Any suggestions on a tire size

[bobdavis2010]

Hi I'm looking for suggestions on a tire size I have 14 inch wheels on my 59 Chevy I am thinking some white lettering tires but I'm not sure what size to buy to make the wheelbase look full any suggestions or pictures of your truck with 14inch wheels
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[bobdavis2010]

Here is a picture

[mr48chev]

There is a kid who works at the local Les Schwab tire store who will tell you I am not a fan of white letter tires after he put white out on my truck and had to change them around when his boss showed him the work order that had BLACK SIDE OUT in big letters. on it.

That said the tire rack site is one of the best for giving you all the specs you might want on a tire and some you never thought of. a 225 70 14 BFG radial TA is a good looking tire and is 26.5 in diameter and 6.8 wide in the tread. That would be good for the front but you might want taller on the back. https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...SR4RADTARWL2V3

[1958Warrior]

I don't understand what you mean by..." the wheelbase look and gray look"
But 14" wheels are too small for these trucks,IMO will not look or work good , you will be limited on tire size. You need to think about your drive train , what engine / trans do you have? what gear do have in the rear end? you plan on changing any thing ? rear end ? front ifs?

14 " rims will not work with most disc brake calipers , if you choose to do ifs , 6 lug -14" wheels and tires will be wasted money.

But if you plan on keeping all stock suspension ,drive train, it will work Id get the tallest tires you can to fill the wheel wells. You may not get to pass any one on the highway. Looks like a 27" tire is as tall as you can go.

A modern 6 lug stock wheel will give you 15,16"+ rims and a wide selection of tires. For stock rims I see sets on CL for $100.

[bobdavis2010]

Thanks, The truck will move for sure with the 5.7 motor although it might not stop hahaha as I am running the stock suspension (drums) just trying to save money and keep the 14" wheels
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[1958Warrior]

here is a good calculator to see how many rpms you'd be turning to go 70 mph

I came up with 3600rpm ,with 4.11gear, 27" tire

http://www.angelfire.com/fl/procrastination/rear.html

[1958Warrior]

An overdrive trans would help get the rpms down, stock rear gears usually are 4.11 but no replacements for more highway friendly gear for stock rear axle . that's why most change out the rear axle.
They make disc brake conversions for the front, better stopping. but then your wheels probably wont fit over the brake calipers....still limited by the rim size.

If you drive it for what it is ,a 58 year old tuck with drum brakes you'd be fine .

[Warrens69GMC]

You still 6 lug? Awesome deal for 15x8 here

https://albuquerque.craigslist.org/w...192441257.html

[mr48chev]

Here's a chart that you might like. Shows the available tire sizes for 14 inch. https://www.tirerack.com/tires/sizes...sp?diameter=14

They go up to 245 60 14 Those are BFG at 600 a set though

Here is a new one to me a tire size comparison chart that you can plug in different tire sizes and see what height and how they change the reading on a speedometer.
Toyota tacoma site but a cool comparison chart
https://www.tacomaworld.com/tirecalc...0r14-215-75r14

The two tallest 14 inch tires that aren't 4x4 off road or mud grip tires are the 215 75 14 and the 225 70 14 if that helps. That comparison shows that both are a bit over 26 inches tall.

[mr48chev]

I didn't even notice that the wheels were six lug but going to 15 inch rims sure would open up the tire options for you and let you run a taller tire that is more compatible with the rear axle gears That chart that I showed in post nine shows the rpm in different gear ratios for the tires you plug in at the bottom . It might cost some to change rims but getting a taller tire on that truck will cut down engine speed and save a bunch of engine wear and a lot of gas.

[bobdavis2010]

I think I'll have to look for a 15" set any suggestions
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[bosco]

I went with 16 x8 wheels with 235 60 16. I like a lower profile tire, but wanted to get a larger wheel closer to the stock 15" wheels and tires.

[dsraven]

here is a great tire size comparison chart with a visual comparison of the old tire and the new tire.

https://tiresize.com/comparison/


here is a tire height/rear axle ratio/trans gear ratio/engine rpm chart that works pretty good.


https://www.ringpinion.com/calculators/Calc_RPM.aspx


personally I think you need to have as much or more stopping power than you have go power. I always recommend doing a brake, steering and suspension upgrade before or at the same time as an engine upgrade. just for safety sake.

[bobdavis2010]

If I was to change out the rear end ? What rear end would be ideal ? Is it just a swap or is there a lot of modifications that need to be done
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[Warrens69GMC]

Originally Posted by bobdavis2010

I think I'll have to look for a 15" set any suggestions
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See my post #8

[mr48chev]

[QUOTE=bobdavis2010;8009916]I think I'll have to look for a 15" set any suggestions
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Bob it's what you like and what your wallet can swing not what we like.

We have have the whole spectrum of truck budgets on here and different guys have different ideas on wheels.

Some of the inexpensive new wheels at the tire store look like and are trailer wheels like what you see on the lawn mower dude's trailer running around town and while they are strong they scream "my owner is cheap and doesn't have a clue" when they are on a truck running around town. Still there are wheels that don't break the bank and look great. That set that someone posted off craigslist at 250 wasn't a bad deal and would rock on that truck. You can probably get half of that back off the 14 inchers and maybe more.
A 6 lug favorite of mine and many is the mid 70's 4x4 rally wheels that came on K10 or Blazers. 15x8 and they can usually still be found fairly reasonable and they always look great on a TF truck that isn't a wild custom.