damascus

hi all,

i am looking into a set of 17" wheels. i really like the American Racing 500's -

AR500.jpg

i've had a few suggestions (thanks 'gearheads78' Richard). i'm looking at 17 X 7 (4.25 backspacing) and 17 X 8 in the rear (4.50 backspacing). The front tires should be at least 26" tall and the rears 27".

Front: P225/55/R17
Rear: P235/55/R17

Does anyone have a set up like this? Please let me know your thoughts and share photos if you would. Any advice and input is appreciated!

Thanks.

gearheads78

I think your front will be OK but your rear will be way too narrow. The absolute minimum I think is OK is a 255 wide rear but 275 would be better IMO
Nitto makes some good sizes in the 555 and NT450 series

The 255-50-17 is a little over 27" or 275-50-17 is 28" tall

http://www.nittotire.com/#index%2Etire%2Ent450%2Esizes

http://www.nittotire.com/#index%2Etire%2Ent555%2Esizes

I will mention again to seriously consider an 18" wheel. It much easier to find tire diameters that will look right.

damascus

i understand... i think that i'd trade some tread width for a taller sidewall. i don't want a low profile tire. i'm hoping i can come up with something that will fit... i will look at the nitto tires. thank you again.

MX442

Same here. I like meat on my tires not a rubber band. Somewhere I saw a chevelle with m&h 295/?/17. The pic was comparing
it to a bfg 275/60/15, if I recall. They were about the same size. It looked good.

damascus

... the wheels come in a variety of 17" sizes including a 17 X 7/8/ & 9.5.

can i get a 9.5" wheel under the rear end or would that be too wide?

thanks again.

gearheads78

I have 10" on my car with smaller wheel wells. As long as you can order the right BS 9.5 will fit with room to spare.
ARW is now all made in China you might also look at the Wheel Vintiques version of that wheel. ARW copied it off them. Custom BS is a lot easier to get from Wheel Vintiques. If ARE does not have what you need on the shelf I have heard of very long lead times. Also don't even think about ordering from Boyds if you see something from them. There are people that have been waiting 6 months and longer for Junk Yard Dogs made by Boyds.

damascus

that's good to hear... i'll look into it further.


i checked with the AR distributor. he informs me that all of the 'stock' AR wheels are manufacured in China. however, all of the custom built AR wheels, including the 500 wheel, are made in California. Built-to-order with an approximate 6 week turnaround. For what that's worth...

so now, how do i figure out the custom backspacing on the 9.5" wide wheel? any idea where to go for advice? these things are not returnable!

thanks again.

Oldsguy

And...............welcome to CO. Looking forward to seeing your car after you make a selection and mount tires/wheels.

svnt442

The WV wheels are steel where these are aluminum. The AR in this style are all custom order so a custom back space is very easy to obtain.

To measure the backspace you need to measure from the mounting pad on the drum/disk in towards the inner wheel well. You'll have to know what tire you are running and you'll want no less than ½" clearance at the top under full compression. So with just the outer lip of the rim I'd give it at least ¾". That will tell you the maximum backspace you can get away with.
Do the same for the front of the rim with the wheel opening and take into account the fender lip. Then you should be able to determine the width and backspacing you can get away with.

gearheads78

WV has been making that wheel in aluminum for 6 years now. ARW of China coppied it in cast aluminum about a year and a 1/2 ago.
http://wheelvintiques.com/shopsite_s...tml/page8.html

They may be assembled in the US but I am pretty sure the centers still come off the boat. I don't know what the current status is but as of 6 months ago there were many people in the wheel industry telling me custom ARW orders were taking much longer than promised times by months. They may have the crap together now but I would sure ask around from multiple sources before I ordered a set.

orange442

On my 72 I have 17x8's w/4" bs and 245-45's on front and 17x11's w/6" bs and 315-35's on the rear and they fit perfectly with no clearence issues whatsoever. So, anything that size or smaller with the right offset/backspacing will fit your 71!

