[footjoy]

I am going to change wheels on my 65 tempest.What am going buy are 17x7 with 4" back space for the front. And 17x8 with 4.5" back space. I s anybody running these on there car? And what size tires are you running?

Thanks

Greg

[tempest1964]

Be careful with the backspacing. I believe the factory 7" wheels were 4.25 BS

[b-man]

Backspacing of 4" in front with the 7" wheels and 4.5" with 8" wheels in the rear will work out nicely.

Had 17x8" on all four corners with 4.5" backspace and they were great could have used another 1/4" of backspacing in my opinion, car was a '64 Tempest.

I ran 235/45s all around and they were a good fit, a little more backspace would have allowed a little more clearance for a wider rear tire. Actually 5" of backspacing would have been more ideal in the rear assuming the use the narrow factory rear end, 5.5" would be right with the later 1"wider rear end.

Currently running 18x9s all around with 5.5" of backspacing in the front and 6.57" in the rear (I swapped in a wider rear), tires are 245/40s and 275/40s respectively.

Been there and done that, still doing it.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by footjoy

I am going to change wheels on my 65 tempest.What am going buy are 17x7 with 4" back space for the front. And 17x8 with 4.5" back space. I s anybody running these on there car? And what size tires are you running?

Thanks

Greg

It all depends on the tire size.

With the BS you are looking at, it will require narrower tires/shorter tires.

b-man's 235/45/17's were only 25.33" tall. The small diameter is what allowed the clearance.

If you are looking to run tires close to the "normal" tire height (26 - 27") with a similar width tire - you would most likely want more BS - As b-man points out with his 18's with 5.5" BS and a 245/40/18 (25.72" tall).

[b-man]

The six-banger 'economy' models were factory equipped with the smaller 6.50-14 tires as opposed to the 7.00 or 7.50-14 tires slated for the V8 and station wagons models. Coker has the reproduction 6.50-14 (actually a 6.95-14 is all they offer now) on their site listed at 25.3" tall. exactly the same height as the 235/45-17s I was using:https://www.cokertire.com/695-14-bf-...wall-tire.html

So tire diameters of a bit less than 26" are fine and do look correct on these cars in my opinion, which might not agree with the opinions of others.

When trying to run a wider tire on a wide rim in the front you're somewhat limited in tire diameter by the shape of the front fender opening which pinches inward quite a bit at the bottom corners.

Run as much backspacing as is practical. The one saving grace of running the larger rim diameters such as the 17" rims you're planning on using is the additional clearance between the upper A-arm and the rim. However one disadvantage is less room for the tie rod ends so measure and choose wisely.

I can tell you right now that a 7" wheel in the front with only 4" of backspace will severely limit the tire diameter and width you can use. You'd be lucky to fit a 225/50-17 in there without rubbing on big bumps as well as tight turns at any speed.

[tempest1964]

FWIW. I run 17X8 wheels all around, with 4.875 BS and have plenty of clearance. My tires are 245-45-R17's.

[b-man]

Originally Posted by tempest1964

FWIW. I run 17X8 wheels all around, with 4.875 BS and have plenty of clearance. My tires are 245-45-R17's.

So there you have it.

4.5" of backspacing was barely enough, but it did make for a deep-dish look and widened the stance some.

[jeff chmura]

Not to hijack this thread, Just want to get the info right.... I plan on using 17x8 on all 4 corners with 5" backspace on my '65, I want to use 255/45-17" which is 10" wide vs. the 245/45-17" which is 9.6" wide. Do you think i'll have problems rubbing?Do I need more backspacing? Would 235/45-17" upfront, which is 9.1 wide with 4.5 backspace be better?

B-Man, combo looks nice in your pic. That's the look i'm going for. Where did you get the rims? Do the hubcaps fit snug?

[b-man]

Originally Posted by jeff chmura

Not to hijack this thread, Just want to get the info right.... I plan on using 17x8 on all 4 corners with 5" backspace on my '65, I want to use 255/45-17" which is 10" wide vs. the 245/45-17" which is 9.6" wide. Do you think i'll have problems rubbing?Do I need more backspacing? Would 235/45-17" upfront, which is 9.1 wide with 4.5 backspace be better?

B-Man, combo looks nice in your pic. That's the look i'm going for. Where did you get the rims? Do the hubcaps fit snug?

I would go with 5" of backspace if possible both front and rear, but get out a straight edge and measure for clearance between where the rim ends up and the upper A-arm and tie rod end.

There should be room for the 255/45s in the rear.

Up front the 235s are a safer bet, you could always purchase just two 245s and have them mounted. If they don't fit up front then put them in the rear, then if you determine there's enough added room for the bigger 255s buy them after the 245s wear out. If the 245s happen to work in the front then you're golden, you then can use them to figure out what to do for rear tires.

My wheels were custom-built using 15" GM centers, the company I used jerked me around for 6 months after promising a 6 week turnaround. The hubcaps stayed on just fine, only lost one but that's because they were used originals that can tend to have a looser fit after numerous installations and removals over the years.

[footjoy]

Ok it looks lie I am going to run 17 x 8 with 4.81 BS all the way around. but being the old guy I like as much side wall that will allow.

[rohrt]

Subscribing.

Would there be enough change between front drums and then changing to disc later to be concerned about?

[b-man]

Originally Posted by rohrt

Subscribing.

Would there be enough change between front drums and then changing to disc later to be concerned about?

The wheels will be pushed outward a bit when converting to disc brakes, somewhere around 1/4" to as much as 1/2" in the front and maybe as much as 1/4" in the rear. It all depends on what brakes and spindles you're using, there's a bunch of different combos out there.

[jeff chmura]

B-man
Thanks for the info... Jeff

[footjoy]

Originally Posted by b-man

The wheels will be pushed outward a bit when converting to disc brakes, somewhere around 1/4" to as much as 1/2" in the front and maybe as much as 1/4" in the rear. It all depends on what brakes and spindles you're using, there's a bunch of different combos out there.

Does that mean with discs I would need more back space on the front?

[highrisk]

Originally Posted by footjoy

Does that mean with discs I would need more back space on the front?

Yes you will, mine was right at 1/4" wider per side in the front and just a hair under 1/4" in the rear.
Dale

[JC455]

Will the 17" Rally II's fit on a '64? I don't have the backspace specs on them...

[b-man]

Originally Posted by JC455

Will the 17" Rally II's fit on a '64? I don't have the backspace specs on them...

Find that spec, otherwise we can't determine fitment.

[rohrt]

I want C5 brakes on my tempest with a 17" rim.

I know I need at least a 17" wheel and in some cases the caliper won't fit. I can't determine the correct back space unless I were to do the brakes first. Then you can't drive the car until you get the rims and tires.

Its like a chicken and egg thing.

[JC455]

17x8
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/u...8834/overview/

[JC455]

17x9
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/u...8934/overview/