Steel Road Wheels - What Fits

[Fresh Air Inspector]

Hello All,

First, apologies if this info could be found in the Forum. I just joined yesterday and I did search this forum. Having said that I did find the 'search' function somewhat limited.

The '88 Plymouth Caravelle (Grand Fury), project I acquired a year ago will become a 'sleeper'. Although the vehicle is in very good condition it will be a complete 'nut and bolt' restoration. One of the items on the 'to do' list is to upgrade the rear wheels from the existing 15 x 7 to something wider. This where my questions come in;
1. I found that Wheel Vintiques makes wider replicas, BUT either they stopped making them or inventory is really low plus the widths jump from 8" to 10". Does anyone know of another source? I had heard that Mopar still carry wide wheels.
2. The stock 7" wheels have a backspace of 4". What is the widest wheel that fits within the stock wheel wells and with what backspace?
3. Based on the answer to question #2, what is the maximum tire size that will fit that rim?

Looking forward to the feedback.

 

[AMC Diplomat]

Thread 'Want to go a little wider than stock...' Want to go a little wider than stock...

Thread 'Tire brand' Tire brand

 

[Fresh Air Inspector]

Hello AMC Diplomat,

Many thanks for the quick reply. Unfortunately neither link had the info I was looking for but it does help in understanding the search logic this site uses.

Wheel Vintiques produces a 15 x 8 as well as a 15 x 10 replica wheel but it is difficult to understand if either one as a wheel / tire combo will fit my car. I assume either wheel would require a 4.5" backspace to ensure the tire doesn't contact the inner fender.

I suspect my only option is to 'mock up' a wheel / tire combo and see what will work.

Still hope that someone out there can confirm if the original wheels are still available from Mopar. I haven't had any luck beating the bushes here. :-(

BTW, I prefer the Tacoma World page for comparing tire sizes (link below). It gives you a wealth of information including speedometer accuracy and engine RPM at 65 mph (105 kph), based on rear end ratio. Based on my research a 225 section tire is the widest recommended for a 7" wide wheel.

205/75-R15 vs 225/70-R15 Tire Comparison - Tire Size Calculator | Tacoma World

225/70-R15 tires are 0.3 inches (7.5 mm) larger in diameter than 205/75-R15 tires and the speedometer difference is 1.1%

www.tacomaworld.com

Hope it helps.

 

[AMC Diplomat]

15x7 front, 15x8 rear, hunt craigslist, Facebook marketplace, for a bodies only classifieds, or ebay if you want to pay a lot of money.

I picked up two police rims for $60 total. They're out there. Just have to hunt

 

[Fresh Air Inspector]

Hello AMC Diplomat,

You are a wealth of knowledge!

My challenge is twofold; I live in a small province (~1m people), on the east coast of Canada and buying stuff in the US means currency difference, duty and shipping costs. All that usually means the price more than doubles. :-( So I try to buy from someone in Canada, if I strike out I start looking south of the border.

I'll try the ones you suggested to see what is out there, wish me luck.

 

[AMC Diplomat]

Ah... yeah. You're in for a treat then. Boston has a lot of good junkyards but that's like what, 12 hours? It's what, 11 hours to Quebec city? Maybe you'll get lucky and there's a mopar group closer to you. A swap meet maybe? A lot of this Mopar part stuff comes down to networking. I know a guy outside Boston who can get a lot of stuff, but that's still a haul

 

[Mikes5thAve]

$60 for 2 police rims is a great price these days.

The 10" one might not fit but you get pretty decent size tires in there Even on the stock rims.

 

[AMC Diplomat]

$60 for 2 police rims is a great price these days.

I like good deals and keeping my money in my pocket