[ORIGINAL68]

Hello all I am at the point where I need to decide on tires and wheels currently has original 14 inch wheels and original hub caps. I am leaning towards keeping original wheels and just replacing the tires. I put in a t-5 speed and it has mid 350 hp for weekends only. Does anyone have a recommendation for 195 75 r14 replacement tires. I see them on the net for between $50 and 75$ each. Do the original wheels and caps look out of place too small. I did the arning drop. Should I just get new wheels 15x8 or 16 wheels . I can't make up my mind. The car will stay lime gold as it is the original color, so nothing bling. Any suggestions on wheels. this process is making my head spin. Thanks for any advise.

 

[NEFaurora]

Go to 205/70/R14 or 205/75/R14 's...

When it comes to 14" White Wall Tires...Most people today (myself included) usually buy the Hankook 724 Optimo tires sold by the Discount Tire Store National Chain. They are usually around $60 each and are speed rated..

I would keep the Original '68 Wheels and '68 Deluxe Caps. She's a beauty!

)

Tony K.

 

[Huskinhano]

The realistic answer is go 17's. 15" selection is drying up. 16's I think are in that middle zone, still available, look good but their future is that of 15's. Today every car has 17's. Tons of selection and great prices

 

[NEFaurora]

"The realistic answer is go 17's. 15" selection is drying up."

Not really...14" and especially 15" tires are still readily available... Yes, Less are being made, but they are still easily found.

Besides, Not everyone wants "less tire" and "more wheel"....Ride comfort certainly suffers when you do that...The bigger the wheel...The harder the ride... That's just a given.

)

Tony K.

 

[jdub]

I say keep the 14s and go with the Optimos.

If you go 15 your options will open up as far as wheel styles but you'll be stuck with bad yet not inexpensive tires.

If you go 16 you can get some Torq Thrust Ds that are really expensive but it opens up the tire selection. There's also Mini-Lite style wheels in 16 but I feel as though these are racing wheels and might seem silly on a car that didn't have other racing features.

If you go 17 there's a couple more suitable styles of wheel than 16s but it's really limited as to what will look good on 67-68. That's not knocking the car, that's praising the car for having such a classic style that it's really easy to ruin with the wrong wheel.

 

[cmefly]

These would look sharp on your car with a 225-60-15 tire. Some pics of a friends 68 cal special in our shop. You can easily find quality tires in that size
https://www.ecklers.com/ford/ford-m...erm=4583245503514102&utm_content=All Products

 

[bmcgc]

It all depends on the look you are after.

My 67 has 14s with stock hubcaps and I love the look.

My 65 has 15x7 styled wheels and Im so-so on the look, I would prefer stock 14s with 15 Magnum 500s a close second.

 

[69bosssvt]

My favorite...sans GT

 

[2nd 66]

if the OP intends to stay on 14's and has 350Hp and a T-5 I say buy the cheapest tires you can find. You won't be able to hook up any way, especially if you have an open dif

 

[zray]

Selection? As far as I know, All you can use is 4 tires at a time, and usually they are all 4 exactly alike. As long as Avon is making 15" tires, I'll never (again) run 16" or larger. To me the larger diameter look hurts the rest of the car's appearance, but that's just me. Many here can't get tires large enough. Maybe therapy is called for, (for me), so I can coexist with the large tire majority.

A set of 15" CR6ZZ Avon tires will run circles around all but the priciest 17's , and look better on a vintage car to boot.

But for the OP, a weekend driver, I agree with some previous posts, stick with 14" tires and wheels. Original looking cars are becoming more and more rare. Avoid the cost of new wheels and spend the money on gasoline, where it will do you some good

......after all, you can't look at your wheels and drive at the same time, and which activity is more important ?

Z

 

[2nd 66]

Selection? As far as I know, All you can use is 4 tires at a time, and usually they are all 4 exactly alike. As long as Avon is making 15" tires, I'll never (again) run 16" or larger. To me the larger diameter look hurts the rest of the car's appearance, but that's just me. Many here can't get tires large enough. Maybe therapy is called for, (for me), so I can coexist with the large tire majority.

A set of 15" CR6ZZ Avon tires will run circles around all but the priciest 17's , and look better on a vintage car to boot.

But for the OP, a weekend driver, I agree with some previous posts, stick with 14" tires and wheels. Original looking cars are becoming more and more rare. Avoid the cost of new wheels and spend the money on gasoline, where it will do you some good

......after all, you can't look at your wheels and drive at the same time, and which activity is more important ?

Z

Aww come on do the sticky coin pic

 

[zray]

Aww come on do the sticky coin pic

Avon's CR6ZZ tires, suspending the law of gravity:

Z

 

[kenash]

I like the Blue Streaks with a soft compound. However, may not last long on the street, LOL! BTW, your caps look refreshing and nice.

