I have 195.55.15 tires. Perhaps when the PO installed the V6 and 5 speed he found the 13" wheels taching to hi at HWY speeds so tried to get improvement by mounting 15 inchers. 9"W wheel with 4 3/4 back space and 1 3/4 front. Using plumbob I now have 3/4" room in rear so I figure 1/2" wider is all I can go. I can go with spacers or larger tires. WHat size 15" tire would be a 1/2 wider?
Again, some numbers that do not make sense.
First, a 195/55-15 tire is only about 1/2" larger in diameter than the factory 5.90-13 or 6.00-13 tires. It is the
tire diameter that matters, not the
wheel diameter.
Second, a wheel with 4-3/4" backspace and 1-3/4" frontspace has a wheel width (the distance between the inside of the tire bead flanges) of about 5-1/2", not 9".
A 195 mm section width passenger radial tire has a section width of 7.68". A 205 mm section width passenger radial tire has a section width of 8.07". A 215 mm section width passenger radial tire has a section width of 8.46".
FWIW, there is no way to keep a wheel wider than about 7" (actual "wheel width") under the fenders of a Series Alpine with factory suspension and factory fenders. Hint; at the front, measure the
horizontal distance from the outside of the upper ball joint to the outside of the fender at the top of the fender arch. At the back, measure the
horizontal distance from the outside of the leaf spring to the outside of the fender at the top of the fender arch.