1957 Wheels and Rims Recommendation

[Mash]

Any recommendations for 15x5 57 Bird wheel and spoke tire packages

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[Ken Carr]

Everyone has opinions ...and I respect all of them!...now having said that.. I am not a fan of spoke (wire) wheels, for a variety of reasons.
I have a '57 with 15 (not 14) inch wheels and "dog dish" hubcaps ...fortunately I am able to use 215 x 75 American Classic radial tires...with no problems with skirt clearances.
This works great for me ...thanks for reading this response...Ken

 

[Ward 57]

Any recommendations for 15x5 57 Bird wheel and spoke tire packages

'57s came originally with 14" wheels. If you change size you will need to change the speedo cable gear in the trans. to compensate if you want an accurate reading.

 

[jack-in-sac]

'57s came originally with 14" wheels. If you change size you will need to change the speedo cable gear in the trans. to compensate if you want an accurate reading.

Actually a change is needed only if the diameter is different.

 

[Ward 57]

Actually a change is needed only if the diameter is different.

He wants to go from 14'

Everyone has opinions ...and I respect all of them!...now having said that.. I am not a fan of spoke (wire) wheels, for a variety of reasons.
I have a '57 with 15 (not 14) inch wheels and "dog dish" hubcaps ...fortunately I am able to use 215 x 75 American Classic radial tires...with no problems with skirt clearances.
This works great for me ...thanks for reading this response...Ken

Nothing wrong with that look. A talking point as it was standard. Why 15's?

 

[Mash]

I have read that if you add disc brakes to the 14" there is not enough room and you may have to grind the calipers or make other adjustments. That is the reason.

 

[Ken Carr]

I have read that if you add disc brakes to the 14" there is not enough room and you may have to grind the calipers or make other adjustments. That is the reason.

That is exactly why we switched to 15 inch wheels...Ken

 

[Ward 57]

That is exactly why we switched to 15 inch wheels...Ken

Well that explains the why. Carry on.

 

[Rich57]

Everyone has opinions ...and I respect all of them!...now having said that.. I am not a fan of spoke (wire) wheels, for a variety of reasons.
I have a '57 with 15 (not 14) inch wheels and "dog dish" hubcaps ...fortunately I am able to use 215 x 75 American Classic radial tires...with no problems with skirt clearances.
This works great for me ...thanks for reading this response...Ken

When you replaced your 14" wheels with 15's, what was the back spacing you used. I'm considering doing the very same thing. I believe my current 14's have a back spacing of 3.75". I want to add disc brakes myself and avoid any interference issues.

 

[Ken Carr]

When you replaced your 14" wheels with 15's, what was the back spacing you used. I'm considering doing the very same thing. I believe my current 14's have a back spacing of 3.75". I want to add disc brakes myself and avoid any interference issues.

Hi Rich...I did not have to use any back spacing...a friend gave us 5 original steel rims from his '65 (he wanted to have wire wheels). The wheels he gave us had 215 75 tires mounted on them...so we were able to test drive and make sure we had clearance for the skirts ....we did... but I understand that this is sometimes a problem be careful!!!
As an interesting side note..when I first bought the car it had 14 inch wire spoke wheels...they fit just fine over the disc brakes...I then bought new 14 inch steel wheels ...they did not fit...that was when we were given the 15 inch rims...by the way the 15 inch rims, with the wider tires, do not fit into the original space in the trunk...so I mounted our spare tire flat (like in a '955)...you could use a narrower spare that would fit...hope that all of this makes sense!!...Ken ?

 

[jack-in-sac]

He wants to go from 14'

Nothing wrong with that look. A talking point as it was standard. Why 15's?

I apologize for my lack of clarity. I was referring to the tires and overall size, not just the wheels. I a 15 inch wheel and tire that has the same diameter and/or circuference at the previous tire and wheel combination, no gearing is affected.

 

[rattleandsnap]

Hi Rich...I did not have to use any back spacing...a friend gave us 5 original steel rims from his '65 (he wanted to have wire wheels). The wheels he gave us had 215 75 tires mounted on them...so we were able to test drive and make sure we had clearance for the skirts ....we did... but I understand that this is sometimes a problem be careful!!!
As an interesting side note..when I first bought the car it had 14 inch wire spoke wheels...they fit just fine over the disc brakes...I then bought new 14 inch steel wheels ...they did not fit...that was when we were given the 15 inch rims...by the way the 15 inch rims, with the wider tires, do not fit into the original space in the trunk...so I mounted our spare tire flat (like in a '955)...you could use a narrower spare that would fit...hope that all of this makes sense!!...Ken ?

Hello Ken,

I am new here and joined specifically to see what I needed to do to upgrade my 57 from the factory 14" wheels to 15" wheels. I initially wanted 15" wire wheels but have been told that I'll need an inter tube for them and don't want to do that. So I am going to go with 15" steel wheels. Do you recommend the original steel rims from a 1965? Just looking for some direction. Thank you Doug

 

[Ken Carr]

Hi Doug...as posted above we were given 1965 original steel rims...so we didn't explore any sources for purchasing any rims...I think that any year original 15 inch Thunderbird rims should be okay...if you wish to talk..give us a call 250 766 1503..Ken

 

[rattleandsnap]

Thank you Sir. I want 15" wire wheels but understand that you need an inter tybe with those, is that correct? I appreciate the response

 

[Ken Carr]

There are probably others who are better and more informed to answer this question...I know that some people have used tubes...but I believe that some have encountered problems with the spoke inside ends rubbing and creating leaks in the tube. There are ways to prevent this by using liners..or rubber tape or???Perhaps someone else could chime in with better suggestions???...Ken