Hi everyone, I just bought two 15x8 Buick rally wheels to put on the rear of my 71 Skylark. I'm keeping the front 15x7 Buick rally wheels on the car now with 245x60x15 tires. I was wondering what size tire to go with on the new rear 15x8s? I heard that I could go with 255x60x15 or even 275x60x15 (not sure how well the 275 would fit in the wheelwell). What does everyone think? And does anyone have pics of their car with with either of the two sizes so I could get a visual of how the tires fit?
Thanks for letting me know about your tire combo Philip - this is the combo I am leaning towards using. I bought the wheels off ebay but I believe the seller had advertised them here on the board at some point. Here is the link to the wheels: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...STRK:MEWA:IT&viewitem=&item=170178331690&rd=1
275/50-15 is 26" tall and will give you a lttle more gear. 275/60-15 is 28" and will reduce your gear somewhat. I use the 26' tires at the track, and 28" on the street.
was just going through the same with mine. I have a 15x7 and 15x8 ralleys also the 15x7 and 15x8 Welds that are on th pics below. I kept going back and fourth with 255 or 275 and I went with the 275 and I love it. I am saving the ralleys for now but have the 275's for them as well. Also I am running 225 70 on the front.
295x50s are the essentially the same height as a 245x60. I have the 295s on the 15x8 which is the maximum tire width reccomended on an 8 inch wheel. Fit like a glove under the Buick haunches. They are baloony, assuming baloony is a word. :grin:
>>Thanks for letting me know Larry. Right now I have the stock non-posi rear but in my garage I also have a complete drum to drum 1971 3:08 posi rear which I will be adding to the car in the future.
You're Welcome Chris. Since most of the original tires on our Buicks were approximately 26.5" tall, it's easy to figure out what effect tire size would have on overall gear ratio. Given a 3.08 rear, using a 28" tire would make it more like a 2.91. Going the opposite way, using a 26" tire would make it more like a 3.14.
I ran 285 70's on 15x8's. It really filled the wheel opening from a side view, and had an awesome look. They are pretty dang tall. I think they are over 30". I have 4.56 gears though, so taller was fine for me. I only used them for a short time and still have them stored if anyone is interested. I couldn't afford Buick Rallye wheels so ignore the Chebby look alikes!
Those 285's are 30.7" tall!! At that point you have to start being carefull about rubbing up in the fenderwell as it's rounded up in there. You might need bags in the rear springs to keep the back end from bouncing around much.
Not really Phillip. They fit fine with the right backspacing and rode great. No bouncing or rubbing. If I was to do a hi performance non-tubbed Skylark I would run Mickey Thompson 30x12.5 ET Streets. They are about the same size as the 285's, but have a wider and much stickier contact patch!
Hmm, I had a tire in there at one time that I know was just over 30" tall, and I had some rubbing issues once in a while. Like I'd said above, you'd have to be careful about it. Bags in the rear springs would totally solve the problem. I usually have mine at about 7-8 lbs. with my current tires, 325/50R15. They're only 28" in diameter, but REALLY wide.
Yeah those are beefy! I did roll my wheel opening lips for clearance. That likely helped some. I don't remember my backspacing but it favored the outside of the well so I had plenty of clearance inside when manuvering.
Hi if you have the room. I d check out the 295-50-15!!! awesome look but it may have to be customized. I may do somthing different. NO matter what you do to a 4 coil GS car, they never run too hard.... So I will look into maybe a 16 inch or 17 inch wheel if they are made for thge Buick and install a z rated tire. These cars need everything that is out there to make them handle better
what brand tires are those 285/70's ?? I could use a little "overdrive" Personally, I love the staggered look and wouldn't roll any other way.
I will be running the Mickey Thompson 12.5 X 28 sportsman pro. Already have them on the buick ralleys, but rear is out now. I tested the fit before I pulled the rear, and seemed to have plenty of clearance. I am going to roll the outside lip just in case and probably hammer the inside just in case.
Since 295/50's are close to the same height as your front 245/60's, you could keep one 245/60 in the trunk as a spare for the front or rear and not worry about your diff if you get a rear flat. Edit: I didn't notice that this is a really old post
>>Yeah, I don't even have the '71 anymore I do have a '72 though with 15x7 fronts and 15x8 rears of the Buick super sport wheels. I went with 255/60/15 tires all around this time and I am very happy with them.
