Help with wheel size suggestion please - new truck

[[JP]]

Hi all!

finally after almost 3 months and a journey across the pond to the UK, I picked my truck up on Tuesday...
it came with some big ass rims, 18s on the front and 20s on the rear.

I didnt like those wheels from the start so while waiting I bought another set hoping they'd fit..but they dont, basically because the ET is pushing the wheels too far out. For example, with the big wheels I'd have like 1" clearance to the bed on the rear, with the 15s there's like 3" clearance..
They rub the outside on the rear, clear on the front but would rub when turning the wheel.

As you guys are a lot more experienced on this, could anyone advise what size wheels and ET I should go for to have 15s? I really like the look of the ones I bought, shame they dont fit! the truck has been lowered by means of a short springs.

Here's the details and some photos:

current wheels -
Front 245/45 R18 18x8J ET15 (backspace 5")
Rear 255/35 R20 18x8.5J ET15 (backspace 5.5")

wheels I bought
255/70 R15 15x8,5J ET -30 (backspace is 3.5")

wheels that came with it


the 15s I tried to fit..






thanks all for any suggestions or advice given and have a Merry Christmas!

[60chevyjim]

that's a great looking truck you have .
I like it with the 18 an 20 rims better.
if you want to run 15,s your going to need rims with more back space
or stock springs.

[PGSigns]

On my 66 I have 15X8 with 4" of back spacing. I have 275's on the rear and all I could get on the front with out a rubbing issue was 235's.
Jimmy

[Monte's62]

I like the 15's much better. I love the stance you have now but stinks you have a rubbing issue. As mentioned more backspace will help. You may can roll a 1/2 inch more clearance in the rear without any noticeable look to the factory lip.

[luvbowties]

Originally Posted by [JP]

Hi all!

finally after almost 3 months and a journey across the pond to the UK, I picked my truck up on Tuesday...
it came with some big ass rims, 18s on the front and 20s on the rear.

I didnt like those wheels from the start so while waiting I bought another set hoping they'd fit..but they dont, basically because the ET is pushing the wheels too far out. For example, with the big wheels I'd have like 1" clearance to the bed on the rear, with the 15s there's like 3" clearance..
They rub the outside on the rear, clear on the front but would rub when turning the wheel.

As you guys are a lot more experienced on this, could anyone advise what size wheels and ET I should go for to have 15s? I really like the look of the ones I bought, shame they dont fit! the truck has been lowered by means of a short springs.

Here's the details and some photos:

current wheels -
Front 245/45 R18 18x8J ET15 (backspace 5")
Rear 255/35 R20 18x8.5J ET15 (backspace 5.5")

wheels I bought
255/70 R15 15x8,5J ET -30 (backspace is 3.5")

wheels that came with it


the 15s I tried to fit..






thanks all for any suggestions or advice given and have a Merry Christmas!

My '66 truck[converted to 5-lug axles/rotors] is quite similar to yours, from looking at your drop in relation to tops of tires. Even the 15" OEM rallys, with 8" width, would not clear my outer fender lip with large tires(don't recall exact size, but sure they were low profile, like 50's or 60's). BTW: I lowered mine using drop springs too.
I ended up using stock, ~'88-'92 chrome SS pickup wheels with 275X70X15 tires, all 4. (I like OEM upgrades whenever possible!) These wheels give the appearance of like 8" wide, and many of us would argue that they ARE 8", ; but believe me: they are 7 inch. The clearance on mine are as nice as if measured and planned. These whls have a tad over 4" backspace and came with black centers as well as chrome centers--black ones look sportier to me. Below is a picture of one of the pkps with the wheels. They come with a 5 on 5" bolt circle. I have bought 2 sets and chose the best 4--they can be bought for around $200 with a bit of research.

Should you still need 6-lug, the other pic shows oem rallys that come in various widths: 6+ inch, 7 inch, 8 inch, plus probably others--were used on 4x4's, vans, pickups, Blazers & possibly others. These used center caps plus beauty trim rings. Always a hit on just about anything!
HTH,
Sam

[[JP]]

Hi all, thanks for the replies.

I'm not too bothered about super wide tyres, 255 or even 245 on the back is fine by me.
What I wasn't sure was the backspace.... but reading the replies I guess if I go for:

Rear - 15x8 rim with 4" backspace and 245/60 tyres it should be ok?
Front - 15x8 with 4"backspace and 245/60 as well?

[PGSigns]

With the drop you have a 8" wheel on the front with that much tire will be a problem. I would go with a 7" wheel and a smaller tire.
Jimmy

[Wilson!]

i have a set of 6 lug 15x8 rallies with 276/60/15's on my '65 currently. they clear everything with plenty of room front and rear. mine doesn't quite sit as low as yours, but it looks like everything would clear even if it did.

[mjh1965]

Hi I have 225 / 70 /15 on the front of mine with 235 / 75 / 15 on the rear , and they still fit since I did my drop , but I haven't got my panels on yet . I saw your wheels for sale on the Facebook page . Nice looking truck and good to see another one in the UK . Martin

This is before the drop



This is after



Ther is no rubbing on any of the suspension parts and I have a 4 1/2 inch drop on the front and a 4 inch on the rear

[60chevyjim]

mjh1965 on the rear of your chassis does anything hang lower than the bottom lip of your wheel ? like the nuts for the Ubolt or the shock bracket , or trailing arm ?. what size lowering blocks did you use ?
thanks 60chevyjim

[[JP]]

Hi all, thanks for your suggestion and photos.

