Wheels and tires?

Bill, up front I'm running the 215/65/15's on 7" rims, the backs are 295/50/15's on 10" rims with a 4" backspace and they stick out about 2", The 215's on the front seem to turn okay without to much effort. The brand name is Cooper.

Guys, I don't really want the tires to "stick out" from the well but the wheels have 3.5 backspacing. Will they "stick out?"

3.5" backspace on a 5-7" rim should be fine .

katiem wrote:Guys, I don't really want the tires to "stick out" from the well but the wheels have 3.5 backspacing. Will they "stick out?"

I doubt it!
A 5 inch wide wheel with 3.5 inch back spacing will stick out 1.5 inches from the brake drum face.
You should be able to stick a measuring tape or ruler through a hole in the wheel and touch the drum. That will give you an indication of wheel depth. The tire will bulge out a bit from the wheel edge, but in the sizes you are looking at, probably less than an inch.
If anything, a 14 inch wheel with a 205/75R14 will be swallowed up by the wheelwell.

Here's a page from the Internet Movie Cars DataBase (IMCDB) with a van that has stock or close to stock wheels and tires.
http://imcdb.org/vehicle_98159-Chevrolet-108-Chevy-Van-1967.html

Awesome. Thanks. See below for the combo I plan on purchasing ASAP. Let me know any thoughts.

Tires: 185/75/14

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/s_10153_12605_Automotive_Tires_Car+Tires

Wheels: 14" X 5" (5 X 4.75) - powdercoated black

http://wheelvintiques.myshopify.com/products/oe-ford-chevy-bare

Caps:

http://www.classicparts.com/1964-66-Hubcap-Chevrolet-1_2-Ton/productinfo/64-029/

The Sears site did not show your exact tire.

Those tires are small! Think lowrider style small!
I ran the size over at tire rack, and the nearest size is a 24" tall tire.
It should be ~7.5 inches wide at the widest part, tread width is only 6 inches, and the load rating is around 1400 pounds. I hope you aren't planning on hauling much.
Before you order all that, I'd suggest going to a local used tire store (usually in the lower income part of town). They should be able to pull out a comparable tire, one a bit bigger (like the 205 mentioned before) and one that is the current size on the van so you can visually compare. BTW, do you know the size of the current baloon tires? It should be on the sidewall.

The tires on there now are 205/75/15. I think what is throwing me off with those is the dreadful wheel that's on there.

I was also looking at a wide whitewall from Coker. It is a 195/75/14. What do you think about this size?

To visualize the tire while hiding the wheel, grab a can of black spray paint and hide it!
You could also try some cheap full hubcaps to hide the current wheels, if steel.

If it's an aluminum wheel and you are planning on selling them off, just grab a chunk of cardboard, cut it to a hubcap size to hide the wheel and paint it black.


A 205/70R15 (they don't have specs for yours) is 26.3" tall, 8.2" wide and the tread is 6".

So, your selection is 2 inches shorter, almost an inch narrower, and the tread is about the same. The load rating is 1499, so another 100 pounds per corner.

Coker has the corner on the vintage and wide white market, but some have had issues with them. Out of round, balance issues and blowouts.
Wide whites were popular on cars through the mid to late fifties. By the early to mid sixties, the narrow white wall was the style. With the wide white on a 60s van, you are IMHO, mixing styles. That usually is jarring, not pleasing. This is especially true if you are going with a black rim and a small hubcap. The wide whites were a luxury item, and the small caps were often called poverty or dog dish.

With a White van like shown in your avatar, it is easier to pull off.
If you can upload a good straight on side picture of your van, there may be someone here who can photoshop the look you are contemplating. There are on other sites, but haven't seen them here.

Small caps

Skinny whitewalls


small cap with wide white

Rod: Do you have any idea what size the tires are in the second photo.

I decided on the skinny whitewalls. And I do have the dog dish caps.

I have no idea, it's just a pic I grabbed off the internet.
The site doesn't have any more pictures of that vehicle.
Try searching google images for more.

They do look like 14s, and are narrow like the size you are contemplating.

Here's a van with wide whites.

I really do love the wide whites. They are just a tinge too expensive tho.

Also, is it necessary to purchase trim rings when I buy the wheels?

Yeah, I was looking at them for my 47. Added almost another 400 to the price of 4. I bought blackwalls....
There are a ton of different trim rings, but if you buy the Vintiques, they should be able to get a set later if you want.

Try Diamondback Classics for a price. Mine are holding up well. Whites put on Dayton tires.