Wheel/Tire Opinion

Mlcdc1 said:

Pick up a set of old school rally’s 15x7 and the tire shop recommended going with a 255/60 R15.
opinions??

Click to expand...

The 60 series is going to be a lot shorter overall and will be a lower profile. I am going to stay with my original opinion and say 255/70. But it is YOUR truck. If you prefer a smaller diameter/lower profile the 60 series would be a decent choice.

Mlcdc1 said:

I‘d like to put a wider tire on my 1977 GMC C15 and looking for recommendations/suggestions. I’m currently running 235/75 R15 on factory steel wheels. I think I’d like to keep the appearance close to original and would welcome recommendations for a good/reliable source for wheels and tire size options. Thanks in advance for all your input.

Click to expand...

31x10.50R15d on your stock wheels, or on a factory style 15x8 ralley

Mlcdc1 said:

Pick up a set of old school rally’s 15x7 and the tire shop recommended going with a 255/60 R15.
opinions??

Click to expand...

You asked for opinions so here it is... Those rally wheels in the picture are not "old school" they are off of some late model express van and look like that's where they should stay. I guess they would be okay if they were free or close to it.

If you haven't purchased them yet keep shopping, this is what you're looking for.


Take note of the deep curved trim ring made from polished stainless, the shape of the wheel that makes it look like a deep offset when they really aren't, and the cute little vent holes... Dang, a good set of authentic rally's excites me!

There's whole generations of people out there that don't appreciate rally wheels because they aren't aluminum, or 14" wide, or 26" diameter, or you name it. Keep a look out on craigslist for a set, my dad even found a set of '70s Chevy car rally's at the dump one day a few years ago, had the trim rings and two center caps too.

ETA: I forgot to mention that its your truck & your money, you shouldn't give a shirt what I think.

AyWoSch Motors said:

31x10.50R15d on your stock wheels, or on a factory style 15x8 ralley

Click to expand...

31-10.50s only if going for the faux 4x4 look.

Same situation here, except I'm going to keep my 6,5x15 rally wheels. I currently have Bridgestone Dueller HTS 255/60R15 up front and 275/60R15 rear under my '85 normal height 2wd longbed (the red truck). I'm after some more rubber height and retro look.

Right now I'm torn in between 255/70R15 Cooper Cobras and a bit higher all terrain tires.

265/70R15 Cooper Discoverer A/T sport2's, would be the highest legal 15" tires for my truck where I live.The outline letters of the Discoverers A/T's would be easy to paint full white blocks like the Cobras to get the more 80's look. Also the 265/70r15 size of the Discoverers A/T's could be cool, a bit smaller than the utility look 31x10,5x15 that I have seen, but still a good amount of rubber.

245/75R15 General Grabber AT3 is a bit more pricey but also more classic gravel style option and it would have about the same height as the Discoverers. I kind of like the gravel tire idea of the Discoverers and Grabbers, but I just don't know if these are too "off-roadish" for a classic 2wd truck? At least the all terrain tires look nice the '69 2wd GMC image I found online.

255/70r15 Cooper Cobras would be the obvious choice, stylish for sure, but I'd have to settle for 1/4" smaller sidewall and 1/2" smaller diameter than the all terrain tire options. Still an inch higher than my current rears and 2" higher than what I have up front now.

Any ideas? Its about the looks really, performance is not an issue here. My truck is a sunny Sunday ride and gets only some 2000 miles per year. It is driven 90% in town, mostly for fun and to take our race-SUP boards to the beach.

These are 8-inch rally wheels with narrow trim rings and 255-70x15 Cooper Cobras. Just about right, I'd say. On 7-inch wheels, I'd probably use 235-75, which are about the same height. But they wouldn't be low profile, obviously. I personally think 235-60s are too short, unless they're used on the front of a slammed truck. Back in the day, you could get 245-70 tires, but now Tirerack.com shows exactly zero.

On my 72 Cheyanne Super I have ran 15x8 rallys with 255/60/15s and 275/60/15s for over 25 years. I LIKE IT THAT WAY.

I rechecked our local laws on tire sizes. Seems like now even 15% change in diameter is ok so that's not an issue. With that in mind the options would be:
- 31x10,5x15 BF Goodrich All Terrain TA:s?
- 255/70R15 Cooper Cobras?
Two totally different styles. The pricetag recommends Cooper Cobras but having bigger and rougher tire is also tempting...

I got 275/60/15 on mine.

Thanks for all the suggestions/recommendations. I’m still in the process of making a decision. I’m currently running with 1” wheel spacer-like the look with the tire set out a bit so have out in the mix the idea of completely new set of rims with less backspace and get rid of the spacer - a lot of choices to consider.

Opinions?

A long while ago my dad had a set of wheels for his 81 chevette widened i think by 1 1/4 inch. He wanted to run a wider tire keeping the stock look and it worked, it made the car. Just another option

Okay, you asked...no white letter tires.
Size? Your current size appears appropriate for your current wheel size.

I like the dog dish over the 90s look with that tire size. I like white letters too.

Mlcdc1 said:

Pick up a set of old school rally’s 15x7 and the tire shop recommended going with a 255/60 R15.
opinions??

Click to expand...

I put a set of 255/60/15s on the front of my shortwide only because I wanted a little more clearance for when I get it lowered. But they do look tiny in comparison to the 275/60 on the back. If I wasn’t lowering, I’d go 275/60 all around. They look meaty and suit these trucks nicely IMHO.