[Darth Menace]

Hi, i have a 69 tempest and I was wondering if 8 inch rims will fit on the front (I assume 225 width?) without rubbing issues. I assume that 8 inch rims with 225 will fit on the rear with no problems at all, but what about the fronts.

thanks

[Darth Menace]

I should clarify that the offset of the 8 inch wide rims is 0 as per factory specs are

[goatless]

The 8" rim with 0 offset = 4" of back space. A factory 15X7 rim has 4 1/4" of backspace. You're a lot more likely to have tire clearance issues with the tire centered farther out as it would be with the rim you're asking about.

[Darth Menace]

thanks...I just changed my order to 7 inch with 0 offset. better to be safe then sorry. Not end of the world to me either way

[b-man]

The 8" wheel actually has 4.5" of backspace with zero offset.

The rim lip accounts for the extra .5".

An 8" wheel is close to 9" wide from lip to lip. The 8" measurement is from where the tire beads seat, not the total width.

[Darth Menace]

hey I was wondering if 215 60 15 would work okay on this car? According to the tire calculator the 215 60 15 is 5.6% off compared to the 215 75 14 that is the factory size. When the speedo shows 60mph the real speed is 56.5mph. Is that too far off or still acceptable?

[b-man]

215/60-15 = 25.16" tall.

215/75-14 = 26.7" tall.

Huge difference in effective gearing and speedo readings.

Cosmetically the 215/60-15s are too short to look right, the smallest 60-series 15" tire I would consider would be 235-60-15s at 26.1" tall. Good tire size for the front (rear too if you want all 4 the same so you can rotate them), about as big as you can reasonably go without having to find the 'perfect' wheel'. Will easily fit on a stock 15X7" Rally II wheel that has about 4-3/8" of backspacing.

The 255/60-15 (27.04" tall) would a nice tire size for the rear and your speedo readings would be very close with little to no error. Will also easily fit on a stock 15X7" Rally II wheel.

Both sizes will fit on an 8" wide wheel nicely as well, but you'll need 5" to perhaps 5-1/4" of backspacing for a good fit.

If you will be running the 7" wheel with zero offset (4" backspace) you will likely be limited to 235/60s on all 4 corners.

[Darth Menace]

thanks for the info.

I am not looking to have an amazingly fast/sexy hot rod like some of you guys, but more of a nice looking daily driver that my family can enjoy in the summer. That being said, how would these 215/70/15 look. They have a white stripe as well, and are priced well (for Canadian prices of course)

http://tires2.costco.ca/product.aspx...9-70e4822beac0

Originally Posted by b-man

215/60-15 = 25.16" tall.

215/75-14 = 26.7" tall.

Huge difference in effective gearing and speedo readings.

Cosmetically the 215/60-15s are too short to look right, the smallest 60-series 15" tire I would consider would be 235-60-15s at 26.1" tall. Good tire size for the front (rear too if you want all 4 the same so you can rotate them), about as big as you can reasonably go without having to find the 'perfect' wheel'. Will easily fit on a stock 15X7" Rally II wheel that has about 4-3/8" of backspacing.

The 255/60-15 (27.04" tall) would a nice tire size for the rear and your speedo readings would be very close with little to no error. Will also easily fit on a stock 15X7" Rally II wheel.

Both sizes will fit on an 8" wide wheel nicely as well, but you'll need 5" to perhaps 5-1/4" of backspacing for a good fit.

If you will be running the 7" wheel with zero offset (4" backspace) you will likely be limited to 235/60s on all 4 corners.

[b-man]

Originally Posted by Darth Menace

thanks for the info.

I am not looking to have an amazingly fast/sexy hot rod like some of you guys, but more of a nice looking daily driver that my family can enjoy in the summer. That being said, how would these 215/70/15 look. They have a white stripe as well, and are priced well (for Canadian prices of course)

http://tires2.costco.ca/product.aspx...9-70e4822beac0

The 215/70-15 is a great tire size, very close to the factory original height at 26.85" tall.

I would suggest getting a pair mounted to try out and see if they fit on the front, if not you can buy the next smaller size for the front and keep the bigger pair on the rear.

[Darth Menace]

Originally Posted by b-man

The 215/70-15 is a great tire size, very close to the factory original height at 26.85" tall.

I would suggest getting a pair mounted to try out and see if they fit on the front, if not you can buy the next smaller size for the front and keep the bigger pair on the rear.

What do you mean fit on the front? From the calculator I used, it is .6% off (speedo reads 60mph when I'm going 60.3mph) so would that little height difference matter?

EDIT: I just re-read what I typed and it appears to sound rude, but it wasn't intended that way.

[b-man]

Originally Posted by Darth Menace

What do you mean fit on the front? From the calculator I used, it is .6% off (speedo reads 60mph when I'm going 60.3mph) so would that little height difference matter?

EDIT: I just re-read what I typed and it appears to sound rude, but it wasn't intended that way.

Mainly I am questioning whether they will have clearance in the front with the somewhat shallow 4" backspacing. Whenever you turn the wheels to full lock during parking is where the clearance may be very tight.

Speedo readings are not the issue at all, that can easily be resolved with a simple speedo gear change if necessary. Proper tire fit is the most important thing to consider.

[Darth Menace]

Originally Posted by b-man

Mainly I am questioning whether they will have clearance in the front with the somewhat shallow 4" backspacing. Whenever you turn the wheels to full lock during parking is where the clearance may be very tight.

the rims I bought are 0 offset which I believe is the same as factory. What part would the tires potentially rub?

[b-man]

Factory wheels are not zero offset on any of the GM A-body cars.

The wheel you purchased will put the wheel/tire assembly outwards by 1/2" towards the fender lip.

[Darth Menace]

Originally Posted by b-man

Factory wheel are not zero offset.

The wheel you purchased will put the wheel/tire assembly outwards by 1/2" towards the fender lip.

okay, fair enough. As long as it didn't put it closer by 1/2 an inch I am okay.