damascus

that's good to know... what is your backspacing? would you post a photo or two? thanks!

orange442

Already done before you even asked!

gearheads78

Looks good any more pics?

damascus

Richard -

what do you think of the Goodyear Eagle RSA tires? They come in a TON of sizes - including super tall tires. are these too big? let me know which you would choose for 7" wheels and 8" wide wheels:


Wheel Width Tire Size OD Tire Width

7" rim: 235/65/17 29.1" 9.5"
7" rim: 265/60/17 29.5" 10.7"

8" rim: 255/55/17 28" 10.4"
8" rim: 275/60/17 30" 10.9"

thanks again. i look forward to any suggestions and comments from all...

gearheads78

Those are suv tires. That why they are so tall. I think you could 255-55 work for the rear but for fronts those are too tall unless they make some shorter sizes.
here is a car with 235-45-17 front and 255-45-17 rear That would be a good combo with 7 and 8" wheels 45 or 50 series is as tall as you want to consider especially for the front.
You have to remember you want the overall diameter to stay close to the original size. You are only increasing the wheel size in the middle of the donut hole.

damascus

255/50zr17 ~ 27.1 tall ~ 10.4 wide for 8" rim

235/50/zr17 ~ 27.1 tall ~ 9.6 wide for 7" rim...

Kumho Ecsta SPT tires... better?

gearheads78

You learn well Grasshopper I still like to see a little stagger in overall height but thats a whole lot better.

This might be a slightly better selection for the front. The 235 on a 7" will be slightly more bulged. If you go to the 225 on the 7" the bulge will match the rear better. I know I am being **** but details make the difference.

225/50R17 6.0 - 8.0 9.2 on 7.0 25.9" tall

orange442

I would suggest a 275 or 285 rear with a 9"-10" wheel or possibly an 18" to give a more staggered look. The rear wheel wells on these cars is so large it looks much better with a wider tire filling them up!

gearheads78

That's the direction I originally suggested. Maybe more peer pressure will help persuade

damascus

i appreciate all of your input. thing is, the AR 500's are only offered in 17". damn.

jturkey69

these numbers will come in handy when I decide on a set of wheels. I like the staggered look, and may look into 18's for the rear but the above picture of the 71 looks very nice I want backspacing shallow enough to come pretty close to the lip. I would not be opposed to running any size so long as the look and rubber is decent.

damascus

staggered... agreed - it looks GREAT! i can't settle on an 18" wheel that I like (or fits my budget)...

look at the link below for a nice 17/18 staggered look. i wish i knew the offset of his set up for certain. (thanks 'Aceshigh' for your information)

245/45/17" Nitto 555 ZR's up front (25.67" tall)
285/40/18" Nitto 555 ZR's in back (26.97" tall)

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...html#post89473

jturkey69

WOW..that car looks awesome...with a daark color like that I wonder if it shouldnt be 19's and 18's? From what I have found, my car color is "bittersweet orange?" I will be doing the same color again, although I may try to have a bunch of pearl added, or do a BC/CC and pearl CC. I love those rims, but I think the 17's may be a bit small now?

I guess I never really noticed how large the wheel wells are on my 71. I have only dealt with g-bodies, and for the past 8yrs I was into the Domestic Tuner phaze, and I ran 18" ADR Design M-Classics on my old Olds Alero show car. I know I definitely want some type of lip on the rims, perhaps even deeper in the rear, but I may end up looking into some 18's....hmm. I wish, Cragar still made the SS/T..but in 18's.

Now I have to go back and save his(aceshigh) pic for future reference...lol

I am realizing I have a long way to go.....

Aceshigh

When you go for bigger rims you're ALWAYS going to meet opposing opinions with the more "purist" type of enthusiast.
Myself, I'm more of a pro-touring type and I love to modernize the classics.

