I just mounted my tire and wheel today (I only ordered one wheel and two tires so far)... 17*9.5 Vintage V40s with Nitto 555R 275/40/17s...

Looks good to me, on the front... On the back, seems a bit narrow (I am running 295/50-15s)...

The next size up for the Nitto 555R is a 315/35/17... According to Nitto, its 1.22" wider (section width)...

It will cost about $130 additional to go this route...

1.22"+ wider, and I have about 1.5"-1.75" clearance as is (with the 275)...

The outer lip is unmodified right now (no rolling, no trimming)... I don't mind trimming a bit (the 1/4s are far from perfect "virgin" panels)...


I was originally planning on the same wheel/tire all around, and maybe running a spare, but the 315/35 is almost the same height as a 275/40, so I still could be that size as a spare...


Looking for opinions... Should I do it?

Thanks for any comments and advice...

http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/data/500/MVC-012F.JPG

Hard to see from this angle (rear wheel), but the camera battery died so I couldn't get any more shots... Outside of tire is 1-3/8" away from the inside of the lip, and the lip is over 1" wide...

http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/data/500/front_wheel1.JPG

http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/data/500/frontwheel2.JPG

Stance (in front) looks pretty good to me, although eventually the front will drop another 3/4" - 1" ( thinking of SC&C's Stage2 kit in the future)...

Tony, That looks great. I didn't think the 275's would fit on the front of my 66 so I went with 8" rims with 245/45's. Do they hit at all? I did go with M/T drag radials in 275/40 for the rear. I do not have as much extra space as you do. I might have a 1/2-3/4" on the inside and the outside of the rear. I don't think I could go up to the next size. As for opinion, I think it will look great both ways. I guess it depends on the look you are trying to achieve.

Tony, That looks great. I didn't think the 275's would fit on the front of my 66 so I went with 8" rims with 245/45's. Do they hit at all? I did go with M/T drag radials in 275/40 for the rear. I do not have as much extra space as you do. I might have a 1/2-3/4" on the inside and the outside of the rear. I don't think I could go up to the next size. As for opinion, I think it will look great both ways. I guess it depends on the look you are trying to achieve.

Tom,

As you can see, the car isn't too low (Hotchkis 1" lowering springs in front), but plenty of clearance... At full-lock, the tire is about 1/4" to 3/8" from the swaybar (1-1/4" bar), but thats not going to cut the tire, and I should only get there when parking or u-turns (rarely and going slow)... Turning the other way, it clears everything. It is a little tight to the rear portion of the inner fender, but looks okay... Maybe in a bounce, it might rub...

On the rear, I am kind of forgetting that I am eventually going to discs, which will push the wheels out a bit (1/4")... I had also planned on runnign spacers to fine tune spacing... I guess its just that now the wheel is sucked in so far it looks funny to me... Still a wide tire...

Tony

A 17x9.5 wheel is really too narrow for a 315/35/17 tire. I know it's been done before but that doesn't mean it's a good thing. Other options would be a 275/50/17 or a 285/40/17. Both of those sizes will work well on a 9.5" wide wheel.
Unfortunately,no one makes a 295 width tire in a 17" diameter. Can you get those wheels in a 18x10 sizing for the rear so you could run a 295/35/18?

Regardless,your 66 looks awesome with those wheels.

A 17x9.5 wheel is really too narrow for a 315/35/17 tire. I know it's been done before but that doesn't mean it's a good thing. Other options would be a 275/50/17 or a 285/40/17. Both of those sizes will work well on a 9.5" wide wheel.
Unfortunately,no one makes a 295 width tire in a 17" diameter. Can you get those wheels in a 18x10 sizing for the rear so you could run a 295/35/18?

Regardless,your 66 looks awesome with those wheels.

Thanks Clint... Yeah, I know I will need a wider wheel (I actually only have the one wheel now), so I could order the rear in 17"X11"...

These wheels aren't offered in an 18"...

The tires are Nitto 555R, and there are no sizes in between the 275/40/17 and 315/35/17...

according to Nitto website, on a 10.5" wheel, the 315 will be 1.22" wider than the 275 on the 9.5 wheel... That makes it really close... But since the wheel is only available in an 11", this should make the section width a little wider (leaving less clearance)...

Since I have 295s now (295/50/15), I hate to go to a narrower tire, even though its not really that narrow...


After thinking it over, looking at the inner fender (with all the stiffening ribs/creases contours, etc) and talking to some buddies, I think I am going to just run the 275s all around... Maybe in a few years when I am ready to repaint, then I will look into a mini tub...

Maybe I'll give it a more thorough look this weekend, if I get a chance...

Just my opinion but I don't think a 17x11 will fit in a 66-67 wheelwell w/o mods. 17x10 is the widest wheel I've ever seen or heard of.
However,I think a 17x10 wheel with 325 tire might work.

Just my opinion but I don't think a 17x11 will fit in a 66-67 wheelwell w/o mods. 17x10 is the widest wheel I've ever seen or heard of.
However,I think a 17x10 wheel with 325 tire might work.

There was a local guy (and used to post on here, but haven't heard from him in a year or so). I think he tried on some 315s on a 17X11 rim on his 67. It rubbed but needed some massaging (I don't think he had any mods at the time) ...

I decided to give up on the 315s... too much work right now...

In a few years (maybe decades knowing how quickly I work), WHEN I plan to repaint the car, then I will modify as needed (modify the wheel tubs and maybe slight notch in the frame?) to clear the bigger tires...


I have decided to run different offsets, front and rear... 17X 9.5" with 6.0" BS and 275/40/17 WILL fit all around, but on the rear the tires are pulled way inside... I could run spacers, but to look good, I will need at least 1/2" (I don't really want to run that much spacer)... So I am going with 5.5" BS on the rear rims... If I get a spare, I could still run 6.0 on the back without a spacer (just looks goofy to me)...