512bb wheels on a 512bbi | FerrariChat

512bb wheels on a 512bbi

Discussion in 'Boxers/TR/M' started by ross, Jun 24, 2019.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

  1. ross

    ross Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Mar 25, 2002
    36,206
    houston/geneva
    Full Name:
    Ross
    i have a set of wheels that were actually from a daytona, but are more/less the same as was put on the 512bb - ie they are 15" and not metric. i have run these wheels on the car when i was in the targa florio and they do quite well. i plan on mounting new regular tires on these and put this set on the bbi when it arrives instead of the 17" image wheels i have on the car now. the roads in houston are so terrible that i will be better off running the big balloon tires.

    i do not have them within reach at the moment, but if i remember correctly they have a set of bf goodrich radials on them that need to be replaced. i think the sizes are 215/70 in front and 225/70 on rears.

    the questions i have been mulling and have not found an answer for are
    - is this the right size tire, and if not, what is it?
    - can i mount wider tires of the same ratio? is it worth it? are they even made
     
  2. Newman

    Newman F1 World Champ
    Consultant Owner Professional Ferrari Technician

    Dec 26, 2001
    14,091
    Canada
    Full Name:
    Newman
    Yes its the correct size for a BB and the XWX works great on my 79 for how I drive it - on the street. The steering is very light with the 215 vs the 240 of the BBi TRX and the car handles well. Ive seen 275's on the rear but I changed them back to 225's. I think the idea of the 9" wide rim combined with the 225 mm tread face is to give that tall sidewall a level of stability you couldn't otherwise get. That tall sidewall also provides a great ride and looks very 70's as well. I love it.
     
  3. ross

    ross Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Mar 25, 2002
    36,206
    houston/geneva
    Full Name:
    Ross
    thanks for that confirmation.
    what brand do you recommend? bf goodrich is the only one i found that has that balloon look to it.
     
  4. Newman

    Newman F1 World Champ
    Consultant Owner Professional Ferrari Technician

    Dec 26, 2001
    14,091
    Canada
    Full Name:
    Newman
    If you want the right look get the michelin XWX from longstones. If you want wider then you need to do a search to see but most likely BF Goodrich which is a good burn out tire for a 71 challenger. I personally wouldn't put the BF Goodrich tires on it.

    78 BB with 275 goodyear eagles.
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  5. ross

    ross Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Mar 25, 2002
    36,206
    houston/geneva
    Full Name:
    Ross
    those look good too.
    but 275/70 15's on the back, despite what we were saying earlier ab out the 225's?
    what are the fronts on the car in your picture?
     
  6. Newman

    Newman F1 World Champ
    Consultant Owner Professional Ferrari Technician

    Dec 26, 2001
    14,091
    Canada
    Full Name:
    Newman
    I dont recall the size of the fronts but are wider than 215's, a 235 makes sense. The rears may have been a 275 /60 to keep the diameter in check. I doubt you can get an eagle anymore.

    The only tire I would put on those rims is the correct XWX 215/225 combo even though its on a BBi and they don't belong on a BBi.
     
  7. Newman

    Newman F1 World Champ
    Consultant Owner Professional Ferrari Technician

    Dec 26, 2001
    14,091
    Canada
    Full Name:
    Newman
    I found a pic of the sidewall, the rears were 255/ 60 15's not 275's.
     
  8. Newman

    Newman F1 World Champ
    Consultant Owner Professional Ferrari Technician

    Dec 26, 2001
    14,091
    Canada
    Full Name:
    Newman
  9. ross

    ross Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Mar 25, 2002
    36,206
    houston/geneva
    Full Name:
    Ross
    the whole reason why i want to use my 15" rims is to avoid the michelin metrics.

    the 255/60 15's are available, but again from bf goodrich.
    i like that size.
    what are the fronts then? 235/70 15 ?
     
  10. Newman

    Newman F1 World Champ
    Consultant Owner Professional Ferrari Technician

    Dec 26, 2001
    14,091
    Canada
    Full Name:
    Newman
    The wider the front the heavier the steering will feel. If you wanted to go wider than 215 on the front then maybe a 225, the metric 240 is dramatically heavier than the 215 so I wouldn't go that wide. Comes down to personal preference.
     
  11. Newman

    Newman F1 World Champ
    Consultant Owner Professional Ferrari Technician

    Dec 26, 2001
    14,091
    Canada
    Full Name:
    Newman
    Ive run the comp T/A's on the 512TR without complaints and the tread looks nice unlike that goofy christmas tree chevron look some tires can have.
     