I think if I go different rims I'd aim for a 15x7 front and narrower tyre... hell, I'm even considering just go with the standard steelies with 225 tyres...

however, I really, really like the 15"s I have and keep thinking how can I keep those rims... :/
Considering the width of the rims, which I think they are 8,5, what's the minimum tyre width I could fit on them? I was thinking maybe if I put narrower tyres and smaller profile it might fit?

Maybe also lift the truck a bit? the shocks on it and soooo damn short! I took some photos under the truck today, look how small these things are!

[[JP]]

The 15's currently have 255/70 tyres and it rubs on the outside, due to only 3,5" backspace.

So I reckon with a little lift and changing the tyres to 225/50 or 60 might be alright...?

[Mackie]

JP, I guess you mean the springs are short. That suspension is seriously wacked, especially the front. It looks as though the springs have been cut by 50%, maybe more and they've welded check chains to control rebound. An extreme case of cool stance without regard for functionality. In my opinion the suspension should be sorted first and you can get that stance with drop spindles and new "reasonable" lowering springs (like 1" or 2" lower).

As far as wheel/tire choices I think 7" X 15" steelies and 225s would be about the right look. for the truck

[60chevyjim]

the ez way to fix it is to put taller springs in it so it don't sit so low
then your rims and tires will work .
if you want it to stay that low then you need rims with more backspace.
or at least less of a deep lip on the outside of the wheels.

[[JP]]

thanks for the sugestions, have had a few people mentioning drop spindle kits..
not a clue what they are, havent looked into it, but will do and see what its all about.

[mjh1965]

Originally Posted by [JP]

thanks for the sugestions, have had a few people mentioning drop spindle kits..
not a clue what they are, havent looked into it, but will do and see what its all about.

Hi I have drop spindles on mine I have sent you a PM

[Palf70Step]

I have 15x8 wheels, but the backspace is 4". Makes a huge difference for clearance. Even though you said they are 15x8's, I would also bet those wheels are 9" wide from the looks. I don't think that 3.5" back space would throw them out that far, but 3.5 is just too narrow a backspacing for wheels that are 8" or wider (well for a lowered truck)

I have 245/60x15 on front and 275/60x15 on the rear. No rubbing issues up front. I have 2.5" drop spindles with 2"drop springs and 6" springs in rear. NO C notch.

Only thing I can say is you must have a good jack with lift to get the frame up high enough to get the rear tires and wheels off.

If you don't want that wide I would go with a 255/70 rear and a 235/70 front tire. It will be a tad taller that mine, but should be OK for clearance.

[[JP]]

@ Palf70Step - thanks for those photos, that is perfect!!

Seems like thats the way I'll have to go...So I'm thinking:

2" drop spindles
2" drop front springs
6" drop rear springs
Front tyres - 235/70 on a 15x7 rim with 5" backspace? that about right that backspace?
Rear tyres - 255/70 on a 15x8 rim with 5" backspace as well?

[Palf70Step]

I would keep the rims balanced myself.

15x7 with 3.5" backspace

15x8 with 4" backspace

That is the backspacing the standard GM wheels/ralleys use.

[[JP]]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

I would keep the rims balanced myself.

15x7 with 3.5" backspace

15x8 with 4" backspace

That is the backspacing the standard GM wheels/ralleys use.

Will do that then, found some cool website where you put all the wheel specs and it shows the diagram where the wheel/rim ends up, so I'll play on there with these specs you given. thank you very much!

[luvbowties]

Originally Posted by [JP]

Will do that then, found some cool website where you put all the wheel specs and it shows the diagram where the wheel/rim ends up, so I'll play on there with these specs you given. thank you very much!

JP, here is a nice interactive site I use quite often showing the height, belly width, etc of various size tires. Also shows side-by-side comparison of up to 4 different sizes you may be considering. >>http://www.1010tires.com/Tools/Tire-Size-Calculator <<.
How about sharing the link of the site you mentioned above re: diagram of various wheels and where they end up.
Thanks,
Sam

[[JP]]

thanks for that link, will check it now


anyway, these are the 2 sites I found:

http://www.rimsntires.com/specspro.jsp

http://www.willtheyfit.com/index.php...t2=-30#content

[[JP]]

Hi there again, a little advice again...
So I've been thinking and I think I'll rather raise the truck up a bit for two reasons.

First because I'll have better ground clearance and secondly because I'll be able to fit the 15s I bought and that I really like the look off.

So taking in account the photos above where you can see the hacked springs I have, and the photo below (where I had the truck raised with the jack) what drop springs should I get to achieve this look and have clearance for my 15s?


Thanks again

[mjh1965]

Jp like Bill's white truck mine is running two and a half drop spindles with two inch drop springs on the front the rear on mine has two inch drop springs with two inch drop blocks I may use another inch drop block on the rear as the shackles on the rear are long enough to add another inch if needed . If you need me to measure the ground clearance from the cross member to give you a better idea I can .



This picture should give you a good guide that and looking at the picture of Bill's truck

The rear note the rear shackles are long enough to add another inch

[LostMy65]

I absolutely love your truck.
I'm with you. I Do Not like those big modern wheels.
I have 15's on mine, but I think 16's might fill the fender wells a little better.
Here's a pic of mine: