I have a 1969 Chevelle SS396 which is black with lilac pearl flames. The car is currently equiped with some aluminum rim similar to centerlines originals but it is time to change that.

The tires are and rims are the same size all around with 225 75 15, which I done care for because clearance is short on the front end.

I want narrower wheels and tires in the front and wider in the back.

The suspension is stock configuration.

I would like to know if anyone can recommend a rim width, diameter, and backspacing for an optimal combination. wide as possible in the back and fairly narrow in the front, but not front runners. I am also concered with tire to fender spacing. I don't want to have a huge void of air, just a nice clean look.

Any recommendations or previous experiece would be appreciated.

Thank You

On my 68 and 71, I run a 235/60/15 on 7.5" front and 275/70/15 on 8.5" on the rear. That should close to max without any altering. I have seen 215/75/15 on 5" and 265/50/15 on 10" on a bunch of Chevelles, but it's to close for me in the back. I would suggest checking out some older magazines (the lastest ones are showing the 18"+ stuff) or go to a wheel specialist shop with a good assortment and experience and make a like a shoe store and try a bunch on for size.

What diameter wheel do you want to run on the car,Chaos?
Pure street, street/strip,or pro touring?

I am going for a street/pro street look, with out the tubbing and such.

Just want the widest that I can fit in the back withought clearance problems or the need to rely on airshocks.

In the front I want norrower, but not 3.5", maybe 6"

If you want a lot of sidewall,a 295/50/15 tire on a 15x10 wheel w/5.5" backspacing will fill up the fenderwells.
If you want a wider tire & wheel combo,either a 17x10 (5.5" backspacing) or 17x11 (6.25" backspacing) rim with 315/35/17 tire is about the max without tubbing.
Going small on the front is pretty easy to figure out.

Follow the links below to pictures of my 69 SS.

The car has 2 inch dropped spindles up front and Hotchkis two inch drop springs in the rear. I used Hotchkis sway bars front and rear, Hotchkis adjustable uppers and lowers in the rear and polyurethane bushings. I have ZERO wheel hop and the car handles very well in the corners, feeling comparable to my 97 Z-28.

On the rear I have 18 x 10 inch wheels with 6 inches of backspacing. If your car body is centered on the frame you can go to 6.25 inch backspacing and 305 wide tires. If you go to 17 or 18 inch wheels the 6 inch+ backspacing just puts the wheels outside of the contact point for the shocks in their stock location. I have 295/45/18 tires that are 28.4 inches tall. The tires fit fully inside the wheel wells.

I have a 2nd set for the rear that I have my 305/45/18 Nitto drag radials on (28.8 inches tall). They are 18 x 10's with 6.5 inches of backspacing. I had ford type c-clip eliminators (Dutchman) welded onto my rear end and they added .25 inch outbound to both sides and the Baer rotors put some width outward too. I have no clearance issues that a couple of minutes with a hammer did not resolve. I had to clearance the very rear of the inner tirewell about 1/16 inch.

Up front I have 18 x 8 wheels with 5 1/8 backspacing front with 255/45/18 tires (27.1 inches tall). I used a Hotchkis sway bar up front as it has a tighter radius on the turns at the bushings that is needed for the 5 1/8 backspacing. Use 5 inch or 4 ¾ if you use a stock sway bar and you should still clear the fender on a sharp turn. It is a balancing act up front with dropped spindles.