Need Wheel Help

[docrocket1967]

I spent two hours looking for the answers to my questions before posting but couldn't find anything. Your help is appreciated.

Im looking for a 17x10 or 18x10 wheel to run on my Monte Carlo SS 1986 with a low profile tire. I would love to run a real wide tire and rim on my car and considered a mini tub or a complete tub but decided it is just way to much work for me. I want it to be tucked up under the rear i really dont want it to stick out but if it does a half inch or so i am ok with that. Im going for a drag racing look with the skinny tire and wheel up front and big and fat in the rear for the front I would like a 15x5.

1. Can I run a 10" wide tire and rim on a stock 1986 monte carlo ss?
2. I am looking to pay about $150-175 per wheel. Any ideas as to what company I should look for?
3. What tires should I go with that have a good looking tread pattern for both front and rear?
4. What will i need to do to run this type of set up?
5. Will I have any issues in the front ??
6. Anybody have some really good pics of a similar set-up?

Thank you for your help

 

[khan0165]

problem: Gbody cars have very little space for large wheels, specially on the rear. I'm pretty sure our car's invented the "frame notch" concept.

some say they can run up to 5" backspacing without any modifications, some like me have trouble past 4" backspacing. Alot has to do with tire size/shape, and wheels.

Low profile tires, you can typically run more backspacing, because there is less/none sidewall bulge. The larger the tire sidewall size, the more it tends to bulge out past the outer proportions of the wheel.

that being said... it's really an experiment with each car. I have found that 35/40/45 series tires have no bulge. These are typically mounted on 17 to 18 to 19 in rims with very specific sizes...

when you get into the 50/60 series tires, wheel width can vary... for example, if I try to stuff a 10" tire onto a 8" rim, I would likely get alot of sidewall bulge/bow.

I've also recently discovered that this is also affected by tire compound. For example, compare two 275/60 tires, both mounted on 15x8 wheels, one is a all season radial and other is a slick compound drag radial... the Softer tire will bulge more and have larger dimensions than the Harder tire after inflation.
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so that's the theory... Now to the point...

from all the combos I've seen and tried, it seems like you can go as far as 4.5" backspacing, maybe even 5" if you're using 17,18 or 19 wheels with very low profile tires.

You're looking at trouble past 4.25" backspacing, can sometimes push it to 4.5" backspacing, with 50 series tires mounted on a 15 or 16 wheel.

when you get into the 60 series tires, I find anything after 4" is a gamble... I even have trouble with 3.5" backspacing.
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when you're looking at wheel width, it depends on your taste...
If you want the tires/wheels to tuck inside the wheel wells, I don't see you running anything wider than a 8" wheel in the 15 or 16 size. And nothing wider than a 9.5" to 10" wheel in a 17, 18 or 19 size.

I'll let others chime in on the large wheels, but see my next post for examples of some "Big and Small" staggered dragster style combos.

 

[khan0165]

now for the examples:

here's my GP with 245/50R16s mounted on F-Body 16x8 IROC wheels. These wheels have alot of backspacing (on the rear wheels is 4.75" BS and using a 3/8 spacer, the fronts are mounted with 1" spacers on 5.25" backspacing).

245s are about as wide as you can go upfront and these rub at full lock... A 235, 225, or 215 is a more sensible size.

with sidewall bulge, the tires measure out to 9.75" at most and leave only a 1/4" between the frame rail

measuring 25.6" tall, there is no chance these will catch the fender skirt, even with saggy springs and lots of bumpy driving.
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these are some 275/60R15 All-Season Radials, mounted on 15x8 wheels with 4.25" backspacing.

they rub on the frame rail, and would fit much better on 4" backspacing.
After sidewall bulge, they are close to the fender skirt. And at 28" tall, they have a good chance of catching the skirt if going over a big bump.

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these are some 275/60R15 soft Drag Radials, mounted on 15x8 wheels with 4" backspacing.

being softer, they bulge more than the All-Seasons and are real close to rubbing.

had to use a 3/8" spacer to make a little more space

At the sidewalls, they are 11" wide and almost stick out past the sides of the car. And at 28.25" tall, they are VERY close to the fender skirt. I do not feel safe going over a bump, and would not even attempt on a saggy suspension.

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here's a bulge comparison between a:
1. 245/50 vs 275/60 All-Season

2. 245/50 vs 275/60 Drag Radial

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and here's some 155/70R15s mounted on 15x4 CenterLine wheels.

 

[docrocket1967]

Wow thank you for the detailed reply. So if i run a 17 or 18 inch wide wheel I will need a 4.5" backspacing with a pretty low profile tire. Do you know a company I can turn too for the price range I was looking for?

 

[khan0165]

most tire/wheel companies are online now... You'd be surprised how much detail you can get from places like TireRack.com, SummitRacing.com, etc...

I would start there. For your sake, I hope 4.5" Backspacing in 17s is more common than I've heard. I hear when you get into the wide 17s (like 17x9.5 or 17x10), 5" backspacing is as small as you can get.