18 or 19" tire options for notched frame

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Ace Burt

Greasemonkey
Jul 23, 2017
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I am trying to figure out my tires and wheels for my notched frame 87 El Camino. I have the backspace, etc. figured out but I am going back and forth on what size rear tires (going staggered) I am going to run. I like the 18 or 19" tires because I get more sidewall and in theory more comfort without giving up much in the way of lateral grip to a 20". This issue I am having is finding anything in the 295-305-315 range in a, 18 or 19 except nittos and proxies.

Any one have any ideas?
 

malibudave

Greasemonkey
Mar 12, 2010
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Houston, TX
I am running stock corvette 17x9.5 sawblades. These wheels have a 54mm offset. I run a 2.75" thick wheel adapter with these. I run stock sized 275/40/17 for these rims.

With the above setup, the tires tuck into the wheel wheel. On the front, the lower part of the front fender well needs to be notched for tire clearance. I also run aftermarket speedway motors upper control arms which give a lot more clearance for 17" wheels. You MAY not have issues with stock upper a-arms with 18" or larger wheels.

Total width of the Corvette rim is 10.5, so zero offset will be 5.25" backspacing.

With the Corvette 17x9.5 and the 2.75" adapter, the backspacing is 4.626" or 4-5/8" roughly. You SHOULD BE able to go with a 4.75" backspace on a 9.5" wheel. This will pull the wheel closer to the frame, which should be OK. I have to double check, but I remember being able to fit my fingers between the frame 275 tire.

Hope this helps.
 

scoti

Royal Smart Person
Sep 5, 2019
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Texas
I am trying to figure out my tires and wheels for my notched frame 87 El Camino. I have the backspace, etc. figured out but I am going back and forth on what size rear tires (going staggered) I am going to run. I like the 18 or 19" tires because I get more sidewall and in theory more comfort without giving up much in the way of lateral grip to a 20". This issue I am having is finding anything in the 295-305-315 range in a, 18 or 19 except nittos and proxies.

Any one have any ideas?
There are lots of tire choices. Some @ a decent price range; some not so much. What width wheels?
 

Ace Burt

Greasemonkey
Jul 23, 2017
148
190
43
Texas
There are lots of tire choices. Some @ a decent price range; some not so much. What width wheels?
I finally got everything measured out and ordered. The tires came yesterday. I ended going with 305/35/19 rears and 245/45/18 fronts. Billet Specialties is making the wheels for me. They are the pro touring Daytona series in 19x10 rear with 5.6 backset and 18x8 front in a 3.7 backset in a polished finish. I was able to put Michelin Pilot Sports in off the shelf sizes all the way around with this combination. I spent the money to put the right size wheels on it and make it fit because I am not a fan of spacers. I know a lot of people use them without problems but I have had a bad experience in the past with them and chose to go a different route. The downside to having the "special" wheels made is its a 10 weeks "delivered" process and the cost. I will post up some pics of the tires when I get my phone updated and have access to them. I just bought a new phone and its not cooperating with downloads at the moment.
 
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UNGN

Comic Book Super Hero
Sep 6, 2016
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Southlake, TX
I finally got everything measured out and ordered. The tires came yesterday. I ended going with 305/35/19 rears and 245/45/18 fronts. Billet Specialties is making the wheels for me. They are the pro touring Daytona series in 19x10 rear with 5.6 backset and 18x8 front in a 3.7 backset in a polished finish. I was able to put Michelin Pilot Sports in off the shelf sizes all the way around with this combination. I spent the money to put the right size wheels on it and make it fit because I am not a fan of spacers. I know a lot of people use them without problems but I have had a bad experience in the past with them and chose to go a different route. The downside to having the "special" wheels made is its a 10 weeks "delivered" process and the cost. I will post up some pics of the tires when I get my phone updated and have access to them. I just bought a new phone and its not cooperating with downloads at the moment.

With 18 inch wheels in front you can do an inch more BS (4.7") and 9" wide and fit will be about the same.
 
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Ace Burt

Greasemonkey
Jul 23, 2017
148
190
43
Texas
With 18 inch wheels in front you can do an inch more BS (4.7") and 9" wide and fit will be about the same.
Thanks but its too late. The wheels are paid for and in production stage at this point.
With 18 inch wheels in front you can do an inch more BS (4.7") and 9" wide and fit will be about the same.
Here are some pics of the tires and the finished frame before we sat the body on it and started putting it together. Plenty of room for tires in the notch we did. Also double plated the notched piece so its almost solid steel.
 

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mclellan83

Comic Book Super Hero
Jun 27, 2017
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Very interested to see some completed pics of the stance, pretty sure I am gonna have to go your route to get the fitment I want on my Blazer project
 
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scoti

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Sep 5, 2019
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3.7"BS on an 8" wide wheel up front doesn't seem very much. I've got 3.75"BS on 6" wheels on the Malibu & would/could definitely go inboard to add width especially to avoid the outer edge of the wheel opening/lip. But my stuff is lower so clearance is more of a concern. Update this once you get things mounted up.
 
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Ace Burt

Greasemonkey
Jul 23, 2017
148
190
43
Texas
Very interested to see some completed pics of the stance, pretty sure I am gonna have to go your route to get the fitment I want on my Blazer project
I will get them up once everything gets here. Looks like the car will be done before the wheels get here at this point. It has QA1 coil overs all the way around we can play with the ride height. The height difference between the front and rear tires is less than 1/2 inch. 2” drop spindles on the front. We should be able to make it look any way we want too
 
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Ace Burt

Greasemonkey
Jul 23, 2017
148
190
43
Texas
3.7"BS on an 8" wide wheel up front doesn't seem very much. I've got 3.75"BS on 6" wheels on the Malibu & would/could definitely go inboard to add width especially to avoid the outer edge of the wheel opening/lip. But my stuff is lower so clearance is more of a concern. Update this once you get things mounted up.
When we measured it out the number was 3.5 to 4”. Split the difference at 3.75 (my bad, that’s the real number). I can roll and even “stretch” fenders outward but I can’t move anything inward. Time will tell.
 
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