What are you recomendations for 14 vs 15 inch rims

[Ddave]

A supposed knowledgeable Ford fellow ask me if folks were changing out their 14 inch rims for 15 inch ones. I realize that would be a no-no if you were having your car judged to be authentic. I don't want to have my car judged. My experienced is not good having cars judged.
The reason I'm asking is that I would like to put radial tires on my car and I've read from several folks that they have a hard time keeping hubcaps on with radials.
Another part to this question is about clearance for disk brakes which I might want to add later.
Simple question is - what is the best rim to use for radials and disk brakes?
I appreciate the wealth of knowledge in the group.

[Ford Only]

I put disk brakes on my 57 & 59 Skyliner and used 14" rims, I used the disk brakes from a Mercury Cougar and the 14" wheels from the same car.
I have never have a problem with the hub caps coming off and I don't think you would have a problem with any of the later 70's style wheels because they were designed for use with radial tires.
I also put disc brakes on a 60 Thunderbird using the disc brakes from a Ford Granada & its 14" wheels, the Granada set required reaming the top of the spindle larger for the ball joint to fit.
I don't think that any disc brake set up will work with the stock early 14" wheels as they don't have the same off set as later wheels and the stock wheels are not strong enough for radial tires.

[Garry]

I have had 215/75x14 radials on my 59 for over 3 years now.Never had a problem with the hub caps coming off.I don't have disc brakes.

[Ddave]

Very good feedback. I'll let you know how I handle this.
Thanks

[heikkisky]

At the moment I have 14" Gragar S/S 5-spokes with Coker Classic radial whitewalls on my Skyliner. I've learned there are lots of options for disc brake conversion with 14" rims too.

On my '60 T-bird which I have owned since 1990 I have had radials with original 14" rims and original Sun Ray hubcabs for several years and never had any issues with hubcabs coming off. Of course the rims and wheels must be balanced to perfection.

[Finster]

I have had American Classic radial tires for 8 years and have not had any hub cap problems as of yet. These tires are based on a 1980's Michelin radial. When I bought them the brand was independent of Coker but now it appears they have merged or were acquired. They ride great but definitely look like radials with wide white walls on them.

[Ford Only]

Here is a good article that covers older rims and mounting radial tires.

https://www.sema.org/files/attachments/WTC-2011-05-Bias-vs-Radial-Tire-Wheel-Fitment.pdf

[Ddave]

Thanks all for the info. The SEMA article is invaluable to help me decide what to do. Really appreciate it and forwarded it to my Ford mentor.