Wider steel rims?

[P72Ford]

All depends on the tire- some 275s just aren't gonna fit on an 8" wheel. I had one set that worked good, the others just didn't handle well at all.

I fit 17x10.5" wheels with 335's under my car just fine, with tons of room.

Good point.

Wagons definitely have more room in the wheelhouse. By my measurements, a 10.5" wheel would be an issue on a sedan, unfortunately.

The 17x9/ 17x10.5 combo would look awesome, though, with the deep dish rears.

I was going to go with a 15x9 rear, 0 offset, and 275 M/T DRs. I doubt there'd be an issue. However... the 275s on the 8" wheels on my '90 (different axle length), rubbed the outside edge on the fender lip during spirited driving.

I am going to probably run pizza cutters in the front, so I can have 15" wheels all around...

But I'm not buying shit until I drive the car. If its a slow turd, the current wheels will stay. If it runs out okay, I'll buy some decent lightweight wheels and tires. As it is, I don;t want to have a slow car that looks like it'd be fast.

[johnunit]

I should be clear that if I go 275-295 in the rear that'll be within a month before or after of me getting TFS 185s/205s and a custom cam, so it'll at least somewhat have a need for them. They won't go on the car long-term while I'm running a stock longblock.

[DuceAnAHalf]

Good point.

Wagons definitely have more room in the wheelhouse. By my measurements, a 10.5" wheel would be an issue on a sedan, unfortunately.

The 17x9/ 17x10.5 combo would look awesome, though, with the deep dish rears.

I was going to go with a 15x9 rear, 0 offset, and 275 M/T DRs. I doubt there'd be an issue. However... the 275s on the 8" wheels on my '90 (different axle length), rubbed the outside edge on the fender lip during spirited driving.

I am going to probably run pizza cutters in the front, so I can have 15" wheels all around...

But I'm not buying shit until I drive the car. If its a slow turd, the current wheels will stay. If it runs out okay, I'll buy some decent lightweight wheels and tires. As it is, I don;t want to have a slow car that looks like it'd be fast.

i have 325/50r15 on a 15x10 with 5"bs on mine, needs a 5.5 or 6" wheel to fit best.

the 26x11 slicks on 15x10 5.5" fit great though

[mitymerc]

Widening & narrowing wheels has been done for many years, I have a set of 4" mustang gt wheels on one of my cars....

The vic wagon has aftermarket wheels of unknown origin on it. They are purported to be 8" don't know the bs. I am running 275/60/15's and wish I had been brave enough to order the 295/50's ......

[1987cp]

one word of advice, be very sure what tire size you want. it can be a very expensive mistake. personally, after looking at GMGT, im very happy with the tire selection. 275s with the rim offset on the rear would rub on the quarter panel. the 255s clear with a little room to spare. also, the 255s dont make the car look overly muscly. i dont want to advertize what i dont have

+1 on that. 255s are a great tire size, stock height, able to sit and look just about stock, offer great handling on an 8" wheel. I bought 275/60s for my 15x10 wheels a while back, and now I wish I'd gotten 295/50s or else passed on those particular wheels altogether. IMO, the 28" overall diameter is rather annoying.

I fit 17x10.5" wheels with 335's under my car just fine, with tons of room.

Was this on your old sedan? Just wondering, since my 10" wheels with only 4" BS barely fit on a wagon but stick out probably an inch on a sedan.

15x8.5 with 4" BS rubbed on the front of my wagon with a 255/60 ... 15x8 with 3.75" BS, which theoretically tucks in just a quarter-inch more on the outside, didn't. I don't think anyone could go far wrong with 15x8s, 4" BS, and 255/60s.


Oh, and Johnunit? Have you eliminated the possibility of getting late-model stock 16x7 wheels? 16" tires are now priced comparably (sometimes even less) than the 15" sizes you're dicussing, and with a 235/60, the ride is acceptably cushy even here in MI where they deliberately engineer potholes into every new road surface.

[johnunit]

I would love to go 16 inch in theory, especially since it'd allow big brakes. But I'm trying to keep the stock wheelcovers.

[1987cp]

Oooh, right, stock wheelcovers ... I hated mine so badly, I couldn't wait to paint the wheels silver so I could leave the covers off without it looking horrid.

Sorry!


On the plus side, wheelcovers means the styling of your new wheels doesn't matter, so you can just go with whatever style steel wheel is cheapest, regardless of how ugly it is.

[johnunit]

exactly, anything that fits is good.

As crazy as it sounds, I'd even consider an aluminum or alloy rim if I could get the wheelcovers on. save some weight.

[1987cp]

Probably not worth it ... I can't imagine them actually fitting on an alloy wheel anyway, unless they use a different retaining system than the clippy-on-the-inside-of-the-rim routine. Cragar SS and close have the steel rim, but are also EXPENSIVE.

[pantera77]

HPP's

[johnunit]

if just sort of wedges in with little teeth. all that's required is that the second lip (where the bead of the tire sits) is close enough to the right diameter.

normally I wouldn't consider the aluminum rims, but with a rim so wide (read heavy) and with a lack of steel rims in the right size, it might be worth it.

Are HPPs any wider than stock steelies?

[P72Ford]

Just a thought...

With any real performance, you may have trouble keeping the hub caps on the wheels.

Also, I believe there may be some kind of rules about hub caps and racing at the track. I seem to remember coming acorss it in my NHRA hand book. Maybe I am mistaken.

Have you considered a set of race wheels for the rear, that you would only put on at the track?

[1987cp]

LOL - I had an impossible time keeping wheelcovers on just driving normally. I was hopping mad when one rolled into a neighboring parking lot as I turned into work one night and had been driven over several times by the time I found it again. Thankfully, at that time they were still on hand for $15 each at a local wrecking yard. Multiple times one just took off into a field as I was driving down a straight stretch of US-6, and one night I spent a couple hours searching for one that went off by itself into a ditch outside another place of work. So it's not so much that I disliked the look of my wheelcovers, but after a whole two years of owning the wagon, constantly getting out of the car and chasing them was starting to get REALLY old. Hung them on the wall, and never had to chase a wheelcover again!

[johnunit]

The wire wheel covers have a locking systems. It's hard to explain (I'll get a pic sometime) but it's effectively bolted to the wheel by way of a bracket on the lug nuts. It might slightly loosen, but coming off or even flopping around is pretty much impossible with these.


I've considered wheels for the track only, but I'd like to have as much grip as possible on the street, and don't see myself hitting the track (20+ bucks of gas away) often enough in the near future to justify buying slicks.

[mrltd]

I lost a bunch of the 16" hubcaps off the wagon...Without drving like a maniac.