Aggressive Wheel Fitment Help

[bterry97gt]

Hey guys, I was hoping I could get some help on wheel fitment from people with more experience than I have. The truck I have is a 68 (narrow rear end) swb with No Limit Wide Ride with coilovers in the front and the Fat Bar 4 link in the rear. I estimate the drop on the truck to be somewhere in the range of 5-6" front/ 7-8" rear from stock when finished. I do not plan to use factory inner fenders in the front. I want to fit as much wheel and tire as possible and do not really have a way at the moment to measure for fitment. Also, search results on this topic are not really relevant as most people are using stock inner fenders and narrower wheels. I have a couple wheels picked out and would like to make sure my thinking is on the right track.

My first choice is the Eagle Alloy 227



http://www.aewheel.com/wheels_detail...d=2148&cat=471

With this wheel I would like to do a 20x10 on all 4 corners. On the front I was looking at the 6.1" bs with maybe a 285/35 tire, and on the rear the 5.6" bs with a 295/35 or 305/35 tire and a small spacer to compensate for the narrow rear end. Keep in mind these sizes are limited to the sizes that are available from Eagle. With this setup the front is what worries me. I compared the 20x10 6.1" bs to what seems to be the standard for these trucks 20x8.5 5.5" bs and it looks like the wheel will extend outward .9" when compared to the 20x8.5. That seems like alot to me, however on the No Limit fitment guide it recommends 5.75" bs for a 10 inch wide wheel (seems excessive). They do also offer a 20x10 6.9" bs which extends the same amount outward as the 20x8.5 but extends inward an additional 1.4".



My second choice is the XXR 526



http://www.nlmotoring.com/XXR-526-Wh...nch wheels=616

With this wheel I am looking at doing a 20x9 5.5" bs and 275ish tire in the front and 20x11 6.4" bs and 305 or 315 tire in the rear (these wheels are spec'd in offsets so I converted to bs using an online calculator). The front when compared to the 20x8.5 standard used above, extends a little less than half an inch more outward so no worries there. The thing I am worried about here is wheel tub clearance. I dont mind adding to the tubs but it would be nice to avoid it. And just for more info on the 4 link, the measurment from the wheel mounting surface to the link bars is 9" so I think the tubs will be trouble before the link bars come into play. Any insight?

With all that said I am just looking for someone to tell me "yea your on the right track" or "No thats crazy and will never fit". With combo 1 I worry about the front, with combo 2 I worry about the rear. I have never had one of these trucks and mine is down to the bare frame with no way to measure so I am going solely of research. Build thread located here:http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=648137

[Fitz]

Have you ever thought of putting the truck in the air and just MEASURING it? That's what the pros do.

[bterry97gt]

Originally Posted by Fitz

Have you ever thought of putting the truck in the air and just MEASURING it?

Thanks for the input, but if you will read it is currently nothing more than a rolling chassis and I have no plans of fully assembling the truck before paint to measure for wheels. I can measure suspension clearance (which i have done) but cannot measure tub/fender clearance, so I was looking for useful feedback from people with experience.

[Hart_Rod]

A 5" backspacing (BS) on the rear "should" work as long as the tire doesn't have a lot of bulge, 5.5 BS "should" definitely clear, from my experience. If it were me, as Fitz suggested, I would wait until the truck is together and measure several times before spending $3-4K on wheels and tires..... That's an expensive decision to make based on someone else's word....even mine, . Just my $.02.

[bterry97gt]

Originally Posted by Hart_Rod

A 5" backspacing (BS) on the rear "should" work as long as the tire doesn't have a lot of bulge, 5.5 BS "should" definitely clear, from my experience. If it were me, as Fitz suggested, I would wait until the truck is together and measure several times before spending $3-4K on wheels and tires..... That's an expensive decision to make based on someone else's word....even mine, . Just my $.02.

Your guys are definitely right, I was just hoping with enough research and some input from others I could take a 'calculated risk' on the purchase. And I definitely wont be spending that much on wheels. After splurging on suspension I am on a budget

Maybe a better question to ask is who has ran a 10 inch wheel on the front with success??

[knomadd]

I can give you my experience, although on a different vehicle...

I recently bought new wheels and tires for my 65 GTO, and did several different iterations of research and planning, asked some guys who have done wheels for similar cars, and even two guys who did it for other 65 GTOs. Each guy had a different backspace than what I now have. I wound up going with 0.5" more backspacing up front than the average of all the quotes I got from others. I came to that conclusion, only by measuring my own vehicle. I know that's not what you want to hear, but I've learned that not all vehicles are the same... and it very much depends on the components you are using vs. what someone else is using.

Even reading on this forum, I've seen several different offsets used for these trucks. It really is best to measure your vehicle to make sure.

[SCOTI]

Another consideration is personal tastes. One guy is perfectly ok w/the wheels sitting flush w/the outside fender lip while another wants it tucked inside so nothing rubs. Each will say their suggestion is right.

