I have a 72 Skylark and I was wondering what would be the best way to go with getting new tires. I have really small(I think 8") tires, and I want to put wider ones on the original mags. What's the best size? And should I change all of them, or just the rear tires?
Hey Spaz We need more info... What size wheels? 14's, 15's ? Rally wheels or hub capped wheels? Are you looking for looks, traction or both? What is the condition and sizes of your current tires? This all matters. If you have 15" ralleyes, they can handle up to a 265/60R15 tire all the way around, even 275's on the rear, but 245's will not rub on the front. This is on a stock 15X7 rim. If you have 14's, they are set in more and look a little lost in the Buick wheel wells, I think at least. And you can go with a plethora of different sizes of aftermarket wheels as well. Are you looking for a beefy look? Are you concerned about traction problems? Do you have 2 decent tires that can go on the front right now and then put 2 meaty tires on the rear? I hope to lead you to get better ideas and to realize a better solution for yourself. Good luck, Mike
I have the 15x7 tires. They have the original rims, I guess those are the ralley ones because I know they aren't hub capped. I'm definitley going for looks, but traction is almost just as important. My tires seem to be in good condition, still have a lot of tread. I guess they are 8" tires, but I'm not too sure. All I know is they are really small stock tires. And another question that I forgot to ask was how bigger tires would affect my gas mileage. Thanks
265-60R-15 may be too large for the front. If your front suspension is in tip-top shape, you can go 255. 245 is closest to an original G60-15 (dimension) Your right foot effects your gas mileage :grin: Speedometer will be off...
When I went to Sam's Club to ask about prices and such. They said that Skylark Customs have 14" wheels. But my tires say that they are 15x7 and I measured it at 15" Am I wrong or are they?
If the tires' sidewalls say 15, then they are 15s. Sam's club is wrong - sorta. They have a computer, and its not very accurate for any older car. Of course, the 14s were standard on the Custom, but 15s could have been an option, or someone could have simply put larger rims on your car. I have the same problem at Sears. I tell them what I want, but they still ask the make of the car. Then they say my car didn't have 15s, etc. (Then I ask why, since we had gone through this before, they don't have it in the computer. They have my name, address, cars I own, etc. ) Typically I explain to them that I know what I'm doing, so rarely do I have to show them the rim.
I would suggest 245/60R15's on front and 265 or 275?60R15's on the rear. I purchased a set of 4 255/60R15's at Cotco, mounted, balanced - the works, for $240 for my car. At the time, I had the stock 350-2 and liked the idea of the same beefy tires all the way around. Needless to say, I am going to order a set of 15X8 rims and I already have the 275/60R15 BFG drag radials in the garage to go on them. If you have a moderate motor, you know traction is a problem. Oh yeah, here is some more info on tires... The current system used for tires today is this: Analysis of 275/60R15 275 = mm in size of tire from where tire meets rim on one side to the other 60 = percentage of that distance is sidewall (smaller the number means larger footprint on the ground) R = Radial 15 = Inch diameter of rim With this in mind, you need to adjust the true footprint on the ground by the width of the rim. As in, if the same tire is put on a 7" wide rim has an 8" footprint, that same tire on a 10" rim may have a 9" or 10" footprint. It all depends upon the combination that you put together. Good luck on your decision. Mike