With that being said, Foose Legends with Nitto 555's.
245/45/17 x 8" up front
285/40/18 x 9.5" in back
Why did I go 18" in the back ?? Because the rake is what I wanted.
Why did I go 285 in back ?? Because a Muscle Car should have a fat *** of meat from the rear view.
Not anorexic rubber bands that can't put the power to the ground properly. (HUGE problem in the 60's and 70's)

Plus I know SEVERAL Chevelle owners who went this route and their rides look sick.
These are VERY BIG Classics, and 14" rims look rinky dink Mickey Mouse on them IMHO.
Plus, I always upgrade the braking systems to bigger discs front and back. C5 or otherwise.

SUV tires.....is funny.....because almost all newer Vette's wear even BIGGER tires.
So whomever said that isn't in touch with modern muscle tire sizes.
I hate the rubber band look myself, so I got enough side profile to meet halfway.

June25thnewrims4.jpg
June25thnewrims3.jpg
June25thnewrims5.jpg
Kumho Ecsta's are junk.
I bought them for my 78 Camaro 6 years ago.
Myself and a few others on the Nastyz28 forum don't like them at all.

You can light them up all day and they barely smoke up.

Aceshigh

It's all about what you like as the owner.

Donk = totally gay in my book.
14" = Total purist but too Mickey Mouse for 2009 standards IMO.

So I like to be in the middle.
MY preference is to keep the UPPER profile of the tire showing.
When you SUCK the tire into the fenderwell and you can't see the
FULL PROFILE of the side of the tire all around......I hate that.

18" are too close to cutting off the top profile, so I didn't want that.
In back, it was fine though. This is an example of what I'm talking about.
I can't stand this DUBS look on classic muscle.


I can't stand these personally.



Now here is another members car off Nastyz28 named ZYAL8R and he did his ride height PERFECTLY.
He's got 18" up front and 20" in back, and I never thought I'd like it, but his looks great because
he nailed the stance PERFECTLY. http://rides.carcraft.com/ride/10138...aro/index.html

jturkey69

Im not into the monster rim look look for my rides, bubble, ba donka donk, or whatever they are called now, I can respect their ideas, Its just not for me.

Now onto your car and rims, I love it! I wish I could learn how to use photoshop to put your 18's up front to see what it could look like. I will also be doing rear discs, and I guess you could say Im also going the "pro touring" look, but not going big bucks on brakes...been there done that, and never got to really use them as intended. We are building the 71 to suit out driving style and taste (wife and I) and filling the wheel wells with a correct size to fit the car is what we want.
Dont get me wrong, I love the look you acheived..I was just curious to know what it could also look like with 18's up front?

As I have said in another thread somewhere...I wish we had a dedicated section for us "modified" crowd...lol

jturkey69

The Olds is not in my taste at all...but the camaro is the hotness..thats why I was wondering what your 18's would look like up front? my the Cutlass needs 18's in front and 19's in back...MAYBE 20's, but somehow im not so sure about that.

gearheads78

I tried to bite my tongue but I can't. The Camaro is 100% wrong IMO. The rear tire profile is a lot shorter than the front 18/20 looks bad on almost any muscle car. But that one looks really bad. 20" wheel like the Coys on that car give the optical illusion of being very tall and skinny even though its not. Its all about proportion. That car needs a 315 on the back with an 18" wheel and it would look 1000% better.

Aces your car looks good. I would drop it 1" in back and 2" in front and I think you will be very pleased with the outcome. At the very least I would leave the back alone and go 1" in the front so the rake will match your combo. Right now in the pics it looks like you have more fender gap in front than in back.

As for SUV tires that was me and yes the tires he asked about are for SUV's All you foreign mid size SUV's you similar sizes and thats what Goodyear makes them for and that also why its so hard to come up with stagger sizes for a hot rod in that tire.

jturkey69

huh...I never looked that close to see the tire is actually shorter in the rear..lol..I was all about the rims filling in alot of dead space...lol

Aces 442 would prolly look good with a minor drop in front, or which is why I asked, 18's in front. I think it ultimately depends on the owners vision. I may end up running 19 or 20's in back, and IF i do, then I would either be choosing a rim to show off a big brake kit(not likely) or a more "covering" type of wheel with some classic shape to it.

