Author Topic: 26x10 on front??  (Read 1557 times)

Offline kielbasa

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26x10 on front??
« on: May 11, 2011 - 10:52:42 AM »
Hi guys, I'd like to go with Mickey Thompson radial S/R tires (28x12 in rear) and to keep the AAR proportion, that equates to 26x10 in front. I'd like to keep the stock rallyes in front, just not sure if the factory backspacing would be correct, or if that size tire would even fit at all. Thanks for any info!




Offline HP2

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Re: 26x10 on front??
« Reply #1 on: May 11, 2011 - 02:38:11 PM »
Hmm, whats the width & backspace on the factory rallye?

I run a 26x10 SR on a 15x8 wheel with 4.5" of back space. At full compression and full steering lock everything cleared, barely. Rather than risk cutting a tire, I rolled the lip up for most of the upper portion of the wheel opening. That gave me about a half inch of clearence everywhere plus removed all the sharp edges. If you have a 7" wheel, it may pull it in enough to not be an issue.

Offline kielbasa

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Re: 26x10 on front??
« Reply #2 on: May 14, 2011 - 07:18:15 AM »
i think the 15" rallyes were all 15 x7, not sure on backspacing though.....because the car is an AAR, the fenders are already rolled, so the 26x10's might just work? I wonder how hard it'll be to steer once I install the fast ratio manual box - i might have to put the front end on a diet!

Offline kielbasa

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Re: 26x10 on front??
« Reply #3 on: May 19, 2011 - 10:45:41 AM »
I just checked the clearance of the existing tires - wow, they barely clear the frame rails at full turn, and these are stock size (E60) tires.
According to the tire manufacturers specs, I can't even fit a 235/60-15!!?? I measured with tape measure my E60, 8" tread width and 25" diameter. I don't see how a 26" diameter anything (unless it's a skinny) can fit without touching the unibody.
I'd really like to run 28x12's in back, but not sure how goofy it would look with 26x8 in front? I'm not a fan of big meats in the rear with skinnies in front. My taste prefers the trans am look - maybe i should lower the rear and run 26x12's and 26x8's in the front wouldn't look funny? I'd love to just be able to get a bunch of tires, mount them on my rims and see what the heck fits and how it looks, however I don't know of any tire shops or retailers that would allow a person to do so without having to buy a dozen tires?

Offline GranCuda1970

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Re: 26x10 on front??
« Reply #4 on: May 19, 2011 - 10:54:19 AM »
If you go big lower it!! It would look cool. I think raised big tire muscle cars got chicken legs but look sweet lowered.

Offline HP2

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Re: 26x10 on front??
« Reply #5 on: May 22, 2011 - 09:09:05 PM »
Well, an E60 is only a 225/60x15 , a G60 is a 255/60 and an L60 is 275/60, so by going to 26x10 and 28x12, you're stepping over the factory dimensions in width anyway. PLus, the 275 width on a 7" rim is going to ull it in a skosh more than an equivilent 8" rim would. So if you want to duplicate the factory sizes in metric, you'd need the afore mentioned sizes.  In the SR line, they may be closer to 26x8 front and 28x10 rear. Here is where I found my conversions at ; http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/45_conversionchart.html
If you just want to go bigger, then the options open up, but each car is a little bit different with the factory assembly tolerances and I've heard Cudas actually have smaller wheel wells than Challengers. This also highlights how rim offsets, tire diameters, and aspect ratios can work together or against a plan. I can fit the 26x10 on my car with just about .75" clearence in any direction. Other have managed to stuff 275/40x17 in the same space, but it just shows how the sidewall height and wheel backspace have to corresponding to the space inside each fender. Have you actually got under there with a tape or are you just comparing tire specs on the web?

FWIW, 235/60x15 front and 295/50, both on a 8" rim under my challenger. They had enough room to move around and up and down



Here is the MT SR 26x10 front on an 8" rim and 26x12 rear on a 10" rims. I was concerned enough with fit to pull the t-bar so I could completely cycle the suspension and turn lock to lock. I've since lowered it a tad more in front

« Last Edit: May 23, 2011 - 09:40:05 AM by HP2 »

Offline kielbasa

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Re: 26x10 on front??
« Reply #6 on: May 23, 2011 - 01:29:57 PM »
I made a mistake - my fronts are F60's (not E60's like I mentioned), which is larger than stock. the 26x8 SR might be a little too skinny for my taste.
I very well may have to purchase rims with less backspacing (i've got a ton of clearance to the fender lip, it just gets close to frame at full wheel lock) to fit the 26x10 in front. I'll buy the tires and see if they fit I guess, then work from there.