8 inch wheel / rim fitment

Discussion in 'The Hides' started by Jeff Cervantes, May 31, 2018.

  1. I have a 1972 Cutlass .. Ya I know not a Buick, Someone suggest I join you guys because of the information available. Question: I'm ordering some factory rally rims and would like to do 15 x 8, However I'm worried about rubbing, fitment etc. Currently running 245/60R14 on what I believe are 14x 7 (Hard to measure mounted on the car with tires) I do have a 95 LaSabre and a 02 regal :)
     
  2. sriley531

    sriley531 Excommunicado

    For what it's worth, when I got my 72 Buick in high school, I went to a swap meet and scored some 15x8 olds rallys with 235-60-15's on them and they fit with plenty of room. Now, Buick wheel well geometry vs olds wheel well geometry is different I'm sure, but I be not by leaps and bounds. Unless you want to go with some Mondo sized tires up front, I don't think you'll find an issue provided they have the factory spec'd back spacing. Here they are on the car when I finally drug it out to restore after sitting for years.

    IMG_2909.JPG
     
  3. Thanks for the reply, Are you sure those are 15x8 ? Olds never made a 15x8 out of the factory, Your pic looks like some factory rims .. Maybe 7"
     
  4. 12lives

    12lives Control the controllable, let the rest go

    From classicoldsmobile.com: it looks like the Olds A body did not get 15" wheels until 1974. It also appears that your wheel tubs are a bit smaller than Buick. Before you spend the bucks you may want to find a wheel measuring device so you can try different sizes (https://www.jegs.com/i/Percy's/760/01201/10002/-1?CAWELAID=1710534765&CAGPSPN=pla&CAAGID=44693592161&CATCI=pla176539549511&CATARGETID=230006180039217141&cadevice=c&gclid=CjwKCAjwur7YBRA_EiwASXqIHMJMt2_BBJ8VVaMdJklLFXF8Dr8ycN3DJ8u2s7GNFmeETOYMXtsq1hoCdZcQAvD_BwE). A 15X8 sounds nice but the back spacing and off set will need to be correct as well as tire size. If you look at Tire rack or BFG goodrich web sites you can find the tires that require that size wheel. So you would have to go to a 275/60 tire to need an 8" wheel. 245 and 255 should work with a 7" wheel. classicoldsmobile.com recommends a 275 on the rear as the largest tire for street use with no rubbing. You may want to ask the gents at classicoldsmobile.com as they may have more exact info for your car.
     
  5. I started with ClassicOldsmobile, You'll see my posts from the last 3 weeks on there, A wheel builder recommended V8Buick instead for more info as both he and I have been told the wheel tubes are identical on Chevelle, skylark, LeMans and Cutlass. The measure device sounds cool but another $80 bucks I don't have. I wanted 8 " all the way around for ease of rotating but maybe I need to be safe and do 7's on front and 8's on rear.
    on ClassicOldsmobile , Nobody could really for sure say 8's would work, there was a couple that claimed to have 8's all around but could not confirm anything .. backspacing etc.
     
  6. sriley531

    sriley531 Excommunicado

    My memory is fuzzy, they could be 7's I guess, I thought they were 8's and believe I was told they were 8's when I purchased them (but you know how that goes). 4.5" backspacing seems to be the norm for our Buicks on 8's, but again, not sure if Cutlass rear tubs are the same (I know the fronts are not). Give it time, there are a few wheel gurus around here that will probably know far more than I.
     
  7. LARRY70GS

    LARRY70GS a.k.a. "THE WIZARD" Staff Member

    Jeff,
    Not sure if the wheel tubs are the same across the A body lines. I would say most likely they are not. The Buick 15 X 7" Rallye wheel had 4 3/8" Back spacing. The 70 Buick GS used the G60-15 tires, the widest tire used on any A body. I have 15 X 8" aftermarket Buick Rallye wheels on my GS. They have 4 1/2" Back spacing. I am using P275/60R-15 tires out back. One thing to keep in mind is that because the body is not always square on the frame, it is not unusual to have more room on one side than the other. When going with big rims/tires, that problem can surprise you. There is noticeably less room on the driver's side of my car than on the passenger side. I would measure wheel width and back spacing on your current wheels and see what you can fit.
     
  8. 12lives

    12lives Control the controllable, let the rest go

    As an example I run 15X10 with 295/50/15 in the rear with no rub/no trim. I did have to add a rear sway bar to stop it from rubbing in hard corners, so its that close.

    GS.jpg GS2.jpg
    I do not think they will fit under a 442. You should start with the tire size you want and get the wheels you need. The $80 is minor after you spend $1000 on wheels and tires, and you can always sell it when you are done!
     
    Last edited: May 31, 2018
    sriley531 likes this.
  9. Looks nice , Love the redlines. Thanks for the info.
     
  10. buickbill

    buickbill Well-Known Member

    is that the old man look I hear so much about? I must be a wana be . luv it . just ordered 15x8 torque thrust2swith 4.5 bs . wonder if they would fit on the front , so I could run 10s on the back . what bs works with 10s
     

Share This Page