I'd found the following on CraigsList: P205/70r14 tires on 14x7 Fenton Racing Mags for the front and P275/60r15 15x8 Ansen Racing Mags for the rear 2 Questions: 1) Will the 14" wheels fit on the front of my drum brake Squire? 2) Will the 275's fit on the rear without rubbing? The suspension is 100% original (probably a little worn) from 1967. Thanks in advance!! Tony
A word of caution. Tires with a differential like that are for straight line drag racing. You will have understeer to the point of dangerous handling with that much less grip on the front. For use on the street, especially with stock, or nearly so, drivetrains, stick with the same size front and rear. If you want to go spending money on something, upgrade the brakes to a dual circuit with front discs. This gives benefit by making the car safer. A good size of tire for the car is a 225/70R15. You can also go to a 225/60R16 and have a selection of superb tires that will carry the weight of the car nicely.
Thanks Mike, understood, thanks for that. Do you, or anyone else, know if the 14" wheels will fit up front? The wheels are a good deal so I may want to get them and source smaller matching tires for the rear later. Thanks
I'm not sure if the 14" will fit. Try Google, see if 14" was even an option. Either way, the front tire size is way too small, especially for a full-size. If you're going to use the 14" on the front, I'd go with a wider, taller tire. If I were going to use anything from what you've listed, I'd use the 15x8s with 275-60-15 tires on the rear. I've used staggered wheels and tires on my wagons without issue, as long as the fronts are decently wide. I'd recommend finding a pair of matching 15x7 or 15x8 for the front, then go with a 235, 245, or 255 wide front tire. My '77 LTD II with staggered 15s. Fronts are 15x7 with 235s. Rears are 15x8 with 255s. My '76 Montego with staggered 15s. Wheels are 15x8 all around with 275 tires on the rear, and 245 tires on the front.
One other thing to mention. If you want to use the rear set-up on your wagon, you might want to research the backspacing of the wheels, or test fit them before buying, if that's an option. Those are pretty wide tires, so you'll want to be sure they'll fit without rubbing.
Thanks Nice looking cars! I definitely want the staggered width look. Not crazy about the staggered height look. The guy said I could try the fit on the car before I buy them, I was just trying to gather recon before I went there. I tried google but could not find a definitive answer if the 14"s will fit the front.
Check out this calculator for comparing tire sizes. http://www.1010tires.com/Tools/Tire-Size-Calculator Those front 14" tires are over 2.5" shorter than the 15" rears. 14" tires are very hard to find. The next largest size available is 235 or 245-60-14 which is about the same height as the 205-70-14s. I don't think you're going be happy with any 14" options. Good luck!
The guy I bought my '64 Country Sedan from had a pair of '66 Country Sedans that I didn't buy. He had swapped the stock 14" wheels from the '64 to one of the '66 wagons and it appeared to be fine. I didn't drive it, but it was sitting in front of the '64 when I went to get it and the wheels looked to be mounted correctly on the car. I think the '66 and '67 are basically the same front brakes.....
Final Decision OK, here's what I decided to go with: Front: 14"X7" Slotted Mags with 225/70/14 tires Rear: 15"X7" Slotted Mags with 225/70/15 tires They are the exact same width and the rears are only 1" (1/2" ride height) higher. Except for the staggered part that I originally wanted (changed my mind), that should give me the look I want without adversely effecting the driving (I hope).
You'll have to check whether the 14" mags will fit over those front brake drums. This page indicates that 8.45 x 15" was the standard tire size for the base full-size Ford wagon in '67. http://www.automobile-catalog.com/auta_details1.php
Here is something I will mention. A lot of those old Mags used a large oval washer to locate the bolt pattern using unilug wheels. These wheels are not near safe let alone on a heavy vehicle let alone one with power that you may do something like drag race. Most wheels place the weight against the hub and around the whole stud. The Unilug wheels(If these are like that) place the majority of the load on the point or that washer. Snapping studs using these wheels is not uncommon so beware.
I agree….these wheels are not uni-lug they are direct drill Ford pattern. I also purchased Gorilla brand lug nuts and washers. Thanks for the heads up though, I appreciate it.