  12. ross

    ross Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Mar 25, 2002
    36,206
    houston/geneva
    Full Name:
    Ross
    ok and is it the same ratio? 70?

    so 225/70 15 in front and 255/60 15 in back?
     
  13. CarbBoxer

    CarbBoxer Formula Junior

    Oct 7, 2008
    841
    Houston
    Full Name:
    PW
    When I bought my BB it had the 15” BF tires on it. After a few years I put the Coker XWX tires on it. Car drives a lot better.
    Sucks that the Coker tires are $500 each...
     
  14. ross

    ross Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Mar 25, 2002
    36,206
    houston/geneva
    Full Name:
    Ross
    yes it does.
    can you describe how it was better?
     
  15. CarbBoxer

    CarbBoxer Formula Junior

    Oct 7, 2008
    841
    Houston
    Full Name:
    PW
    The BF tires didn’t have much grip.
    Feels less squirrelly now.
    Strictly a subjective impression.
     
  16. Newman

    Newman F1 World Champ
    Consultant Owner Professional Ferrari Technician

    Dec 26, 2001
    14,091
    Canada
    Full Name:
    Newman
    I avoid coker like the Plague. Longstones has better pricing and instant shipping.
     
  17. boxerman

    boxerman F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    May 27, 2004
    18,627
    FL
    Full Name:
    Sean
    Why not fit some appropir
    Why not fit some appropriatly sized Avon tires tot he 15's, they have modern compounds and are way betetr than old michelin remakes.

    I drove Newmans BB with 215 fronts, frankly the way it steered was a revelation. Light and direct, wieldy, more like my lotus than the heavy BB helm. Im guessing it was the narrow fronts and maybe the alignment, but it was a totaly different machine, and way way more enjoyable, it felt like a smuch smaller lighter car, and even at low speeds was simply pointy and fun. More like a 308 glass car.
    My next tires Im going narrow fronts.

    The guys at corobu also make collars for the rear shocks to lower the rear slightly which is also supposed to make a big difference.
    Then of course there are cams and high comp pistons for a BBI.

    But yeah narrow fronts amd no TRx's are a great and easy place to start. I would look at avon tires for sizes, thyere soft and grippy so dont last too many miles, but then how many miles are you dong in 5 years..
     
  18. ross

    ross Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Mar 25, 2002
    36,206
    houston/geneva
    Full Name:
    Ross
    i can understand the narrow fronts, but i like the wider rears.
    i suppose they can be put together. 215 front and 255 rear.

    BF's are about $120 vs longstones at $500......
     
  19. VetroresinaNL

    VetroresinaNL Formula 3
    BANNED

    Oct 25, 2012
    1,917
    The Netherlands
    Full Name:
    Vetroresina
    For what is it worth, I have two spare wheels/space savers. One 19" version suitable for the 365BB and the 512BBi and the 20" version suitable for the 512BB. Both excellent condition.
     
  20. ross

    ross Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Mar 25, 2002
    36,206
    houston/geneva
    Full Name:
    Ross
    ok. the wheels were delivered yesterday. so the fronts are 225/60 VR15 and the rears are 255/60 VR15.
    bf goodrich.
    not that i plan to spend a lot of time at super high speeds, nor will i track this car, but the best speed rating i see for this size from any manufacturer is H, nad that is on a nankang which i refuse to buy. best speed rating on a reputable company is S.... which is not so great. and there are no V rated tires anywhere
     
  21. turbo-joe

    turbo-joe F1 Veteran

    Apr 6, 2008
    8,866
    southwest germany and thailand
    Full Name:
    romano schwabel
    conti, falken, vredestein, uniroyal, hankook, nankang, sonar, minerva, maxxis still makes V for front ( 225/60-15 ), also there are W index tires from kumho, falken,toyo and more manufacturers :)
    but none for the rear ( 255/60-15) :(
    but except on some parts of german autobahn you may not go faster than 120 or 130 km/h, so you may use S index without any problem. question is only what will the police say when they stop you? german registered cars must have the right index, or better/higher, because the size and index is standing in the registration papers. I know not so in swiss or french papers.

    so I not know if legal then or not ?
     
  22. ross

    ross Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Mar 25, 2002
    36,206
    houston/geneva
    Full Name:
    Ross
    the cars are now in the usa.
    but disappointing to not have the tire choices i had hoped for.
     

Share This Page