Tire bulge on skinny rims

[bandit]

Rims that came on front of car are 15"x 3.5". Firestone was able to mount some 215 70R15's on there but they bulge out about 3 inches from the rim. How safe is this? Don't have a lot of extra cash for new rims but am concerned about this amount of bulge for driving on the road. They are Weld Prostar rims.

 

[Cranky]

How much PSI are in the tires? Tire tread width should be pretty close to the wheel width for best results. How safe? It just won't handle very well but even if the right size tire is mounted, they still won't handle well. Narrow rims are designed for drag racing.....

 

[BeastlyBirdie]

That's just the weight pushing down which spreads the sidewall. Won't handle great, but its not a bulge. A bulge rotates...ie is one spot on the tire, that's bad, as it usually means a seperation...remember firestone...

 

[wvmarv]

No way. I've mounted a thousand tires when I was a mechanic for over 20 years and I can't believe they put them on. Those are dangerous. Could possibly blow out on the tire bead. Those rims as a previous poster said are for racing not for the street. You definitely need a wider rim.

 

[bandit]

Yeah the way they are sitting on there makes me really question it. It just looks like too much tire sticking out. I've been looking around online today and found some people talking about using VW 16580R15 on 3.5" rims. Anyone ever used these with success?

Does anyone have two rims they want to get rid of or possibly want to trade for these 3.5". Need for a 70 Charger. Would be great to have a similar pattern since the backs are the same just bigger but not going to be too picky right now. Just want it to be ok for the street.

 

[WP29440SE]

I used a 165r15 firestone bug tire on a 4" wide rim. a 215/70 is way to much tire for those wheels, I use that size on a 15 x 7, im shocked they mounted them.

 

[daredevil]

I have thought about 185 15s for my 3.5 centerlines. Whats the best street tire to use.

 

[67 coronet]

those 8.4 inch wide tires are a bad idea on those wheels.a 165 80 15 is a good street size.185s would work ok as well.tires buldging that bad can come off the bead very easy and instantly deflate your tire.that is why they are a danger to run.

 

[coloradodave]

Ditto what the others have said. 215/70R-15 tires belong on 5.5" to 7" wide wheels. The thing you have to watch for on small tires is the weight rating. Most of the 165 and 185 tires are made for much lighter cars. Even if your looking at D.O.T. frontrunners make sure and check the weight rating. Nothing worse than popping a tire bead in a corner. I'd have a talk with the manager at Firestone and make him/her aware of the liability issues, not to mention having a pissed off customer with a wrecked car...

 

[wvmarv]

Yeah the way they are sitting on there makes me really question it. It just looks like too much tire sticking out. I've been looking around online today and found some people talking about using VW 16580R15 on 3.5" rims. Anyone ever used these with success?

Does anyone have two rims they want to get rid of or possibly want to trade for these 3.5". Need for a 70 Charger. Would be great to have a similar pattern since the backs are the same just bigger but not going to be too picky right now. Just want it to be ok for the street.

Yea, we used to sell those. They are narrow enough to work. I don't know how good they look. Worth a shot. Try moparts.com in the tire and rim section. I see those wheels all the time. They are pretty popular. Sell the ones you have to offset the cost of another set of used ones. Just looked, there are a few. Not the size you need but there is a set of American Racing AR23 wheels 15x7 all 4 look very good $200. A person on there has a pair the same size as yours for $250. I would think yours would be worth at the very least $125. Check it out, here's a link.

http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=7688090&an=0&page=0#Post7688090

- - - Updated - - -

Ditto what the others have said. 215/70R-15 tires belong on 5.5" to 7" wide wheels. The thing you have to watch for on small tires is the weight rating. Most of the 165 and 185 tires are made for much lighter cars. Even if your looking at D.O.T. frontrunners make sure and check the weight rating. Nothing worse than popping a tire bead in a corner. I'd have a talk with the manager at Firestone and make him/her aware of the liability issues, not to mention having a pissed off customer with a wrecked car...

What he said.

 

[bandit]

Thanks. Good to know they are still worth something for being 20 years old. Still undecided which way to go but starting to lean towards replacement rims to get more traction, plus seeing pics of those 165's, they sure do look awfully skinny.

- - - Updated - - -

Just found these on eBay. Look to be an exact copy of the Weld Racing Prostars but half the price.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=121078671850&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en

Only about $60 more going this way vs swapping out for the two 165's. Anyone ever heard of Vision Wheels rims?