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By slumlord444 - Last Year
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What do you T Bird drag racers suggest for wheels and tires? I’m running a 400-425 horsepower 312 in my 57 T Bird. Top loader 4 speed, 4.56 traction lock, old school original Traction Masters that work fine for me. I know they’re better options but I’m good with them. Looking for wheel diameter, width, and offset for basic steel wheels. Need specific tire size, width, brand and tread compound that’s suitable. Way too many options for me to choose from. Car weighs 3,600 pounds.
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By miker - Last Year
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Since no one has responded. Many years ago I had wheelsmith make me a set of 7” rims on 55 Ford center. 15”, 4” backspace. I mounted a set of radial cheater slicks, about 30” tall and 10” tread. I had a set of “correct size” radial replacements on stock wheels on the front. The carcasses on the rear tires were really stiff. Everything cleared, but the handling was really poor. Almost like mixing bias and radial tires. I didn’t drive them 100 miles before I took them off. I think the short wheelbase of the bird made it even worse. On a smooth flat road they weren’t too bad, but the back roads to my house it was squirrely as hell.
I think they were from the White Wall Candy store, down about page 3 of this link. Maybe I had an odd set, maybe they’ve changed.
They did clear on the back, really tight, no skirts. I had a set of Traction Masters made to their original drawings back there too. They worked fine.
http://www.whitewallcandystore.com/images/wwcsflyer309.pdf
http://thewheelsmith.net/ I think Wheelsmith still does that kind of work, but haven’t asked in years. They were well done and reasonable back then.
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By charliemccraney - Last Year
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Most of the full bodied cars at the Y-Block Nationals seem to have Mickey Thompson DOT drag radials with a skinny tire up front and whatever will fit in back.
Are you setting it up strictly for drag racing or a combo of street/strip?
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By slumlord444 - Last Year
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Primarily track usu. Might go a couple of miles to my local cruise night.
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By charliemccraney - Last Year
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The Mickey Thompsons should be ok for that. If street use becomes more likely, consider two sets of wheels and tires, one with a good street tire and the other with a good drag tire.
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By 55blacktie - Last Year
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Miker, what did you have to do to the suspension/wheel wells to get 30" tires to fit? 28 x 10/10.5 x 15 is a common size that might be easier to fit.
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By miker - Last Year
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It’s been a long time. I know the wheels were 7”, and the backspace was 4”. The wheels on the car now are that size. I’m pretty sure the tread was 10”, but it could have been 9.5”? They were taller that the stock 27 something inches, maybe not 30”? But I’ve never altered the wheel wells on the bird. Other cars, yes.
I didn’t know it then, but the body was 3/4” off center on the frame. When I put the 235/60 T/A’s on a hard left turn put the fender lip into the sidewall. Re centering the body solved that. Minor item, undo all the bolts, jack the body up, use lots of dunnage and a bottle jack, and push it over. Try not to break the rust in the rocker panels.
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By 55blacktie - Last Year
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Did you have to disconnect/remove the steering column before lifting & centering the body?
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By miker - Last Year
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No. The front of the car was centered, just the back needed to move a bit. I’ve got a different steering system and there’s a u joint in there. So I just kind of cave mannned it over 3/8” or so. Enough to stop the little bit of shift in a hard corner.
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By 55blacktie - Last Year
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I asked because it's highly likely that the rubber body-to-frame rubber insulators on my 55 Tbird should be replaced. Pretty much everything made of rubber has disintegrated over 68 years.
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By miker - Last Year
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That’s probably a good topic for a new thread. Mine were ok, so I didn’t deal with it.
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By slumlord444 - Last Year
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So far I’m looking at15” wheels 7” wide with 4” backspace. Nicky Thompson tires about 28” tall, 9-9 1/2”wide. Any more racers out there with suggestions? Specifics on tires? Mickey Thompson has several options available.
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By 55blacktie - Last Year
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Slumlord, let us know what you end up using.
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By HazardTBird - Last Year
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Blacktie:
If they are rubber they are replacements, to the best of my knowledge all original body spacers are steel.
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By slumlord444 - Last Year
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Back to my tire question. Talked to Mickey Thompson Tech Support. Came up with two options I like. Pro BracketRadials, 28” tall and either 9”” or 10.5 “ wide. I’m leaning towards 9”” for fit and cost reasons plus too much tire isn’t good
either. Anyone running 10.5”tires on a T Bird. Do they fit and are they too much traction for my setup?
