So I am trying to piece together some C5 brakes and a cheap set of 17's that will clear them. I am currently looking at the Cragar Soft 8's in 9" w/ 5" of backspacing. Not sure if I can run a 9" wide with 5" BS on the front, but I think it should work. They also make a 8", but it has 4.5" of BS.

So if the 9's actually fit in the front should I run the same size tire all around? Is there a difference performance wise with a staggered vs. even tire setup?

Does anyone think I can cram a 275/40 17 in the front?

I wish I bought 9"s and 11"s not 8"s and 11"s for out 67'.

Shouldn't be a problem... my fronts are 9.5" wide with 5.25" of effective backspacing.

Actually, the wheels have 5.5" of backspacing; I bought them when I was still running B-body spindles that were 3/8" per side wider than my new AFX spindles. With the AFX spindles & C5 brakes I had to add 1/4" spacers to both clear the caliper face and also put the wheel back where it used to be. I had no clearance issues with either setup.

Go for the 9's.

For my next set of wheels I'm going with 10" up front, but I've modded my inner fenders and rolled the outer fender lips for more room. :)

While a 275/40 will fit up front, I believe 9" is below the recommended minimum wheel width for a 275/40. I believe 9.5-11 is the recommended wheel width range for a 275/40.

I'd recommend a 255/45 instead.

Nitto and Summit say:

Product Line: Nitto NT 555 Tires
Part Type: Tires
Part Number: NIT-182370
Tire Size: 275/40-17
Rim Diameter (in): 17 in.
Sidewall Style: Blackwall
Tire Construction: Radial
Directional: No
Tire Diameter (in): 25.59 in.
Section Width (in): 11.02 in.
Speed Rating: W
Load Range: 98
Minimum Recommended Rim Width (in): 9.00 in.
Maximum Recommended Rim Width (in): 11.00 in.

Nitto site says 9.5" measured. 25.59T x 11.02W

Do you think 275/40 is pushing it on the 9"?

Most of the road race compounds like the Toyo R888 and Nitto 555RII only come in 275/40 17.

staggered always looks better better on a muscle car. my wheels should be here late next week (john at driverz inc said yesterday) not to mention he said there sweet looking!!! i'll post for you when they come in i got 18x9 front and 18x10 back with 305/35/18 tires for rear nitto 555R. any luck with info i gave you yet?

Duh, my mistake. It is 9-11 with 9.5" being the industry standard wheel width to mount a 275/40 on to develop the section & tread width measurements.

I don't like squeezing the widest tires possible onto a wheel because the sidewalls usually get "squirmy" and on the front of a car, especially a heavier one, the turn in suffers. I prefer to put the widest possible wheel inside the tire to have the stiffest sidewalls for best cornering feel and most tread possible on the ground for that given tire size.

I used to run my 255/45's up front on 8" wheels (min recommended) and they were a big soggy. I took those tires off my 8" wheels and put them on the new 9.5" wheels (the widest spec) and they feel like a different tire, much sharper turn-in and lots less squirm.

Just go as big as you can fit (or afford) on both ends, and adjust the suspension accordingly to balance it.

Too much stagger can effect the car negatively in a racing application, as the tires on one end would heat up faster than the others, which would make the car hard to get balanced, but nothing to worry about on the street.

Duh, my mistake. It is 9-11 with 9.5" being the industry standard wheel width to mount a 275/40 on to develop the section & tread width measurements.

I don't like squeezing the widest tires possible onto a wheel because the sidewalls usually get "squirmy" and on the front of a car, especially a heavier one, the turn in suffers. I prefer to put the widest possible wheel inside the tire to have the stiffest sidewalls for best cornering feel and most tread possible on the ground.

I used to run my 255/45's up front on 8" wheels (min recommended) and they were a big soggy. I took those tires off my 8" wheels and put them on the new 9.5" wheels (the widest spec) and they feel like a different tire, much sharper turn-in and lots less squirm.

Good point. What do you think the best sprirted street tire/ some autox in 255/45 is?

Too bad they don't make more selection. That's part of the reason I was looking at the larger tire. Anything will make a huge difference, cause I have 235/60 15's on the front now.

I really want to start heading this car towards track use, but be able to drive it to/from events. Possibly trailer another set of race tires if I get really into it and the wallet can hang.

talk to john from driverz inc on backing spacing he has help musclecar john out and me not to mention alot more on here and other fourms.

hey, make sure to post those pics when you get them....

:thumbsup:
talk to john from driverz inc on backing spacing he has help musclecar john out and me not to mention alot more on here and other fourms.

oh i WILL!!!!!! :)

Falken also offers a 275/40-17 in the Azenis RT-615 tire. You can go with 9.5s all the way around and have the ability to rotate tires.

Andrew

You can go with 9.5s all the way around and have the ability to rotate tires.


I also thought about being able to rotate, plus the ability to carry a spare thats not a total compromise (for longer trips).

I run 275/40-17 on 9.5 rims with 5.5" BS all around on my '70... I wanted to go larger on the rears, but I ran across a complete set of the wheels I already wanted (Vintage V40s) at a decent price.