Reply To: Tires for My '60 Park Lane

[Virgil & Sue Klein]

John,

May I first ask why you want to switch to 14″ wheels? In my opinion, for wheel size, bigger is better. As to rim size, the gentleman at the tire store is a bit confused I think. If you are looking for 14″ rims that are 6″ wide then order them that way. I think the bolt pattern (5×4.5) is being confused with rim width. It is important that the bolt pattern on your new wheels matches the pattern on the car otherwise the wheel will not fit on the car. Bolt pattern is stated as 5×4.5 which means it is a five lug wheel with a space between the bolts of 4.5″ (but not the bolts that are right next to each other). Please read up on bolt pattern on the internet as it can be confusing. Measure the bolt pattern on your existing wheels. It MUST match the pattern on the new wheels. Please also read up on “wheel offset” (the inside depth of the wheel). This can be critical to good handling and even fitment issues, not to mention “look”. Swapping wheels ain’t that simple as you can see.