have question on rear wheel width and largest tire size for my 67 Coronet

[Fran Blacker]

When you check out prices for tires try Discount Tire Direct. Saved $40 over Jeg's and Summit When I bought a set of Nitto 555 R Xtreme Drag Tires. Only thing I didn't like about tires they get flat spot if left in one spot, didn't say how long. Car is on Jack stands for winter.

 

[Reamzer]

A tire that is advertised as 28x9 means it's 28" tall and has a tread width of 9". A tire with a 9" tread will have a larger section width to account for the sidewall bulge. For example, a Hoosier slick that is listed as 28x9-15 has a section width of around 11.1". This is because when mounted there are parts of the sidewall that extend past the actual tread on the tire.

From what I've seen on my car, as well as what I've heard other share if you run a wheel with 4.5" backspace and just barely squeeze a tire with 11" section width in there. To do it right and have more room one would really need to get something with either a touch more backspace or a touch less section width. In your scenario you've lost 1/4" of backspace so in order not to rub you'll need your section width to also go down. That's why I recommend the 255/50-17. If you look at Nitto's site you'll see their NT450 in that size is advertised with a 10.16" section width while mounted on a 8" rim. Even it bulges a little more due to the 7" wheel, you'll probably still be OK. If you really want to play it safe you can go down to 225/50-17, I just don't recommend them because it more of a rubber band look and they have a lower load rating.

I like this tire setup. Would 255/50/17s fit my car with 4 inch backspacing. I need to order new tires here so and i'm very confused on what will fit.

 

[big_shmoop]

I like this tire setup. Would 255/50/17s fit my car with 4 inch backspacing. I need to order new tires here so and i'm very confused on what will fit.
View attachment 378793

Actually, I'm considering a set of these as well. I keep going back and forth between 17's and 15's for my car...it's driving me nuts.

If I had to guess because it's hard to tell in pictures like this I would say this person is running the off the shelf 17x8 with 4.5" backspace in the rear and 17x7 with 4" up front. I say that because the lips look a little different to me. That is how those rims are build by American Racing if you don't do a custom set. If that's the case, then the Nitto 450 255/50-17's I mentioned earlier would be the way to go. They're advertised as a 10.3" section width on a 8" wheel. That should be enough to clear in the rear. Up front you could run the same size on the 17x7's if you wanted.

If I go this route, I'm going to get a set of 17x8's custom made with a 5" backspace so I can run 275/50-17's with enough clearance. The wider section width of the 275 setup will "fit" with 4.5" backspace but it's too close for my taste and will probably rub in turns. If that cause too much gap between the tire and the wheel lip I'll add 1/4" spacers to close it up a bit. You can always add spacers later to move a wheel back out, but you can't change the backspace once the wheel is made.

 

[Fran Blacker]

I didn't need to do anything to the springs, but I had to get the car pretty high due to the tire height and tucking it under the lip. I guess what I'm gonna have to do is throw my alumimun jack in the truck and have with with me in case of a flat. Small price to pay to get the wheel/tire size I want.




Very close indeed. While this setup "fits", I was more test fitting to see how much pace I had in the back to get a custom set of wheels built. After seeing what I have to work with, I'll probably order a set of 15x8 with 5" of backspace. If things to get too tight in back I'll a tiny spacer to move it out.

I also dropped the PSI in the air shocks to lower it a little...looks much better now.

Bought a mini floor jack from Sears. It's about 14"x8"x6" in the box. Something like this. Never used it.
http://www.sears.com/pit-bull-pit-b...eStoreNow.com&prdNo=6&blockNo=6&blockType=G6#

 

[Reamzer]

235/55/17

 

[Reamzer]

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