Hi, New to the community so I did search archives first for more info but couldn’t find a definitive answer. I am hoping someone has gone through this same exercise or put these rims on. I like the beefy look of original Torq Thrusts vs. the more available IIs but for the rear larger rim they are only available in 15x8.5…what worries me is the -25.00mm offset. The set-up would be…
See attached file, get ready a lot to process. WHEELS and TIRES (1).pdf (252 KB)
also here is a visual description of all those measurements and terms about wheels.
I am trying to picture a Cougar like yours with cartoonish huge tires. I am not seeing the benefits - maybe select a tire that fits? This is the sort of thing they do on Roadkill - they make the outlandish tires fit by using a cordless saw. The car is not the same anymore.
I don’t think and 8.5 rim is “cartoonishly” large? If you reference the size sheet attached to this chat 8 inch rims and sizes in the 225 to even 275 seem pretty common. Cartoonish is a 14 inch wheel with thin tire on the bigger 71-73 bodies.
Pretty sure a 10 inch wide tire - your words - would look cartoonish and not have enough weight on the contact patch to handle well.
You can do yourself a favor and measure what the wheel opening is, then figure you need an inch of clearance all around the tire to account for driveways and such. That would tell you the offset needed and the width of tire that will fit.
While trying to find the vibration on my 71 XR-7 I took the 255/60 15s off the back of my White 70 and put them on the 71. They fit well and did not rub. They filled the wheel well nicely too. I have them on a set of 15X8 cheep mags. I think they were a 3.75 back set. They fit nice on my 70 too. I think Royce saw them at the Dearborn 50th show. I should have taken a picture of them on the 71…
As the previous owner of some N/50 15 inch tires and air shocks lifting the ass end of that car as high as it would go, and still rubbing around corners, I am getting a good chuckle out of this thread. I thought I was the coolest guy in the parking lot. My dad was not impressed. That car would hydroplane in a light drizzle. Everything I did to that poor Cougar made it slower, and handle worse. Thank God for the 8 track I put in the center console.
I liked that look.
Knew they didn’t handle good but they looked cool.
Back in the day a friend had a 69 nova jacked up with big tires on the back. Looked really cool.
He did not have to worry about handling because it had a straight six.
I never liked the ass in the air and big rear tires, but everybody else did. I also had an in-dash 8-track player, equalizer/amp in glove box, and 4 Jensen coaxial speakers in my first Cougar! Remember how the song faded out for track changes?
My 69 convertible has 15 x 8 Magnums on the front with i think is 235/60-15
and 15 x 10 with 255/60-15 .
fits fine, looks good, still std ride heights, no rubbing, handle well enough.
Im planning to test fit some 295/60-15 . if they don’t rub, i will fit !
