wheels and tires on the cheap (early C3)

lsejlowe

Active member
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Jun 18, 2008
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41
Location
Wichita, KS, USA
took the '69 to an autocross for the first time last weekend and quickly found out that 15" rims and BFG radial T/A's weren't meant for that kind of use. I've thought about some 17 or 18" rims before mostly for appearance, but now I'm more motivated to find a set of rims and tires for cheap and even swap them when I go to SOLO events if they aren't real pretty.

Any recommendations on inexpensive wheels that would fit our old cars with stock suspension? What tires will be the most bang for the buck that will give me good street driving and decent life as well as good grip for the track? If the wheels ain't exactly pretty I'd like to be able to put them on at home, drive 50-75 miles to an autocross, race, and drive home. Hell, it's worth it just to not have to deal with the trim rings on the rally wheels. What a PITA to take those off...
 
The wheels that turtlevette has are probably pretty cheap, he isn't the kind to spend money on his car so they are probably dirt cheap :D
 
Turtle is running Cragar 'Soft 8' 17" X 9.5 for $69.00 each from Summit. But they need 1/4" spacers to clear the OEM brake calipers. (He has Wilwood calipers.)
 
oh hells yeah. That's what I'm lookin' for. Any reason to go 17" instead of 18"? Tire selection? I PM'ed Turtle, hopefully he'll reply with what BS he used and whether or not the 9.5" width is a little much for stock fenders.
 
You can find 17" rims at Summit or maybe even the local PepBoys, I have seen that style wheel there. It's a steel wheel with D-shaped holes, not really ugly to be honest.... get 17" - the tires are a lot cheaper. 275-40-17 on 9" wide rims, 255-40-17 for the 8" , that's cheap (Sumitomo or Kumho tires). The Sumitomo HTRZ has a thread wear rating of 160, that's about as soft as it gets for the money.....
 
You can find 17" rims at Summit or maybe even the local PepBoys, I have seen that style wheel there. It's a steel wheel with D-shaped holes, not really ugly to be honest.... get 17" - the tires are a lot cheaper. 275-40-17 on 9" wide rims, 255-40-17 for the 8" , that's cheap (Sumitomo or Kumho tires). The Sumitomo HTRZ has a thread wear rating of 160, that's about as soft as it gets for the money.....

I totally agree, except the tires LOOK dorkey, too little rubber in those wells....the Nitto 50 series is better 275 rear 255 front.....
course you have to move that ebrake....no problem, easy do...

I can pick up the above sizes here in OP Florida for 100 bux each....well last year anyway....no bets today...
 
I totally agree, except the tires LOOK dorkey, too little rubber in those wells....

I agree, 255-50 and 275-50 look a lot better but the 255-40 and 275-40 have a lot less sidewall flex.

OH, I fully understand THAT, but then 18" wheels, and so then the tire prices jump to 200 bux each or more.....

I"m glad I have 'small' wheels.....

:shocking::1st:
 
For track use I'd take the smaller sidewall in 17". It will look a lil like a Vette with a lift kit but most likely you will be lowering the car anyways if you continue to take it to the track. I see lots of suspension mods in your future :smash:

You start with cheap 17X8 rims and 255-45-17 or 255-50-17, same size front and back - it might not be the best size for autocross performance but it's cheap and way better than these ancient BFG tires.
 
thanks for the input, fellas. Sounds like good advice so far. I might check out Speedway motors as well since they're based up in Lincoln and I go back there fairly often. Save a little extra on shipping.
 
Unless you don't mind running spacers, you better do dome homework first. Pull a wheel and figure out at what diameter you need what measurement off of the hub face to clear the caliper. Unlike our OEM wheels most of these aftermarket wheels have a flat shallow dish which binds on the caliper. Then you'll probably have to go to a tire store & just start measuring the wheels to see if any work.
This project is on my agenda for next time I have a chance to get the car up & a wheel off--hopefully this weekend.
 
took a quick look at Summit and they appear to only have the Crager Soft 8's up to 17 x 9 with a minimum of 5" BS. Seems like 4.5" is the common BS I've heard for 17" wheels on our C3's, so that might take some serious spacing. I'll definitely do some measurements and try to get the right wheel the first time. Then I might just order one wheel and see how it fits. For $65 it's tough to go wrong!
 
You might have to order the wheel with 1" extra BS and then move it outwards with a 1" spacer... that way it's positioned correctly relative to the fender and also clears the brake calipers.
 
You might have to order the wheel with 1" extra BS and then move it outwards with a 1" spacer... that way it's positioned correctly relative to the fender and also clears the brake calipers.

gotcha. I wonder if I could get the 5" BS and get by with a 1/4" spacer. I'm really not a fan of spacers, but I could live with a 1/4". I'll see if any local tire/wheel shops have them in stock or would order one for me to measure or test fit.
 
I prefer a "bolt on" adapter with a second stud pattern over a sandwich style spacer anytime. Ebay seller 'completevalue' has 1" thick hubcentric adapters that work, the front two have to be trimmed a little to fit the conical section of the hub. Other than that, I run 1" spacers/adapters on several cars for years now and never had a problem.
On the rear of the '79 I have 2" spacers to fill the flares, no prob so far, wheels haven't come flying off the car yet...
 
Don't forget to read all the specs--that particular part number you posted above is a 4.45" bolt pattern, you need 4.75".
And I think Turtle runs a 9" wide rime, not 9.5" like I think I said before.
With a 17" wheel, 5" back space may work without moving the e-brake bracket, but you'll have to remove the e-brake cable to clear the tire, I would think.
You don't want to move the vertical plane of the wheel/tire outboard very much with spacers or you'll run the danger of hitting the fender lip on full suspension loading. This may not be a problem right now, but the more you get into cornering performance, the lower you want your car to be.......each modification begets another!:evil:

Let me know what you come up with!
John
 
Don't forget to read all the specs--that particular part number you posted above is a 4.45" bolt pattern, you need 4.75".

I wasn't sure what bolt pattern these things had, so I just guessed for the time being. Thanks for the heads up.

And I think Turtle runs a 9" wide rime, not 9.5" like I think I said before.
With a 17" wheel, 5" back space may work without moving the e-brake bracket, but you'll have to remove the e-brake cable to clear the tire, I would think.
You don't want to move the vertical plane of the wheel/tire outboard very much with spacers or you'll run the danger of hitting the fender lip on full suspension loading. This may not be a problem right now, but the more you get into cornering performance, the lower you want your car to be.......each modification begets another!:evil:

Let me know what you come up with!
John

I hadn't seem a 9.5" rim width, so I figured he must have 9's. I'll need to look at my current tires and how much room I have from the fender lip with my 255/60R15's. I don't want to shave the inside of that lip, so you're right that I need to consider that before going 9" instead of 8". All these things get a lot easier if I can find a shop around here that has them in stock. No more guessing, I can mount a wheel and see where it hits. It might be a couple months before I actually make a move on the wheels and tires, but I'll be sure to keep you posted about what I end up with
 
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