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James, you have a lot going on
here.
I think 99% of everyone would agree that the ONLY reason
the '57-60 Chrysler products and most others had 14" wheels was to enhance the
look of the car. They are SO MUCH more attractive on 15" wheels - they
look RIGHT on the cars. And so many high dollar auction cars have
the reproduction Chrysler style (not others) wire wheels because they look
FANTASTIC on the cars. Many Chrysler dealers still had them in their parts
rooms because of their option status from '52-56 so they were put on then and
are still being installed now!
The original wheels on your car were 6" wide for those
8.50 tires. The Letter Car 300C had 6.5" wide wheels for 9.00
tires. Those 9.00s had 2.5" wide whitewalls. The turning
radius of a car is not at all relevant to the width of the wheels or
tires. That radius is determined entirely by the travel of the suspension
components from side to side.
You can certainly get 7" wide wheels in your wheel wells -
the rear being the start of the concern. You don't want to have to drop
the springs to change tires on the rear axle. 8" wheels with wide tires
would be about the start of that problem. 7s are not any
problem. Remember as you add wheel and add tire you are adding
weight and this is "unsprung weight" which you will feel inside the car and in
the steering wheel on any rough road. Wheels must be measured inside the
bead of the wheel, not the measurement of the overall width of the entire
wheel.
The relevance of the width of the wheel to the width of
the tire is all about safety. If the tire is too small relevant to the
width of the wheel, under hard cornering it could be pulled off the stressing
side and blow out its air. Conversely, if the tire is too wide, it will
not seat perfectly to the rim and may lose air simply because of that.
Whether too wide or too narrow for the wheel, you can also expect wear problems
due to the altered profile and possible balancing problems.
The desk people at Diamondback can advise you on correct
wheel width for any tire you choose. Each tire manufacturer provides
engineering specifications of a maximum and minimum wheel width suitable to each
size tire.
Since you have mentioned wanting to go with wire wheels,
may I offer a suggestion? Buy a set of the Chrysler style
reproduction wire wheels and center hub caps. Get the standard 15 x 6
size. Talk to Diamondback about what brands of tires they have that
would come close to a 8.50 x 15 OEM tire which is what Chrysler had on
those wheels. Buy a brand you like or take their professional
recommendations but mention you don't want some tread design that looks too
modern. Specify whether you want a 2.25 or 2.5" whitewall.
Doing the above, you should get a highly favorable look
for your car that will add value by enhanced appearance, enhanced handling and
enhanced ride.
And let us know how it all comes out.
Wayne
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