 

[myfirstcar66]

The 1968 Styled Steel wheels would look great as an alternative to the stock wheel covers, and that original look is what makes your car stand out in today's tired Hot Wheels world.
Still running 14s on my '66.
Still running 14s on my older son's '66.
Still gonna run 14s on my younger son's '66.
It's part of the classic look, and they give a great ride
I have my original wheels and hubcaps in my shed. I ran some aftermarket chrome wheels for a long time and I'm using those as rollers for the latest car. I found a set of 5 original Styled Steel wheels, restored them and I'm enjoying those a LOT.
I have Cooper Cobra Radial GTs in 225-70-14.
My Emberglo car has Uniroyal Tiger Paw AWP 195-75-14.
B F Goodrich still has 14s available if you wanna spend more. I'm running blackwalls out for ease of maintenance. Run yours with white walls or raised white letters, or outlined white letters if you want...
Wheels are something you can always change later if you don't like them. Keep the wheel covers, or go for the Styled Steel wheels for a little period-correct flash. Have FUN ! ! !

 

[NEFaurora]

The Magnum 500's look good on any Mustang.....


)

Tony K.

 

[zray]

The Magnum 500's look good on any Mustang.....".

^^^^^^+1

no wheel says '60's era muscle as well as the Magnum 500. Nothing against the Cragars and other '60's wheels, but the Magnum 500 had the volume that said "most popular". The other wheels however special, took a backseat to the Magnum 500's simple and effective design.



Z

 

[dobrostang]

I'll never (again) run 16" or larger. To me the larger diameter look hurts the rest of the car's appearance, but that's just me.
Z

It really depends on your point of view, if your stuck in the '60s and can't handle the modernization of the world, this is a great point of view (jab jab ;o))). HOWEVER, if you are open to things like flat screen TVs and smart phones (jab jab ;o))), I think 16s are a nice nod to vintage with a touch of modernization, my personal favorite choice for a resto-mod that isn't too crazy updated. 17s are a very modern look and work on cars with blue lighted square radios, custom center consoles and wild gauges. 18s and above are just silly looking to me, but hey, I don't Instagram or Twitter...


All of that said, Z your car looks awesome but these daze, you should have hundred-dollar-bills stuck to the tires. I stopped running sticky tires when I had my first kid and the Mustang took second fiddle. Further, sticky tires do not age gracefully if your not working the car hard often. I do miss getting pinned to the door on a track, I just can't afford watching balls of rubber bounce across my hood any more - sigh...

 

[ORIGINAL68]

wheels

Thanks to all who gave me their opinion and pictures. I really like the styled wheels and the magnum 500 both would look awesome on the car. I have decide to just replace the old tires with new Optimo tires suggested by NEFaurora. Until I get the car broken and I am 100 percent sure on the wheels it is the logical choice. For 2nd 66 I had Currie rebuild the rear with tru-trac and 3.25 gears should be a fun car.

 

[zray]

It really depends on your point of view, if your stuck in the '60s and can't handle the modernization of the world, t......."...

I can handle all the modernization George Jetson can throw at me.

My one and only misgiving about putting large(r) diameter wheels on a vintage car is upsetting and degrading the totality of the car's design. I have no doubt the lines of the car would be very different had the Ford designers been given 17" to 20" wheels to integrate into their design. Likewise, I wouldn't want to ugly-up a modern car with 1960's sized rubber.

As an amateur student of graceful designs of all types, I believe you can't change one aspect without needing to make more changes just to keep the flow and proportions in proper balance. That is the only issue I have with putting 17" or larger tires / wheels on any '60's car, especially one that was awarded the Tiffany (Medal) for Design Excellence.

2 cents.


Z

 

[67CustomStang]

It really depends on your point of view, if your stuck in the '60s and can't handle the modernization of the world, this is a great point of view (jab jab ;o))). HOWEVER, if you are open to things like flat screen TVs and smart phones (jab jab ;o))), I think 16s are a nice nod to vintage with a touch of modernization, my personal favorite choice for a resto-mod that isn't too crazy updated. 17s are a very modern look and work on cars with blue lighted square radios, custom center consoles and wild gauges. 18s and above are just silly looking to me, but hey, I don't Instagram or Twitter...

I had a hard time deciding on wheel size initially.
I ended up going to tire racks website and using the wheel visualizer on the car.
Looked at 15, 16 17" wheels of the same design.
I ended up with 16" because I felt that they were a good compromise in both appearance (not taking up too much of the overall diameter of the wheel well) and leaving enough side wall to keep the ride reasonably comfortable.
My fun, while the mustang is being finished, is a BMW Z3 which runs 17" wheels. Going over a bump is a total kidney crusher with the stiffness of the suspension and the low side walls.
JMO YMMV