I cant seem to get this right,need help. I have 16x8 centerline fluted hawks, with the bfg drag radials 255/50/16 on the back. On the front I have the problem, I have 15 inch fluted hawks, I think 6 inch wide. I have 175/80/15 and they dont look right. Here is my dilema. I need to get another size, I like the slight rake , and the thinner tire look on the front, but dont want to skinny because I drive it on the highway and street mostly. I have two tire sizes in mind, need opinions. 205/60/15 and 205/65/15. The only difference is the height the rear tire is 26.1 inches high, the 60 is 24.7 high and 65 is 25.5 high. Section width on rear is 10.3, other two fronts are listed as 8.2 wide. Can anyone steer me in the right direction? Thanks.

 

The 65 is about stock height, I would.go.that route to avoid and ride height issues that a short tire would create

 

Thanks for the reply. How can i determine sidewall height? I dont want to high a sidewall than the back. So if Im 26.1 in the back and 25.5 in the front that .6 or about half an inch rake. What gets me is the section width on the two tires.You would think a 65 would be a tad thinner than a 60. Or am I reading it wrong. Trust me I appreciate any and all help on this. Since I put those goofy 175/80/15 on there its been driving me crazy.

 

60 and 65 in this case is just the sidewall height, which is a percentage of the width. So they will not change the width by any meaningful amount.

if you are worried about the sidewall, then yes, the 65 will have a sidewall thats about 1/4" taller than the rear sidewall. Most people will never see or notice that. If its that much of a concern to you, then go with the shorter tire for the front. A smaller diameter tire in the from may look more "odd" than a 1/4" different in sidewall.

 

In your opinion would the 65 tire at the 25.5 overall height compared to the 26.1 rear height be as perfect a match Im looking for? So if this tire is chosen the sidewalls will only differ by 1/4 inch and over all height about 1/2 inch difference? I agree 1/ 4inch is miniscule. Now the question is the tread width both tires I looked at the 60 and 65 have the 8.2 tread width. I just cant seem to visualize the difference. Would that tire at 8.2 be noticably thinner than the 10.1 ? Drag radials are funny because the tread pattern extends over the curve of the tire. Just trying to visualize in my head, want to get this dead on this time. Can you elaborate if you could on why the original 175/80/15 looks weird on the front? What throws the wheel off is that the rim lip extends out further than the mounted tire.Where did I go wrong here?

 

Also I have to check this rim width, Im thinking they are 15x5 or 15x7. Does this change things?

 

Go to a decent tire shop, and they will mount up one of each and put it on the car so you can see it. If you can't get the car there, at least take all the wheels so you can compare. Any good shop should take care of you.