The common BS for moderate to big front drops would be 5.25-5.50" on a 8.5" wheel. This is w/a factory ~64" track width. Change the track width & you change the BS requirements as well.

The common BS for moderate - big rear drops would be 5.0 - 5.5" on a 10" wheel. This is w/a factory 62" 6x-early 70 12bolt housing or ~64" late 70-72 12bolt housing. Different width rears alter back space needs. Deeper (mini) tubs also allow for a wider wheel & more back spacing.

Lots of factors even to make an educated guess. One thing for sure.... If No Limits specs a dimension to work w/their product, they would be my first inquiry of front wheel backspacing as they know their product better vs the avg guy w/a dropped truck on OE modified parts.

[Low68]

I should be able help get some measurements this weekend. I have my bed on at the moment. For the front, I don't have my front sheet metal on yet, so can't help much with the front yet. Anything in particular you want me to measure on the back?

I am more than happy to help get measurements, but I would also agree with what others have said. It is definitely worth measuring your own truck. I ordered the first set of custom wheels I bought and went off what others said and got the wrong b/s. But as I said, I don't mind helping at all and I also have the narrow rear end.

[SCOTI]

Find someone that has what might work & work something out to try 'em.

[CastIron]

I have found that a lot of times one person's "biggest tire" is actually not really the biggest. So like other people are saying: just see what works on your truck.
Just curious.. are you getting the biggest tires you can fit just for the look of it?

[Marc_b]

Here's a link to a site that has always has helped in some of my past builds. http://www.rimsntires.com/specspro.jsp

[bterry97gt]

Message recieved haha I need to measure. I guess I am just used to dealing with late models where pretty much what works for one works for another. With the amount of configurations and differences in these trucks I will just have to mock up everything and measure. With that said I made a simple backspacing/frontspacing tool today. The 2 bolt holes at the bottom just use two wheel studs and then you can adjust the threaded rod to the wheel diameter and backspace you want. It would have been better to make a ring with the bolt pattern in it and then weld the slotted peice to it but I didnt have lathe access at the moment.

Originally Posted by SCOTI

Another consideration is personal tastes. One guy is perfectly ok w/the wheels sitting flush w/the outside fender lip while another wants it tucked inside so nothing rubs. Each will say their suggestion is right.

The common BS for moderate to big front drops would be 5.25-5.50" on a 8.5" wheel. This is w/a factory ~64" track width. Change the track width & you change the BS requirements as well.

The common BS for moderate - big rear drops would be 5.0 - 5.5" on a 10" wheel. This is w/a factory 62" 6x-early 70 12bolt housing or ~64" late 70-72 12bolt housing. Different width rears alter back space needs. Deeper (mini) tubs also allow for a wider wheel & more back spacing.

Lots of factors even to make an educated guess. One thing for sure.... If No Limits specs a dimension to work w/their product, they would be my first inquiry of front wheel backspacing as they know their product better vs the avg guy w/a dropped truck on OE modified parts.

Good point, there is a broad spectrum of styles with these trucks for sure. Im not afraid to push the limit a little so I am just going to do my own measuring and see what happens.

Originally Posted by Low68

I should be able help get some measurements this weekend. I have my bed on at the moment. For the front, I don't have my front sheet metal on yet, so can't help much with the front yet. Anything in particular you want me to measure on the back?

I am more than happy to help get measurements, but I would also agree with what others have said. It is definitely worth measuring your own truck. I ordered the first set of custom wheels I bought and went off what others said and got the wrong b/s. But as I said, I don't mind helping at all and I also have the narrow rear end.

Thanks for offering to help, but im going to measure as suggested. I may could use some other measurements though. I will PM you.

Originally Posted by CastIron

I have found that a lot of times one person's "biggest tire" is actually not really the biggest. So like other people are saying: just see what works on your truck.
Just curious.. are you getting the biggest tires you can fit just for the look of it?

Biggest probably wasnt the best word to use there. I just like a wheel and tire that fills a wheel well out without being over stuffed or the tire being to short and having a stretched look on the wheel. And then obviously the wider the tire the more grip, but all in all just personal preference.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by bterry97gt

Biggest probably wasnt the best word to use there. I just like a wheel and tire that fills a wheel well out without being over stuffed or the tire being to short and having a stretched look on the wheel. And then obviously the wider the tire the more grip, but all in all just personal preference.

Sounds like 275's on a 10" wheel for fronts & 315~335's on a 11-12" wheel for the rears would fit your needs. Slight mini tub to accomodate the additional rear width is needed but easy enough to do.

[bterry97gt]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

Sounds like 275's on a 10" wheel for fronts & 315~335's on a 11-12" wheel for the rears would fit your needs. Slight mini tub to accomodate the additional rear width is needed but easy enough to do.

I think you nailed it, just need to find a wheel that will meet my backspacing needs.