What is the skinniest wheel/tires you guys are runnin out there?

I want to get a set of REALLY skinny front runners, but most wheel companies don't suggest runnin 3.5" or 4" wheels on the street.

Centerline convo-pros are about the only ones.

Suggestions/ideas?

I like the Weld Draglites alot.
Convo-pros are next choice.
Then Drag Stars.

Who's runnin skiines, and what should I go for/stay away from?

80's AL:rockon:

 

i run a 15x5 with 165/75 VW tires, If you do mostly street driving, i wouldn't go less than 5 inch. Pot holes will be your worst enemy with a skinnier tire.

Eric

 

what's the height of that tire? isn't it a 24" tire, which is 2 inches shorter than the factory 26" tires up front?

 

I run 15x3.5" Weld Draglites with 165's. Just don't take corners like you own a ralley car and you'll be alright on the street.

 

She is gonna be a weekend warrior with the occasional drive to work on nice days.....about a 20 mile commute.

basically.....if I need to put in the T-tops...she stays home(or is goin down the track)

thanks..

80's AL:rockon:

 

i say do it, it would be fine, and look absolutely bad!

 

I put 165 R15 86T VW tires on 15 x 6 Weld Prostars. I think it looks good and seems to drive fine. I actually measured the diameter and got about 25 1/2", which is the same as the 16" tires I had on there stock. It does appear to have a slightly larger distance between the top of the tire and the body. Im thinking of lowereing the front about 1" with lowering springs. YOu could get HOosiero or MT front runners that are either 27" or even 28" tall. These VW tires cost about 50 bucks each and the MTs are like 95. The money I saved on tires over $180 goodyears just about paid for the rims. The regular Prostars fit fine over my disc brakes too. They are lighter and cheaper than the Prostar XPs, and I think look better because there is less space between the spokes.

Heres a pic

 

My Futura 165's cost like $50 a PAIR.

Whatever you do just don't get those bias-ply front runners. Not only do they suck horribly on the street, they also wear down very fast. Not quite what you want at $110+ a tire.

 

What are the bias ply front runners? Like Mickey thompson Sportsmen fronts? I wondered how those tires would last. I have drag radials on the back, but I only drive the car a couple of hundered miles per month.


$50 a pair! holy crap, I didn't know they sold tires that cheap. These things I bought dont even have a brand on them, I think they are Arizona something.

 

M/T ET Fronts, Moroso Drag Specials, Hoosier makes a set... all bias-ply tires. They're not street friendly at all (nor are they DOT approved for street use). They're supposed to increase your reaction time and make the car more stable on the top-end.

 

Larry D, you got any side/profile pics? Let me see.

Any one else for that matter!!

Thanks

80's AL:rockon:

 

Im considering lowering the front 1" with a set of lowering springs due to the increased gap between tire and body. I think it would look better. You can get a tire like a MT Sportsman front that is like 28" tall (this one is abou 25 1/2") but I like one of the previous messages said, they dont last long, and they are more expensive. This tire is a 30 thousand mile tire and cost $50 each installed. I think it would look kind of cool slightly lower in the front too. The reason I went with 15" rims is there is so much more choice of tires available.

 

Larry, show me a pic of your whole car, tire sizes, wheel size and back space....you are pretty close to what look I am goin for..

Thanks, and nice ride, by the way!!!

80's AL :rockon:

 

the "bad side" of my hooptie

 

Front shot... In the previous picture the car is leaning forward because my driveway tilts downward. Makes the car looks like its "racked" when in reality it sits almost level.

 

I run 3.5 with 165/15 tires and i drive my car everyday i can take corners at 40 -45 if needed. It drives just like before. Ive hit so many pot holes and mine are still true so i say 3.5's. There weld draglites.

 

i just bought 15x4 pro stars with 165r 15s, i plan on driving around on them on the street, but i dont expect to go jumpin curbs and stuff.

 

Thats good curbs are bad. lol. I dont jump them either but someitmes pot holes are unavoidable and i hit them and my rims are fine yet they were just checked and there perfect.

 

what size tire are you running in the front height wise??? and what about the rear???

 

As mentioned above, the most common size skinny is the 165R15 VW tire. You may have to shop around since not all tire shops carry them. At least when using one of these, it will probably be the last skinny you every buy unless you do a lot of mileage to wear them out or damage them. The drag skinnies are not designed for street use at all and will wear out very quickly. Hoosier, GoodYear and MT all make a drag skinny.

