I am looking at buying new wheels and tires for my Chevelle. I have wanted 17-inch wheels for years but something else always came up, but finally thought I'd break down and buy some...

I am on a limited budget, so I am looking for an inexpensive tire that will look good (aggressive tread) that won't break my budget.

Ideally I wanted something in the 295 to 305 width range, but I haven't found much... I think 315s won't fit (unmodified lip), so it looks like its gonna be 285/40/17s

These will be matched with 255/45/17s up front

I was checking tires, and TireRack.com had the Kuhmo Ecsta MX for $600 for all 4 tires(2-255s and 2-285s) including shipping to my door. They look pretty good to me (there were a few others that looked a little better/agressive, but much more expensive).

Anyone ever used these, have opinions or have another option?

Currently I have BFG TA Radials (265/50 & 295/50/15s) that are in great shape, but they have been on my car for 9+ years (~5000 miles), time for a change. While I'd like to drive the car more, ideally I probably won't get the chance for several more years.


The wheels I am considering are the Vintage Wheel Work V40, 17X8 & 17X9.5

http://www.vintagewheelworks.com/v40.html

I estimate about $1900 for everything...

Tony,

Sorry I didn't get back to you last e-mail. I just bought a set of Toyo (http://www.toyo.com/tires/index_frame.html) Proxies for my Chevelle. They are used takeoffs so I don't know the exact prices of new ones, but it could be a good place to check.

My rear tires are 295/45/18 and the fit with no mods yet. But I don't think my '72 would take much bigger without mods, and I have heard that your '66 has a little smaller wheel well.

Good Luck.

I'm running Kumho 275/40/17 and 335/35/17's Victoracers on my 69 El Camino and really like them. Very sticky!

Clint, thats great to know...

I found a local place that will be $660 with mount/balance/tax/etc... and some kind of a roadhazard warrantee...


RJ,

Thanks for the suggestion on the Toyos... I will look a little more depply at them... I checked the website, and the "tread" that I thought looked cool and aggressive were only available up to 275/40s in 17-inch sizes...

I had a set of the ecsta mx's on old 94z28. The rears were 295/35/18 and the fronts were 275/35/18. They had a nice aggressive tread pattern and were plenty wide, but as far as traction was concerned, they were no good in the rain and not much better in the cold weather. They were fair when it warmed up, and the camaro only ran mid 13's. If you ever went to sac speedway on wednesdays last year you may have seen me. I'd say the tires are good for the price, go for it!

I have Kumho Ecsta STX's on the Chevelle and also on the wife's Caddy. Like them a LOT. I'll be putting them on my pickup after the Goodyears wear out. The STX is actually considered a sport truck tire, with an agressive looking tread pattern and a heavy duty side wall. If you're looking for something that will launch hard off the starting line don't even think about the Ecsta STX. The rubber is hard and the sidewalls are stiff. This makes them good for a lot of miles but it's not the best for grip. IMO, Kumhos are a great tire at a great price.

I just bought I set of the 16" Kumho Ecsta 712 tires for my 68 Camaro. I'm glad to see the positive reviews. The reviews were good at tirerack.com also.

Good Luck!
Mike

My brother runs the Kuhmo ECSTA MX in 285/40/17 on his '96 Impala SS. They work pretty good, but according to him they loose traction pretty easy. Good tire for the money though!