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By Joe-JDC - Last Year
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If you are serious about drag racing the Thunderbird, then I would highly recommend using a lightweight aluminum wheel for that, and keep your street tires on stock rims. The weight savings are definitely worth it. That 10.5" wide tire will not have a significantly larger contact patch over the 9" due to the diameter of the tires. Sometimes the taller/narrower tire will have as large or larger contact patches. I went through this when racing my '69 Mach I trying to find the absolute best combination. I raced this car for 30 years with different engines and transmissions, and wheel and tire combinations. When trying to be consistent and quicker, the Weld aluminum drag wheels were a consistent winner without a tube. I only pinned the tires with 5 screws inner and outer in equal spacing. That way I could change the tires quickly if needed and they were very lightweight. I would also consider two lightweight front wheels and tires for the strip. You will be required to meet safety standards with the stud lengths and wheel nut engagement, as well as driveshaft safety loop, etc., if you go a certain speed or time. Know the rules before going to the track will be in your favor. Have fun and be safe. If you are slower than 13.00 seconds, then the rules are very lax as to equipment needs. Joe-JDC
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By slumlord444 - Last Year
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Thanks Joe. That’s the kind of information I’m looking for. I’ve thought about aluminum wheels because the width I need is easier to find in aluminum than in steel especially in used. You’ve been helpful.
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By slumlord444 - Last Year
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I’ve got most of the information I need. 15”x 8”or 9” rims, 9”wide Mickey Thompson radial tires. I’m thinking 4” offset but would like to confirm that the setback will work with the tires on the T Bird. Any T Bird racers care to comment.
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By miker - Last Year
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15x7 American Salt flats. 4” backspacing. 235/60 15 BFG radial T/A’s. Just over 1/2” clearance from sidewall to fender lip at rest. The tire bulge makes it less on compression. The car has a Morrison triangulated 4 bar with coil overs. Doesn’t rub even in hard corners and full compressed. But it’s really close and a very rigid rear end mounting. Wider wheels? Sidewall bulge on the slicks? Hard to guess.
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By 55blacktie - Last Year
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Bias-ply drag slicks won't have the same sidewall bulge of drag radials, but I wouldn't run them on the street. I guess it comes down to how serious you are about drag racing.
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By slumlord444 - Last Year
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From what Miker says I may need to go with a smaller tire and narrower wheel. Most advice I see says not to mix radials and bias tires. I’m planning on using radials. They are for dead strip. I won’t be driving them on the street.
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By miker - Last Year
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I didn’t mean to sound discouraging. Just what I’ve got and what I’ve measured. You going to be running heads up, or bracket? Lowest/fastest time or consistently? Having a little more room to work the suspension might be necessary. As an aside, when I had the leaf springs, posi, 5” wires, stock size radials, and original Traction Masters, the car planted and left pretty nice. Of course in Seattle, that often meant on a damp road. LOL
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By 55blacktie - Last Year
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Miker, are your Traction Masters welded or bolt-on? My dad had bolt-on Traction Masters on his 55 Tbird (now mine). He was no hotrodder. It's possible that the previous owner had installed them, and my dad left them. When my dad bought it in the early 70s, it was riding on Chrysler Kelsey Hays spoke wheels and 60-series tires. An extra leaf had also been added to the worn-out springs. It's also possible that the Traction Masters were added to control the lateral movement of the rear axle, because the knockoffs of the later Coker poke wheels were making contact with the fender skirts. My dad tried 2 different sets of skirts but could not solve the problem, so he removed the skirts.
The chrome traction bars were too obvious for me, so I had them powder-coated 20% gloss black. My car is also riding on new General Spring rearched leafs/w 1-inch lift, Bilstein shocks, Hotchkis tubular sway bar, and 215/70R15 Goodyear radials. There's a limited-slip differential in the rebuilt Dana 44. Unfortunately, I'm still working on the car, so I haven't put the combination to the test.
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By miker - Last Year
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I called Traction Masters back in 1999 or 2000, and they told me they still had the pattern for the “birds. Mine bolted on the U bolts, and had a welded bracket on the front. Took a while, they made them up special. Chrome, iirc. I removed them when I put the 4 bar in, and gave them with a friend with a 57.
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By 55blacktie - Last Year
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Mine bolt on front & rear/w front mount sharing a bolt hole with the front spring mount. I think the front bolt-on is an exception to most that are weld-on. I ordered a set of replacement bushings from Traction Masters. One of the bushings did not fit, so I had to reuse one of the originals.
In case I didn't already mention it, my aftermarket cast wheels are 15 x 7/w 3.875 backspacing (no slicks, not even cheaters).
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By Richard - Last Year
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Traction master is still around, I think in Burbank CA.
I welded the TM front mount on my 54 Ranch Wagon. Rear of course using long U Bolts. Leaf springs disassembled and rear arc, Ford Maverick 8”with limit slip.
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