error.

If you decide to do the math yourself, the calculation is

rim diameter + 2 * width in cm/25.4 * aspect ratio
15 + 2 * 255/25.4 *60/100 = 27 inches

The width is  width in cm/25.4  or
255/25.4 = 10 inches

I hope this helps.

[Mike DC]

  
14" - modern tire companies will think it's a UTV.

15" - they'll carry a few tires for it but not much.

16" - they'll carry a lot of passenger car tires in general, but still not much in the hi-po flavors.

17" - okay, now you have all the options.

[Canadian1968]

I just bought some 16" rims myself . Depending on what you are looking for 16" is not a good choice a I have found. If you want a 27" tire or anything taller with a 10" width you are looking at M/T or other street slicks as your only option!!! 255/50/16 is the biggest , widest tire that is mass produced that I can find . Almost all the tire companies offer a version of this size, but this is only a 26" tire.

The 15" rims have more options for a large wide tire.

[b5blue]

Thanks for the input guys! I don't want wider than an 8" rim if that matters.  One key aspect is "all 4 the same size" as I need to rotate front to back or side to side. 
  I can do the math to get in the ball park, that's a big help! 

[Patronus]

17's 

[TexasStroker]

Rubber for 16s is hard to come by....Most mfgs view them as "Truck" tires.  Not long ago 17s were HUGE, 16s were the heavy duty, and 15s were the norm...

Things have changed quickly.

I've pretty much convinced myself to go with 17s when I wear out my old 295s on the 15" wheels.

[myk]

17's 

Agreed. 

If you go with the 16's good luck with finding tires.  My 97 Z28 still runs the OEM 16" and there are about 3 choices of tires to chose from, and I can forget about finding the "perfect" tire.  17 inches or bust...

[Ghoste]

Which sucks to me because I like the 15's too.  The giant wheels look goofy to me under older cars.

[Dino]

I've always been a big fan of 15" wheels on Chargers, but it's getting real hard to find anything decent in that size.  Not impossible though.  I don't like giant wheels either but I don't think 17" belongs in that category.  To be honest, it actually looks more at home under such a big car than 15's do.  If you have a decent sidewall then it'll look fine. 

[Ghoste]

Yes, the sidewall is critical.  The difference between a performance look and a ghetto ride.

[JB400]

16's  The tire of choice used on almost every police car for the last decade. That would be my choice.

[HPP]

17s are getting slimmer pickings these days as OEMs push into 18 and 20 territory.

I'd stick with 15 before going 16.

[b5blue]

17s are getting slimmer pickings these days as OEMs push into 18 and 20 territory.

I'd stick with 15 before going 16.

Geez it's kinda looking that way.....

[Mike DC]

17s are getting slimmer pickings these days as OEMs push into 18 and 20 territory.

Cripes, are they really starting to back away from 17s now?  Where does it end?


I've never understood why in the hell the aftermarket will make brand new engine blocks & body panels for 50yo applications - but they won't keep tires in production from 15 years ago.  Tires have a perpetual regular replacement cycle.  They aren't even brand-specific. 

[Ghoste]

No kidding. 

[HPP]

I hear ya.

I think the best approach for choosing larger tires sizes is to pick a size that was originally offered in an OEM application. This will give you the best chance of having available sizes for a longer term. If you have chosen some odd ball size that fits your car perfectly, you run the risk of it being discontinued after a decade or two. IE in 17", 275/35 and 335/30 were offered on Vipers and Vettes. Even if the selections thin out, there will still be some lines available to support that market segment.  By contrast, nothing ever came OEM with a  305/50x15, which is the perfect tub filling rear tire for a classic Charger.

[b5blue]

15" 255 60R or 245 60R run old GM/Vett size so available more or less.      Not starting to sound like there is any gain changing from 15's? 
  Wanting all four the same limits some variables, I just don't want to buy rims and be screwed later or pay a ton for 15" tires!

[Cooter]

As long as BFG is still in business, I'll stick with 15's..

[BananaDan]

I agree with Cooter.  Did I just say that?   

[bill440rt]

You can also check with Diamondback Classics.
They seem to have a decent selection. A lot of 15"s they offer are still BFG's, though. 

[b5blue]

Thanks Bill!    http://www.dbtires.com/index.html  I'll check them out

[RallyeMike]

The 255/50/16 was used on new Corvettes for awhile back in the day so there are some options including g-force BFG. The 255/50/16 is a 10" tread tire 26.1" tall and will fit on 8-10" rim range. These actually still have a decent selection range in the performance area, fill the wheel wells pretty good, and can be had for a decent price.

[green69rt]

One thing I have found with the more "odd" tire sizes is the manufactures tend to make them in "runs"  A line may make a certain tire for three weeks then move on to another tire.  That run is stock piled and distributed as needed.  When it is sold out the dealer lists it as not available till the next run.   Sometimes I have to wait for tires for my truck to be listed as "available".  I'm always calling ahead.

[Nacho-RT74]

As long as BFG is still in business, I'll stick with 15's..

shame not anymore Iny 500s... but at least those are still a nice option