What size 14" tire can I use on my 66

[sixty2rampside]

Is a 205 70 14 the biggest tire I can use
On the front of my 66 corsa without rubbing
The fender ?

[bbodie52]

Factors such as wheel backspacing dimensions, wheel width, overall tire diameter and width, sidewall profile, etc. can impact the answer to your question. The following websites can help you to successfully "desktop" finding the answer...

The Tire Rack http://www.tirerack.com/ is a good source for tire performance reviews and tire data.

Sizing Corvair Wheels and Tires
http://autoxer.skiblack.com/tires.html

SELECTING CUSTOM WHEELS AND TIRES FOR YOUR CORVAIR
viewtopic.php?f=225&t=6066

My Current tire sizes on my 1966 Corsa are:

Current Tire Product and Size:
Front: Goodyear Eagle ST P195/70 R14
Overall Diameter: 24.8" Revs per Mile: 839
Rear: Goodyear Eagle ST P235/60 R14
Overall Diameter: 25.1" Revs per Mile: 829

Although the rear body and suspension clearances will generally permit larger rear tires, running the same size on all four corners permits periodic tire rotation between the front and rear axles, which can help to balance wear patterns and extend tire life. I plan on switching to 16" wheels and will run the same size low-profile radial tires on all four rims.

[DemonPig]

You are talking about diameter not the width, correct?

Just measure the well, measure the tire, account for up and down movent and add a bit for inflation.

I think you should be able to fit a 215/70 or maybe even 225/70.

Not sure why you want to go big on the front though. Personaly I would stick, at maximum, a 215/60r14 in there and 225/60r14 on the rear. At this moment I have 185/65r14 and 215/60r14.

[sixty2rampside]

I'm not really wanting a big tire on the front
I recently purchased a set of 14 " American racing
Wheels. With new 215 -70 tires on them
But after mounting the wheels noticed the
Fronts rub hard on the front fender when
Turning. I was just wandering what size
14" tires others are using on the front?

[bbodie52]

As I previously mentioned...

My Current tire sizes on my 1966 Corsa are:

Current Tire Product and Size:
Front: Goodyear Eagle ST P195/70 R14
Overall Diameter: 24.8" Revs per Mile: 839
Rear: Goodyear Eagle ST P235/60 R14
Overall Diameter: 25.1" Revs per Mile: 829

SEE THE SPECS TAB ON THE FOLLOWING LINK...

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp ... mpare1=yes

A BF Goodrich Radial T/A P215/70R14 has an overall diameter of 25.9", with 803 Revs per Mile. That is 1.1" larger that the P195/70 R14 Goodyears I am currently running successfully, without clearance problems, on the front of my 1966 Corsa. Since they are a 70 series tire on your car, the overall diameter of your tires is also greater than the 60 series tires I'm running on the rear (0.8"). But the narrower tread width on your 215 tires would and the lack of a need to steer helps with adequate rear clearance on your car. The tires you currently have on the front exceed the maximum size recommended for the front of the LM Corvair and result in the rubbing problem you mentioned. A P205/70R14 is probably the maximum 70 series tire you can fit on the front of your Corvair without the noted interference. (25.4" / 821 Revs per Mile)

http://autoxer.skiblack.com/tires.html

[DemonPig]

Yes, most people are actually using smaller tires on the front, not just because they are rubbing but also to drop the overall height down for better weight distribution.

My car came into my possession with 215/60r14 fronts and 215/70r14 rears.
Rears were all cracked so I put the fronts on the rear and found a pair of 185/65r14 used tires for 20 bucks to put on the front. Installed them yesterday. The front to rear difference in diameter is around 6%.
Down the line, I'll probably go just a tad larger on both ends.

[66vairguy]

Corvair folks fit all kinds of tire sizes and there are a lot of considerations.

First - is your front end lowered, a lot of folks cut a coil and that will reduce tire to fender lip clearance in a turn.

Second - rim backspace makes a difference. a shallow backspace will cause tire to fender lip problems.

Third - Are you worried about speedometer accuracy. On a LM the front tire turns the speedometer cable.
A 205/70X14 is as close mathematically to the old 7:00X13 tire circumference as you can get.

The stock rim has a 4.25" backspace. You can fit a 6" or 7" wide 14" rim with a 4.5" backspace and if you haven't lowered the front end tire clearance should be fine.

On the rear I've fitted 245/60X14 tires with a 4.5" backspace on a 7" wide rim with no issues. Note the 245/60x 14 has a slightly larger circumference than a 7:00x13" tire and a 235/60x14 is slightly smaller.

[66vairguy]

Oh - a nice way to get rid of the nose high attitude is to install NEW rear springs and leave the old front springs as is and put the spare in the trunk. Then again I don't like a car "slammed" since it reduces tire clearance and you have to be careful about not damaging the bottom of the car.

Each to their own.

[sixty2rampside]

I have not lowered the front end, I'm using
American racing wheels 7" wide with 3 3/4
Back spacing with 215-70 14 they look
Good and the rears are fine but tge fronts
Rub, so guess I'll have to go to a 205-70 on front

[SfcColts]

I put on BF Goodrich Radial TA 205/60 R14 on my Corvair.

If I had to purchase tires again I would go with 205/65 R14. My spedometer is a little fast with my current tires and I figure the 65's would let it read correctly
I had 235/70 R14 on the rims and they rubbed when turning hard.

[viewmaster]

I have not lowered the front end, I'm using
American racing wheels 7" wide with 3 3/4
Back spacing with 215-70 14 they look
Good and the rears are fine but tge fronts
Rub, so guess I'll have to go to a 205-70 on front

sixty2rampside...how do those 215-17 14's ride? Is there excessive road noise or stiffness in them? I'm looking for a smooth riding tire/wheel combo for my 500 sedan, for daily driving. Maybe go 15"...

-m

[sixty2rampside]

I never really drove on these tires I bought
The rims and tires off craigslist and when
I put them on my car they rubbed on front
Fenders, so I'm needing a 205-70-14 for fronts