275/60/15 or 275/50/15 ?

[NAILS]

86 cutty, stock rear ride height, stock rim... looking to stuff some tires in. will be using hoosier drag radials ( if it makes a difference )

which will be the better fit? id prefer the 275/60/15, however i dont want headaches... does this size work without rubbing issues? or should i run a 275/50/15? any info or advise would be great, thanks!

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Well, first off, if your car is a stock 86 Cutlass, it has 14x6 in rims, so a 15 in tire won't fit. Secondly, even if you have a 442, that still only gives you a 15x7 in rim which is too narrow to fit a 275 on and have it go well. IF you have the 15x7's, you may be able to fit a 245 50 or 60 15 on it, but no wider. Remember, 99% of all G bodies came equipped fully loaded with suck, right from the factory. Making any upgrades will require you to change a multitude of things in order for them to come out right.

BTW, I run 16x8 in rims on mine on all 4 corners with 245 50 16's. I could go for a 255 width, out back, but that is about as wide as I would go on the rims I have.

 

[grayghost]

86 cutty, stock rear ride height, stock rim... looking to stuff some tires in. will be using hoosier drag radials ( if it makes a difference )

which will be the better fit? id prefer the 275/60/15, however i dont want headaches... does this size work without rubbing issues? or should i run a 275/50/15? any info or advise would be great, thanks!

i have 8 inch wide welds and i have run 275 60 ...and 275 50 drag radials with no problems and the car is lowered 2 inches in the rear.

 

[XbeasleyX]

To put it simply, 275/60 will have a better contact patch than 275/50. With the right backspacing you will have zero issues with either.

 

[86CutlassUCF]

86 cutty, stock rear ride height, stock rim... looking to stuff some tires in. will be using hoosier drag radials ( if it makes a difference )

which will be the better fit? id prefer the 275/60/15, however i dont want headaches... does this size work without rubbing issues? or should i run a 275/50/15? any info or advise would be great, thanks!

i have 8 inch wide welds and i have run 275 60 ...and 275 50 drag radials with no problems and the car is lowered 2 inches in the rear.

do they stick out the side?

 

[joe_padavano]

To put it simply, 275/60 will have a better contact patch than 275/50. With the right backspacing you will have zero issues with either.

Both tires are 275 section width. I'm not sure why you think the 60 series will have a better contact patch, since conventional wisdom would lead one to the lower aspect ratio for handling. Having said that, the 50 series tire is only 25.8 inches in diameter while the 60 series is 28 inches. How this looks on the car is a function of whether it's been lowered or not.

 

[Doober]

I'm not sure why you think the 60 series will have a better contact patch...

X2. It may vary slightly due to aspect ratio and rim width, but it's not much.

Also, far as 275/60s on a 7" wheel, 275/60 was an optional size on the '88-'98 Chevy trucks, which never had more than a 7" wheel.

 

[Blake442]

Also, far as 275/60s on a 7" wheel, 275/60 was an optional size on the '88-'98 Chevy trucks, which never had more than a 7" wheel.

Factory equiped or not, it's too wide for a 7" rim.
I ran 275/60's on the back of my Caprice for a while on my 15x7 rims, and the center section of the tire wears incredibly fast, turning your tire into what looks like a BFG drag radial. Even with running lower pressure, the rim width is too narrow for the tire to lay correctly on the road.
I now run 255/60 all around with no issues.

I also run 255/60 on my 15x7's on the back of my 442.
That's as wide as I'd go with a 7" rim.

I have a set of 15x8.5's that I test fit 275/60R15's on, and there were no problems. I can't believe I didn't take any pictures though... :x

 

[NAILS]

Well, first off, if your car is a stock 86 Cutlass, it has 14x6 in rims, so a 15 in tire won't fit. Secondly, even if you have a 442, that still only gives you a 15x7 in rim which is too narrow to fit a 275 on and have it go well. IF you have the 15x7's, you may be able to fit a 245 50 or 60 15 on it, but no wider. Remember, 99% of all G bodies came equipped fully loaded with suck, right from the factory. Making any upgrades will require you to change a multitude of things in order for them to come out right.

BTW, I run 16x8 in rims on mine on all 4 corners with 245 50 16's. I could go for a 255 width, out back, but that is about as wide as I would go on the rims I have.

i went to go check out my wheels again, and i have 15x8's in the back and 15x7's up front. they are completely clones of the stock style rim... my mistake.
so i guess most of you answered my question, that a 15x8 can accommodate a 275/60/15 without issues. thank you all for the input!

 

[Blake442]

Make sure your springs and shocks are in good order so you don't end up bottoming out and rubbing in the wheel wells when your friends are piled in the back.