165R15 are just about impossible to find as a bias tire any more. The extra weight of the radial is very minimal and the radial has less rolling resistance anyway. The only drawback is the height. A taller tire gives a better rollout in the staging beams. The 165R15 tires are normally an 80 ratio although it's never specified. So a 165/80R15 works out to 25.39" tall. The above post of 25.5" is close enough especially when you put 40-45 psi of air in them.

If you want a taller tire to either fill the wheel well or increase the rollout, you'll need to spend the extra money for a drag front tire but make sure they see very limited street use.

I run my 165R15's on 3-1/2" rims and I'm surprised at how well those ones look in the above picture on the 6" rims.

I'm with Larry though and agree that there's too much tire to fender space. That's how my car normally sits. Cut coils is the cheap way to drop the front end but drop spindles from the GP would be the better way to go.

 

hey wats the safest skinnyest tire you can use to travel on the highway like at 85 mph?because i drive to the closest track which is a 75 min drive at 85 mph

 

165R15.

It's a non-speed rated tire so that means to 87 mph.

I had a buddy who was coming back from his ex-GFs house in downstate IL and he did 100 MPH back almost all the way on them. Probably not a good thing to do, but it is possible.

 

For extended periods of time. Not too many places you can do that legally on the highway. Since on the dragstrip that rating means 15 seconds and quicker cars but it'll only be over the speed limit for 10 seconds or less so it's still safe on the dragstrip.

 

15x5 front Weld Pro Stars here, with 205/70/15 Toyo Spectrum tires rated to 108mph or something like that. Should be nice for daily driving

 

My 15X4 warriors with Tire barn 165/80 or 85's sit fine and drive real well. I still have the 4cyl springs under the front, so it pretty much sits on the bup stops , but it mostly is a drag car, so I don't woory too much about the steering angles. I have driven it 30 miles to the strip and work before, and never had any problems. If memory serves me I paid $50 each but with lifetime road hazard.
John

 

i run a 205/75/15 up front. its 27" and matches my 28's out back a lil better than the 165's.
you have to do a lil tinkering to the car to get them to turn lock to lock without rubbing, but its not that bad.
my car is kinda low, if you were stock height, it may not be a problem.
car steers and tracks much better with this tire as well.

 

Ï was thinking about those Eibach 1 inch lowering springs. Is there any drawback for drag racing to lower the front like that? Whats the difference int he lowering springs and the drop spindles. This is not a daily driver, but I do drive it on the street, to the strip and gatherings and stuff, not very far, so I can do pretty much anything I want.

 

Im considering prostars up front as well. I want the 15x3.5 is the 1 3/4's spacing fine? And which bolt cirlce do i need? 5 x 4 1/2 or 5 x 4 3/4? Its an 86 iroc with discs up front. Stock hub in rotor discs.

 

5x4.75 bolt circle

 

Since this thread has been brought back from the dead, I need to add an update. I've switched from the 165R15 VW tires to a 28" MT front runner. I wanted the taller tire to add some rollout.

Small Chev (majority of the GM cars) is 5 on 4-3/4". Large Chev found on pickup trucks and some B-body is 5 on 5.

Ford and I think Dodge is 5 on 4-1/2".

Pro Star's only have a single bolt pattern so buy a set with 5 on 4-3/4" for your F-body. If you buy something like Draglite's, they come with dual bolt pattern so they'll fit the 4-1/2 and 4-3/4" bolt pattern.

 

Will i need new studs at all ? Also what size lugs will i need. Much appreciated guys!

 

youll need the specific style lugsnuts to run with the weld wheels, but you can get them for the stock 12MM studs no problem.
might have to order them, as the parts stores and speed shops dont keep them in stock in my hometown.
good luck!

 

Pro Star and Draglite rims have a very thick center part of the rims. Factory wheel studs will be too short. You'll need to upgrade to at least a 2-1/2" long wheel stud. You'll also need special wheel nuts, sort of like the old "mag" nuts. The wheel nut will have a shank that fits down the wheel stud hole in the rim and the nut sits on a washer that presses against the rim. Since you'll need new studs and nuts, you don't have to get them in 12mm. 7/16" studs and nuts will do fine. You could even upgrade to 1/2" if you want. You'll have to remove the rotors to replace the studs. The only benefit to using 12mm studs is that you won't have to drill out the stud holes. Using 7/16 or 1/2", you'll just need to drill the stud holes out slightly for the knurls. An electric hand drill can do it.