want to buy deep dish SS Cragar 15X10 rims for rear tire 295/50/R15. The b/s of the deep dish Cragar is 3.5". Will the tire stick out beyond the edge of the wheel well? Thanks for your help!

A friend of mine in Indiana has this combination on a '70 SS396. The tires don't stick out much but are under the fender lip. I believe he has to use air shocks to avoid contact. The 15x8 Cragar w/std (4 1/8) b/s should place that tire cleanly inside the fenderwells.

thanks Gator!!!

Gator - I had a follow on question regarding the 295/50/15 tire........thanks for the scoop on the 15X8, 4.25 bs...... do you happen to recall if there was any sidewall "bulge" with the 15X8? Thanks. Bob

I'm looking for this sort of combination for my 67.(295/50/15 with 15x8 or 15x10). Are the wheel wells from 67-70 that much different in size?? will this combination fit my 67??

295/50/15 really needs at least a 9" wheel to avoid too much sidewall bulge. They will fit, but check the tire manufacturers site for minimum wheel width. If you have to order wheels with special backspacing, go for 5" to 5.5" backspacing. (Mine are 5.5".) I "think" this applies to 64-67 as well as 68-72. (Not too familiar with 64-67's. I think the rear axle assembly is 1" narrower than 68-72.)

Check this earlier post for some more info and photos.

http://www.chevelles.com/cgi-bin/forum/ultimatebb.cgi/topic/8/2959.html?

295/50/15 really needs at least a 9" wheel to avoid too much sidewall bulge. They will fit, but check the tire manufacturers site for minimum wheel width. :confused: Too much sidewall bulge???

I have run BFGoorrich 295/50/15s on 15X8 wheels for 8+years and no problems... Not too much bulge, its within the manufacturers width range, and its safer on the narrower rim...

The 15X10 will require more air pressure to initially seat the bead and keep it seated... With the 15X8, the bead won't have to flex outward as much to seal with the rim... If tire pressure drops, its more likely to loose the seal with the wider rim and possibly cause a catastrophic loss of pressure...

Here's BFG's specs. Their range is 8.0" - 10.0"...
http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/assets/pdf/radial_ta.pdf

Sidewall bulge will be a personal preferrence anyway, but its not significant, and actually, despite being referred to as a bulge, the tire will actually fit a little better/easier with the narrower rim... The tread width will remain relatively the same, while the sidewall will flex inward slightly more (away from fender lips, etc allowing more room).

I'm looking for this sort of combination for my 67 Crazy, the 295/50/15 will fit pretty easily on the 67. With the stock rearend, I run a 15X8 rim with about 4.75-inches on BS. This is also without trimming or rolling the fender lip.

I also run 265/50/15s up front with no real clearance problems...


Sorry, the pictures in my signature show the car with narrow redline biasplys... There is one picture in the Showroom,

but its kind of dark (I think you can still make out the trim ring on the rear tire. Not much "bulge" outside of that)...
http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/1966_L78/ChevelleA.jpg

Thanks very much. Glad I can give up on the battle of the bulge!! Ok, but here's the problem, I Want deep dish Cragars and the only bs they have is 3.5inches. So, the tire will stick out.....or I go with the 4.5in standard offset Cragar. I guess I can do that and the 15X8 rim to get the mostest tire under the rim.

Your right, Tony. Sidewall bulge is just a matter of preference. ;) My 295/50's on an 8" looked a little "tucked-in" to the wheel to me. In my post above, I should have said "....too much sidewall bulge....for my taste."

I think all the tire manufacturers I shopped said 8"-10" is OK. They all use a 9.5" wheel as the Measuring Rim Width for 295/50/15. Think that's mandated by some agency.

I put my 295/50's on today. For the heck of it, I asked the tire store to mount them on my Cragar 15X7 deep dish (2.5 bs) rims, just to get an idea of how they would fit, and to check out the sidewall bulge. Guess what!! They fit beautifully even with just 2.5 bs. The edge of the tire is centered in the lip of the fender. My coil springs, KYB shocks and airbags in the coil springs keep the tire a few inches away, so I think I'm going to keep what I have and then probably go to the 15X8 to stay with the manufacturer's recommendation. I'll try to borrow a digital camera and take a pic, if you'd like. With 3.5 or 4.25 bs, there should be plenty of room: just like all you guys said. THANKS.