[65 Lamnas]

Looking for the largest size tires for my ‘65 that will clear. All wheels are 17x8” 0mm offset, 4.57bs. Currently stock suspension but may upgrade in 2-3 years. High performance street driven- 95% of the time…. I didn’t net anything thru a search….If somebody has something similar to me, would like to hear from you.

[b-man]

https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...00&postcount=6

Probably could have gone with one size larger in the rear like 245/45-17, the outer sidewall of the tire was already pretty close.

Up front the 235/45-17 was pretty much the limit. I had to hammer the rear bottom corner of the fenders in just a little so the tires wouldn’t scrape on tight turns, larger diameter tires won’t work well.

[65 Lamnas]

Originally Posted by b-man

https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...00&postcount=6

Probably could have gone with one size larger in the rear like 245/45-17, the outer sidewall of the tire was already pretty close.

Up front the 235/45-17 was pretty much the limit. I had to hammer the rear bottom corner of the fenders in just a little so the tires wouldn’t scrape on tight turns, larger diameter tires won’t work well.

Thank you….exactly the info I needed.

[b-man]

Buy the front tires first and have them mounted.

Then try them on the back and measure to see if you think you have enough room to go to the next bigger size on the rear.

[Joe-Touring]

On my 67 I have 245/45/r17s all the way around, same wheel specs. It’s fairly low and only has a minor rub when turning and in bump at the same time. But I also run over 0.5* of negative camber.

A problem that I recently noticed is that it’s getting a bit tougher to find good performance tires in that size. I’m currently running BFG Sport Comp 2s, but they have been discontinued

I’m thinkin for my next set(hopefully with 275s out back) I’ll snag some NT555s.

I’ve also had a set of Firestone Firehawk Indy 500s, I liked em well enough, but I try to buy American made stuff.

[Chris65LeMans]

Note that the '64s and '65s have narrower rear ends and less space in the rear wheel wells, so a comparison with later models won't work.

[b-man]

Originally Posted by Chris65LeMans

Note that the '64s and '65s have narrower rear ends and less space in the rear wheel wells, so a comparison with later models won't work.

Adding to that is the ‘64-‘65 front wheel opening is tighter at the bottom than on ‘66-‘67 so front tire size is more limited on the earlier cars.

[Joe-Touring]

Originally Posted by b-man

Adding to that is the ‘64-‘65 front wheel opening is tighter at the bottom than on ‘66-‘67 so front tire size is more limited on the earlier cars.

Ah well, scratch all that then haha

[The Champ]

Just would like to point out that the 245/45/17 is only 25.7" tall, with is a LOT shorter than the tires these cars came with (about 27").

I run 215/55/17's (26.3") on the front of my '64 and 245/50/17's (26.6") on the rear. I have the 1" wider 12 bolt rear but the the 245/50's still clear. Wheels are 17x7 with 4.625" BS.

[b-man]

With the 17x7”’ wheel and roughly the same backspacing as the OPs 17x8” wheels your front tire is tucked in about an inch further inside. So that makes it easier to run a taller tire like the 215/55-17.

Kind of apples to oranges here, that same tire on a rim with another inch plus of width added to the outside would likely have interference.

[The Champ]

b-man

I've got front disc brakes which widen the track. The 215's are NARROWER than the 245/45's. I have run 235/60/15's (26.1") with 15x7's with 4.25" BS with the disc brakes with no clearance issues.

17's with 4.5" BS would match up to an 17 with 4" BS as far as putting the tire in the exact same spot, so only .625 " difference, not 1". The 215/55 is about 1.2" narrower, so in reality, .625 vs .60 so clearance should be fine. And that's not even considering the front disc brakes. I have previously run 235/60/15's with 15x7's with 425" BS.

If the OP likes the idea of short tires, that's what he should do. But if he'd rather be closer to original tire height, I was giving him an option that should work on his car.

On the rear, the .625 BS difference is only .125:" different because of by my 1" wider rear end, I had room for 255/50/17's on the rear, but my tire choice didn't have that size available.