Tire upgrades for Avanti II 1974

[StingrayHawaii]

Did some research and sizing and finally figured out a good mix of tire sizes to upgrade from the skinny 205 x75x 15 that were on my 74 AvantiII.

The tires that were on it were in excellent condition and looked fine, but the DOT code showed the were 2012 tires and 6 years old.  And they were the standard narrow 205 x 75 x 15 on the magnum 500 wheels.  Time to upgrade, up size and get some grip!  

I went with BFG T/As because they are a good quality tire with modern profiles for 15 “ muscle cars.  Not many tires today with 15  rims!

My narrow 205 would rub the top zerk fitting when at full lock so I was concerned about front tire clearance.  The rears will accept quit a larger tire without much of a concern.  My aim was to upgrade the tires, improve the ride and traction and not be major clearance problems.  I also wanted to lower the vehicle a little and restore some of the Avanti rake look.  

I settled on the 215x 60x 15 on the front and larger and taller 255x60x 15 on the rear.  That was very near the original hight on the rear and significantly shorter on the front.  Both front and rear were significantly larger tread width! 

As it ended up the fronts are a little wider trend and sidewall and the fronts just barely  rub the frame/ suspension on the inside before they can rub on the zerk fitting.  And that is only sat full lock.  So this was actually better than the narrow tire and very acceptable. My turning radius may have decreased but not enough to be a concern.  

The rears were just a tad shorter than the 205s and had no clearance problems at all.  They might rub the fender well lip if the suspension was fully bottomed out but in normal driving I don’t see any issues.  

The new tires ride and drive much better and put a lot more rubber on the road.  Bear in mind my vehicle has Magnum 500 wheels which are a full 6 “ wide rim (7”s lip tp lip) and standard Wheels may have different results. 

I decided to leave the raised white letter on the outside but the blackwall could be left outside if that is your preference.

i think this is a nice upgrade and appears to be a plus all around.  Better tires, better ride, better traction and look great too. I think a 245x 70 x 15 might also be a good choice on the rear if you wanted a taller than standard rear tire.

the 255 x60x 15 on the rears are about as wide as you might normally want to put on the 6” rim and need to be carefully seated to make sure they seal properly.  Otherwise a pretty straightforward upgrade. 

 

Edited December 10, 2018 by StingrayHawaii
Grammar and more spell corrections

[silverstude]

Great Writeup, thanks