Hey all, I'm going to put some bigger rims on my GS for handling and for looks. My 15" rallys have old hides and the one has some bad rust around the bead and won't seal, so its time to upgrade. Just wondering if anyone has advice about the size tire to use and back spacing issues if any. My car is stock ride height and currently has a stock suspension but that's gonna change (the suspension not the ride height). Going for good looks and performance. The rallys are cool but its time for something different! Has anyone used 17" out there and what worked for you? Any one got pics of there ride with 17"? Thanks in Advance, C. Mills
This is the combo used on my car. Wheels Rear 17 x 9.5" Billet Buick Rallye Wheels 5.5" Back Spacing Front 17 x 8" Billet Buick Rallye Wheels 4.75" Back Spacing Tires Front Tires BF Goodrich G-Force T/A KDWS 245/45R17 Rear Tires Mickey Thompson Drag Radials 275/40R17
If you go with a standard backspace, you will be fine. I run 17x7's on my 69, 225/40 in front and 245/40 in back, no issues at all, and I have 2 inch drop coils on front and 1 inch on back. You could run 17x8's on back too. If you want to maximize tire size you can go larger than mine. 18's will also fit fine on a 72.
The quarter panel lip on our cars is a bit aggressive and wide. If you fold it, you gain just about an inch or more of room. Generally speaking there is alot of realestate to cram large wheels in there. Everytime I have put 17's on my car, I ended up regretting the tire size I picked because I could have gone bigger. 17's were also a wierd tire size about 5 years ago, because the muscle car crowd picked them up, and there was a demand for a few sizes that didnt exist (295/40 for starters), but they have since become available. 18's are generally more common and cheaper to buy tires for. I had tried 245/45 Front and 275/45 Rear in Falken, and thought they were way to small. The Goodyear and BF Goodrich Brand is generally "bigger"/Wider. To do it again, I would probably stick with the 245 Fronts, maybe a 255 (I think as much as 275 will fit), and a bigger side wall of 50. For the rears I would go anywhere from 275 to 315 depending on space and atleast a 28" tall tire. This later combo I just described is what my freind has on his cutlass, and it just "looks right". Cant see alot of wheel well, and everything looks balanced.
Going to bigger rims does not change the back spacing requirements. An 8" wide rim likes 4 1/2" of back spacing. A 10" wide rim will like 5 1/2- 5 5/8" of back spacing.
Thanks guys you are friggin' awesome!!! I hadn't a clue. Going to the tri-state swap in Denver tomorrow with cash in hand and this info. 170 Nice Cutlass! Doo Wop do you have pics of that set up? Thanks again!
Thanks for the pics Doo Wop. Those wheels are sweeeeeeeeeeeet! Hopefully I get lucky at the swap meet, short on funds and want cash left to do my suspension mods. Have a great weekend!!
I am running 17x9 wheels all around with Nitto 555 245-45 on the front and 285-40 on the back. Thanks Brent
Thanks, I have always like the look of dog dish caps on a muscle car. The rims are from wheel vintiques I think they are called series 62 but I can't remember for sure. They make several widths and sizes for the old school dog dish hub caps. Summit racing is the best place to get them, they are cheaper then buying direct and they shipped all 4 wheels for a set cost of I think about $14. Shipping from Wheel Vintiques was going to be about $100 so that savings alone is good. If anyone is considering 17s for a Buick look at Yearone, they have a cast wheel in 17x8 and 17x9 that looks very similar to the Buick rally. It actually looks like the Chevy and Olds rally and a set of 4 is only $800. Very nice looking wheel for that price. Thanks Brent
Here is a pic of the wheels I ended up with. 245/45/17 front on 8" width and 275/40/17 on 9" rear. The rims are JEGS Sport Torque Wheels. .
