Wheel Fitment Guide

[adumb]

I am looking to do 15x7 steelies in the back with 255/60's
and also the stock 14x6 steelies in the front with 215/60's

I just wanna check with people here to make sure that i'll be good with the 15x7 steelies in back. idk if i need more bs than that or not.

 

[dogsht]

adumb, The 215/60/14 is very short 24.2" if you use a tire that small you may have issues hitting the oil pan or bottoming out on crowned roads & such especially if you have weak springs/shocks (common) with the tall 27" 255/60/15 in the rear. That is a lot of rake which makes the problem worse. You might have meant or check out 215/70/14s which is still only 25.9" tall about the stock ride height for most gbodys and it would still have rake for a nice stance. FWIW my GN & 442 both came with a 26" tire stock.

 

[billyjack]

I tend to agree with "ds". When GM commissioned the 215/65x15 tire back in the 80's, it was designed to replace the 205/70 14 with a similar diameter, but wider 15" combo. A little research time on the tire mfr's websites would be time well spent. Speaking as a retired autocrosser and circle track racer, I personally would never mount up a tire on one of my cars that had less load capacity than the OEM size. Years ago, before low profile tires were plentiful, the lowrider dudes would stretch out 5.60-15 VW Beetle tires on 7 or 8 inch wheels for their Impalas or other two ton cars because it looked cool. Maybe that's why "low and slow" was the style, since taking a fast corner on a tire designed for half the weight load was near suicidal. Sure, that's an extreme, but I hope I made my point. Remember, the highest load in cornering is on the outside front wheel, so it's definitely not the place to compromise performance for looks. As I said, do a little research, and you're sure to find a tire combination that both looks good and outperforms OEM. You might consider going with a 235/60-14 with your 255/60 -15 rears. You'll still have rake and the "big and littles" look, but enough front tire to out-perform the stock setup in a corner.

Sorry for being long-winded; This week's sermon is now ended.

Bill

 

[adumb]

thanks for the replies, i'll look at the 215/70's for up front. i just wasnt sure about having a taller sidewall in front.

so having the 15x7's steelies in the rear will be fine? im going to the junkyard this week to grab them.

thanks for the help DS and billyjack!

 

[billyjack]

I just bought a set of 14x7's and now I am wondering if I will have to change the backspacing? I had the stock wheels on there which I believe are 14x6's and everyone is saying the bs is 3.75. Will I have to change to 4'' backspacing for the 14x7's? If so, how do I go about doing that and how much (more) will it cost me? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
Bud

Bud,
What are the backspacing measurements on your new 14X7's ? Anything in the 3" to 4" range should be fine.
Bill

 

[adumb]

I've been searching. does anyone possibly know the backspacing on 15x7 steelies. i think the ones im looking at are coming off a 93 blazer.

 

[jrm81bu]

If they are coming off a 4wd blazer they might have too much backspacing. They might fit and not rub but they won't look right. they will look tucked in.

 

[adumb]

If they are coming off a 4wd blazer they might have too much backspacing. They might fit and not rub but they won't look right. they will look tucked in.

sh*t

that's kinda what i was afraid off. any good steelies i could use?? I was gonna maybe talk to junkyard down from $35. maybs i'll go with soft8's in the rear and the 14x6 in the front.

i need a relatively cheap way of geting new tires on this, but im also looking to the future. i don't wanna change my tire setup half way through summer. this way if i upgrade, it'll only be getting another set of soft8's up front.

 

[jrm81bu]

If they are coming off a 4wd blazer they might have too much backspacing. They might fit and not rub but they won't look right. they will look tucked in.

sh*t

that's kinda what i was afraid off. any good steelies i could use?? I was gonna maybe talk to junkyard down from $35. maybs i'll go with soft8's in the rear and the 14x6 in the front.

i need a relatively cheap way of geting new tires on this, but im also looking to the future. i don't wanna change my tire setup half way through summer. this way if i upgrade, it'll only be getting another set of soft8's up front.

Sounds kinda like you already have the answer :lol:

 

[billyjack]

I've been searching. does anyone possibly know the backspacing on 15x7 steelies. i think the ones im looking at are coming off a 93 blazer.

If you're referring to a 2WD S-Blazer or S-Truck, they used a similar 5-spoke steelie to the base Camaro wheels of the late 80's -early 90's. The 15X7's I have measure at 3.75 backspacing, about ideal for any G-body.

Bill