right now, I'm runnin MT Indy Profile L60 14's on 14x7's on the back of my 66. I've got it raised a little with air shocks to accomidate the tires... I love the look, but it doesn't handle worth a damn. and it's impossible in the rain. So I'm switching to radials... 295/50 r 15's on a 15x8 cragar super sports...

I'm not real excited about going to a smaller tire, but it has to be done. When I do the swap, I'm also going to change out the shocks for kyb gas-a-justs. Question is, what kind of backspacing am I gonna need to fit those meats under there? Or are there any bigger radials with raised white lettering?

okay...I did some searching on this board, and found that most people said that you need 15x8's with at least 4.5" of backspacing. Cragar no longer makes this wheel. will a 15x8 4.25"bs with a 295/50/15 fit on the back of a slightly raised '66 gto with 1" lift springs, kyb's and air bags? Before, with the 28" tall tire, the top of the tire was clearing the wheelwell when the car was at rest, but there was just a slight amount of rubbing around corners...but I don't really have the time or knowledge to "roll" the inner fenders...

okay. another update. Cragar apparently still makes custom backspacing applications. They're 166 a piece, but the 15x8 4.25"bs was 160 at the local tire shop, so not a big deal. So I intend on going with the 15x10. Assuming I had a totally stock suspension, what amt of backspacing would I need to get that 295/50/15 centered under that wheel well? If anybody's done this before, advice would be much appreciated.

You need 5.5" to clear the wheel well lip. HOWEVER, I have read here that 5.5" with a 15" wheel hits the lower shock mount. I have done some measurements and it appears it will hit. A couple of options:

1 - Go with a larger diameter wheel. This will allow 5.5" backspacing & clear the shock mount.

2 - Roll the outer wheel well lip to give extra clearance. This should allow room to run a 15" rim with 5" backspacing.

If this helps, I currently have 15x8 with 3.5" backspacing, 275/50x15, and rolled wheel well lips. No rubbing.

Mike Sibbitt
66 396 SS