Thread: Best Wheel and tire size for a 32 HighBoy

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I'm beginning my next project, and am working on a chassis for a 32 Coupe High Boy.
I'm looking for advice as to what people think is proportionaly the correct tire size.
Specifically looking for advice on rear tire diameter.
From what I've seen, most rears I've seen are in the 27-30" diameter range, but here in snowy Michigan, you don't see very many hot-rods, so I've been relying on magazine articles.
Appreciate the help...
Thanks

When I built "Hot Stuff" I made every effort to get the esthetics right the first time. I researched the magazines and scrutinized various interpretations of the classic Deuce roadster at car shows and rod runs for just about as long as I can remember. When it came to wheels I finally decided to go with a combination I had seen a number of times; 165R15s on 6" rims in front and 255/70R15s on reversed 8" rims in back. Up front things turned out OK. But in back I got Dumbo's Ears. To short and to wide and to far out from the body. The combination worked on 60s and later interpretations. But my rodding experience goes back to the 50s and the big and wides in the back conflicted with the look I was trying to get. I am happy with the car. But Dumbo's ears, as I started to call them, were an irritant.

Recently we had a little tax windfall. Money we were not expecting to get. My share was enough to fix the tire problem. Some of my friends were pushing wide whites and I was interested but not sure enough to do it. And there was the question of size. So what to do? I started by posting two polls on the Rodder's Round Table (RRT) and the Hokey Ass Message Board (HAMB) asking for opinions - blackwalls or wide whitewalls.

The folks at the RRT came down for blackwalls. The traditionalists at the HAMB favored wide whites. But it was the comments about size and overall look that helped the most. On both boards there was agreement about height. I needed to get somewhere close to 30-31". And there was a general condenses about width. A little narrower please. Several HAMBers thought I should go with narrow biasplys. I like the look. I also like the look that comes with old drum brakes up front. But it is my ass we are talking about and radials and disc brakes are locked in to the plan. And finally, there was strong support for trim or "beauty" rings.

Belinda and I have been dealing with the local Rabin tire store for several years and the counterman has always been helpful. So I went to him with the following requirement. Find me a narrow blackwall radial that is 30-31" tall. No luck at all in 15s. Everything tall enough in that size was wider than what I was already running. However, 245/75R16s looked good. They are a tad over 30" tall and narrower than my original 255/70R15s. They mount best on 7" wide rims.
So I ordered a pair of 16"x7" with 4" backspace Gennie rims from Wheel Vintique. I also ordered a pair of 16" and a pair of 15" ribbed beauty rings.

As for the tires, all of the tall radials are light truck or commercial rated. Most have aggressive, noisy tread patterns, stiff construction, and whitewalls or raised white letters. I initially settled on a Cooper made tire. But the store manager recommended an all season Michelin. This is a light truck rated tire but it has a smooth running highway tread pattern and better ride characteristics. The manager described it as a tire for SUV owners who stay on pavement. I ordered a pair.

Yesterday one of my rodding buddies painted the 16" rims to match and this morning Rabin mounted up the tires. After looking at Dumbo's ears for two years this change is going to take some getting used to. Not that I don't like it. I really do. In my mind it tracts with that late 50s look I am trying to emulate. But like a wife's new hair do, it will take some time to adjust.

From the side.

18's and 20's I would go with at least a 275/45 R20 on the rear

Original set up.

IMHO, the trend to use the largest diameter rims on the planet (i.e. 18" to 22") on vintage street rods destroys the proportion.

32 Hihboy.

185/70R-14 BF Goodrich on 5 1/2" wide slot mags in front.

285/70R-15 BF Goodrich on 10" wide slot mags in the rear.

Rear axle is 55" outer drum to outer drum.

Like Bib says, a lot of the tall tires are light truck rated and in fact I ran a pair of BF Goodrich 31.50 x 15" tires on 10" wheels and they were too stiff for such a light car.
Pressures on these tires varied between 12 and 16#.

The 285/70R-15 tires noted above are passenger car tires, lighter construction and ride very nice.
20# air pressure in the back, 30# in the front.

8" tread width on both sets of rear tires.

31 on 32 rails highboy.

165/85R-15 on 5" wide wheels up front.

245/80R-15 on 6" wide wheels on the back.

Rear tires are 28" tall.
(Forgot to mention the rear tires on the 32 above are 30" tall.)

Bib makes some excellent points about researching tire size and making changes after the car is up and running so as to get the "right" look.
Using correctly sized junkyard tires during the construction/roll around phase will help a lot.

Henry Rifle is right on with his assesment of large diameter wheels on these early cars.
The clash between era's is a bit much and to my eye the large modern billet wheels make the car look very much like a covered wagon.
I note that most times these overly large wheels are selected by those new to the hobby.
Not sure what they're trying to say, but I don't get the message....

Hi All, I have on my '34 Ford Roadster what I think is the perfect set-up as far as tires and wheels. The front is 14" x 6" red steelies with 195/60X14 radial T/A, the rear is 15" x 8" red steelies with 245/60x 15 radial T/A. Have '41 Ford center caps with narrow trim rings. This just looks right on my rod and the performance and handling is great! By the way the 14" front wheels just clear the 11" disc brake rotors. The car has a killer stance and still looks old school. Thanks for indulging me.....Topless

her is a 20 and 18 , and a 295 40 20 rear tire

As for the 18"-22" "in style" wheels vs the traditional "out of style" 15"-16" combination...

I say "to each, their own".

resin addict asked for opinions, not an argument.

To me, the wheel/tire size is 99% of the quest. We have all seen a car we would never own due to its lack of beauty suddenly turn into an awesome ride when the owner picked the right tire/wheel combination. As well, we have witnessed someone destroying a perfectly good hot rod by choosing something we "think" is totally wrong. But this is what makes our hobby fun. This is why we choose to express ourselves differently. Otherwise we would all simply choose to drive this years production car with the same tire/wheel the factory chooses for us...Not for us Hot Rodders...No way!

I have seen thousands of 32s over the years. Most ran 15s in the back and I think they look cool. Others ran 16s, or 17s, 18s...and yes even the 20+ers. Again, to me it depends on the theme/personality of the car that the owner wants...not what we want. Hell, we are car guys...we would like it no matter if it sat on blocks without wheels/tires.

I agree with Bib about ride and driveability(and I like his look...16s in the back with 15s in the front are my favorite on the 32). I too like the late 50s look which is in style now too, no matter how stubborn the newbies are to disagree. And I am sure my Dad was right when he told me traditional or "resto" rods will always be "In Style" while the other trends come & go (I will offer the garage corners overcrowded with billet goods as the proof).

So any advice I would give is to start noticing which 32's you find yourself drooling over and pay attention to what setup they chose. With today's plentiful choices of tires, you shouldn't have any problem finding the right tire once you decide on what type of car you are going to build...either a 50s, 60s, or current themed car will produce different options. The choice is yours!

Bib_Overalls, I really like your new wheel tire set up it accents your roadster nicely...

As far as the correct wheel and tire size it varies greatly and depends on the ride height of the car, and as Troy said the theme of the car... I think the 32 kennyd posted above is a great example of a modern open wheel hot rod that looks killer with Hoops...

On the other hand we tried a set of "Big Wheels" on my roadster and it didn't look right... My hiboy sits too high and there is no way to lower the ride height without major modifications...

If I remember correctly my rear tires are 29 inches tall... hahahaha, I guess it is just another boring street rod (thanks TravisB)...

Dave Brisco