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Tire size question

challengingjab

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What is the largest 15" tire that will fit my 74 Challenger without modifactions to the spring brks ? I have air shocks.
Also if I use 8" American Racing Out law ll rims what back spacing will I need to ask for I am using 14x7" wheels on the front with P235/60R 14 tires on the front
 
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challengingjab

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I honestly don't know I need help picking the largest 15 inch tire and wheel combo I can use with the American outlaw ll wheels to match the front 14 inch wheels and what back set I need with out altering the car
Can you make a suggestion?
 

moparleo

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The first thing that I recommend to anyone asking questions about correct applications whether talking about tires, carbs, cams etc...Is to contact the manufacturer of that item and talk to their tech dept. Since they are the ones who design and manufacture the products, they will have all of the info that you need most of the time. As far as what will fit, the info that I give you is for not any particular brand or model of 15" rim. Generally the largest to fit would be an 8-8 1/2" wide, 4 1/2" backspace rim. This will allow up to a 275/60-15 sized tire. If you roll the fender lips properly, the 295/50-15 should fit. If any one out there are using air shocks to gain tire clearance, there is a reason why they are not popular anymore. They were originally intended to level a vehicle carrying a temporary load, like a small trailer. They were not intended to do the job of the rear springs, which is to carry the weight of the rear of the vehicle. If the rear sits low with no load, then the rear springs need to be replaced with a heavy duty spring or have the rear springs re-arced. If you have your springs rebuilt you can tell the rebuilder if you need more installed height and how much you need. They can build the springs to hold any load and /or what ride height you want. One of the common results of excessive air-shock use is for the rear cross bar the the top of the shocks mount to either bend or break. They were designed to mount the standard shock absorber to. Not to carry any load or weight.
I would also use aa 15X7" front rim. This will give you more clearance on your disc brake calipers and some times you cannot get both 14" and 15" tires to have a matching tread pattern or lettering. The front suspension on a Mopar has a big weakness because of not using a lower a-arm, which has front and rear attaching pivot points like the upper control arm has. The lower control arm bushing which attaches the torsion bar to the lower control arm. Which is then attached to the k-frame is not a very rigid connection. Using wide, negative offset wheels put a lot of stress on the bushings and wheel bearings that they were not designed to do. You can fit up to a 235/60-15 tire with no problems.
 
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challengingjab

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THANKS, I thought I had read in another post that you had said the 295s would work . But I didn't remember you saying that the fender edges had to be rolled . And I wondered about that
I really think the 275s will suit my need since I don't intend to race anyway . I just want the back to be some what larger than the front for looks and not have to modify anthing. Again thanks
 

Adam

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Do not use air shocks; you run the risk of cracking the upper shock mounts. They are pretty thin in these cars, as you can see. These pictures are of my 92,000 original mile 71 Challenger with the trunk pan removed. L shock mount.jpgR shock mount.jpg

L shock mount.jpg


R shock mount.jpg
 

JAS

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What about super stock springs? Won't they "lift" the rear up enough for tire clearance? Interested because I run air shocks now, but want to fix this problem. I run a huge tire on the back.
 

moparleo

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Your problem is not the tire size. There is plenty of room in the fender well. Your problem is the reverse offset wheels that you have on. You can run the same tires if you use a more positive offset wheel.
 
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