[elefantrider]

Anyone have pics of their B-body with these size rims and what backspace did you use?

With the huge availability and very low price of better 235 or 245/45 tires in 17", compared to 15" tires, new rims in this size is starting to make more and more sense to me.

[Redpiston]

225/55R17 front
225/50R17 rear

Don't know why they post upside down. I even flipped them and they still do it

[elefantrider]

Thanks. What width rims and backspace are you running?

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by Redpiston

225/55R17 front
225/50R17 rear

Is that rear size correct? Maybe 255/50/17? Don't think you'd want your front tires about 1" taller than your rears.

[HWYSTR455]

What year b-body?

18s are the 17s of yesterday, tire selection is better than 17s.

I did US Mag Bandits, 18x9 zero offset. They make an 18x8 that's zero offset for around $180ea, seen sets go in the $675 range on ebay, with lugs.

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[Redpiston]

Tire size is correct. Came on the car when I got it. They are 8 inch. Not sure of the offset. Will try to measure. Not sure how accurate it will be though.

[HWYSTR455]

Wheel widths are generally in 1" increments. Some manufacturers measure from the inside of the lip where the tire bead lays, some measure from the outside. When a manufacturer lists a wheel in a half inch increment, they are measuring from the outside of the wheel lip/bead.

So if you measure a wheel, you really only need to get close when it comes to width, because it's usually 7, 8, 9, or 10 inches wide. Depending on the manufacturer, they may list a 8" wide wheel as 8.5".

Offset/backspacing is a more critical measurement.

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[elefantrider]

It's for my '69. The Bandits look nice. Need to find out if they make them in 5x5.

[elefantrider]

It's not easy to top the look of Rally2, but I am also thinking Billet Steelies in Flat Black or Flat Green.

[HWYSTR455]

No Bandits in 5x5 or what some call 5x127.

Here's a couple alternatives though:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/18x8-Gray-US...ce6bde&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-18x8-B-G-R...c63a46&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/18x8-Ridler-...a90ba0&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/18x8-Gray-Bo...34a194&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/18x8-Gray-Wh...5b476e&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/18x8-Black-W...c0bd13&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/18-American-...c88349&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Boss-338-Sup...9e594b&vxp=mtr

All are in the $150-$190 range, and this is just a quick search. 17s are less expensive, but not by much. You can search by size, Google, Summit, eBay, and can get pretty good ideas what they will look like if you go Google images.

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[elefantrider]

The prices are right but too flashy for me.
I like the understated look of Circle Racing Billets. On the top two photos and here is another:

[HWYSTR455]

I was just throwing those out there as an example, and are many more. Crazy how wheels all of a sudden became affordable again!

I like the Circle Racing ones too, though in general, I think they look best on pre-'64 cars. Shame the Bandits don't come in 5x5, that I think fits the car very well.

So B-bodies and wagons are all 5x5 pattern?

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[HWYSTR455]

A spoke wheel I think is hard to beat, and pretty much anything that looks good on a 68-72 Tempest, LeMans, GTO, etc, will look good on that wagon. That Rod Works silver wheel isn't a bad option, it's not as open as some of the others, and is a painted/clear coat wheel, low maint.

Check out some of these examples:

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[The Champ]

Summit has the Wheel Vintiques 12 series smoothies in a 5x6, 17x8 with 4.5" BS:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/wv...5042/overview/

[HWYSTR455]

Wow, those are $220 a wheel!

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[elefantrider]

A "vented" or painted GM OE wheel would look more period-correct. So to achieve that stock look with 17s or 18s, it's going to be $200ea for a heavy 40lb steel wheel by Wheel Vintiques or $500ea for a 30lb billet version by Circle Racing. That is just the price of custom, small batch manufacturing in the US these days.

[HWYSTR455]

Period correct? Didn't 68-up get rally IIs? I would think if you wanted to go that route, you could do rally Is, Year One has them for 5x5 (dual pattern actually) in 17x8, all the trim for $1k.

Centerline billet wheels start at $300, and can get deals too. The Vintage Comp series don't look bad, thought I saw them for 17x8 on sale for $250ea.

Billet wheel are a polishing nightmare IMO, and they go out of round after every pot hole. Ask me how I know.

I dunno, think you may be better off just paying for 15" tires, be less expensive anyway. Wheels are a funny thing, everyone has their' own opinion on what looks good, I was just trying to help, give ideas.

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[The Champ]

Originally Posted by HWYSTR455

Wow, those are $220 a wheel!

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Yup...

And I'm looking at them for my '64 GTO so that I can continue to run my poverty caps...

I'd like to find a lower cost alternative, but haven't found one yet.

But if I paint the "redline" on the rim, I don't have to pay for expensive redline tires in the future (my last set ran an average of $250.00 per tire, plus shipping, mounting and balancing for a pair of 235 and 255/60/15's.

[elefantrider]

Appreciate the feedback. I guess my point was that painted steelies - billet or steel- blend into the car and factory appearance better. 17 or 18 rally 2s would be my second choice but since I don't want to repaint or restore the exterior of this wagon, they will probably look good and too tall if that makes any sense. I had not thought about the bending issue of billet, will check that out. Having recently dropped $230 a tire on Coker G70 redlines for my GTO, I also want to be done with overpriced and underperforming 14 or 15" tires.