Aceshigh

Obviously to each their own, but ZYAL8R's car is actually one of the more
popular one's on the site for rim choices and stance. He was just in 2 Car
magazines this past month. http://www.nastyz28.com/forum/showth...ghlight=ZYAL8R

This is my other toy I'm currently rewiring with an American Autowire Highway 22 kit.
This is before I adjusted the ride height up front by cutting the springs down.


Actually the front does need to come down a tad.
I just got the rims on a couple months ago.
So that is going to happen in the Spring 2010 season.

I just want the complete profile of the UPPER part of the tire showing.
I can't stand it when tires are sucked into fenders.

Aceshigh

There are rim visualizers online to help you get a feel for it.
http://www.newstalgiawheel.com/wheel_visualizer.asp

Cheapest option for discs in back I've found was the S10 rear disc conversion.
That's the route I'm going on both my cars. You can do them for under $500 or $700 all new.
If you want the parts list, let me know. We have threads on that too.
GM 10 bolts are obviously going to work universally back in this era.

For me, braking is extremely important when driving around cars with 40 more years of
advancements in technology. These are our toys.....and are not cheap to repair....so
braking is a MUST investment for me. I hate drums.......

jturkey69

Aesome, thanks for the help!!! I love the striping on both cars....gives me the impression of a modern Balwin-Motion?...dunno, but both of them look HOT!! Wife loves the Camaro! Especially the sidepipes...I have a set of new zoomies I may be trying to put on the Cutlass.

gearheads78

Remember the S-10 swap is not a 100% bolt on with an Olds bolt in axle rear. If you have a Chevy c-clip rear you are golden.

jturkey69

Thanks gearheads78, I will keep that in mind. It wont be until late spring before the rear gets converted, but at least I can now plan ahead.

Aceshigh...That was prolly a bad thing for me to do checkin out those wheels already...lol...I found a couple of styles that I really like...the Cutlass will be the factory Bittersweet Orange, and two of the rims were Billet Specialties GTX00 (solid wheel) 17x10 rear 50 series, and 17x8 front 45 series....at least thats what looked cool there then the Rocket Racing Booster with gunmetal center...18x9 rear 45 series, and 18x8 40 series front...

ahhh...the dreams continue...lol

damascus

Richard,

going back to your original piece of advice - i agree that a tall tire is key - at least for my personal taste (and that's what it's all about - we all like something different).

the tires on the Aceshigh car are 25.67" and 26.97" tall:

245/45/17" Nitto 555 ZR's up front (25.67" tall)
285/40/18" Nitto 555 ZR's in back (26.97" tall)

for the 17" AR500 wheels, i like your selection here below. the total 'look' would be taller than the Aceshigh 17/18 staggered set up. i realize it would not be as wide - but tall is also good.

i liked the Kumho 235/55/17 for the front because it is 27.1" tall. i understand they may not be a good tire choice... i'll have to find another 235/55/17 for the front... but still trying to find the perfect 17" set up!!!

jturkey69

I love Kumho tires...had nothing but good luck with them, and they are very cheap! I ran 711 on a G body, and the 712's on my Alero.

gearheads78

I'm sure you are finding out the hardest part of what you are doing is finding matching front and rear tires in the sizes you want. As soon as you find the rear you want they don't make the front to match and vice versa. It took me 6 months to come up with my tire wheel combo so just try to be patient and things will work out.

damascus

EXACTLY! there are very few 50 & 55 series tires to choose from. i can find a Nitto NT555 in 255/50zr17 but not a 275/50zr17 to match. the only set i can find is the 255/50zr17 & 235/55zr17 in the Kumho Ecsta SPT tire.

trying to be patient... still looking... thanks for all of the help!

Mongoose

What if you have a C-clip eliminator kit on a Chevy 12-bolt? Will the brake conversion you're discussing work on this setup?