14" vs 15" wheels, 68 Cutlass

[boese1978]

Hi, I have 15" tires and Chevy rims on my Olds, as you can see. I am looking for a set of SSII rims, anyway, is there a "upgrade" by using 15" as opposed to 14" wheels & tires, as you read here and there? The reason I ask is because I am seeing that 14" SSII rims are easier to come by, but, I have new 15" rubber on the car now and would like to use them. By the way, the car is all stock and will be kept that way with the exception of the suspension which I will redo....
Thanks

[Chumley]

I love '68 convertibles, nice ride you got there! I have never heard of 15" wheels being an "upgrade", I always thought it was just a matter of preference. I see 15" SSII 's on Ebay once in awhile, in fact I think there is a full set on there now. I think they have tires on them as well, can't remember for sure. But you're right, 14's are much more common. Chumley

[Jokers69]

14" tires are getting harder to find, especially in sizes that look good

[Oldsguy]

I think I have a complete set of 15X7 SSII rims but a few of the beauty rings have some dents in them. I really haven't considered selling them but I might. I suppose I could check them, they are under the back deck I think.

[2blu442]

I really like the bolt on center cap style, but finding 15" bolt on center caps is really hard. I think they only came as factory options in 1973 and 1974. You can have them custom made by having the centers cut out of a set of 14" and welded into 15" blanks. That can also give you more width choices and the option to move the offset. I may be wrong, but I've always heard the snap on center caps called SSIII wheels. Those are a lot easier to find and cheaper than the others. They made both 14" and 15" snap on centers and the 15" are 7" wide. I've got some for sale out in Oregon, but I believe you could find some closer and save on the shipping. John

[joe_padavano]

Originally Posted by 2blu442

I really like the bolt on center cap style, but finding 15" bolt on center caps is really hard. I think they only came as factory options in 1973 and 1974.

Correct... well, they came on the 69 H/O also.

I may be wrong, but I've always heard the snap on center caps called SSIII wheels. Those are a lot easier to find and cheaper than the others. They made both 14" and 15" snap on centers and the 15" are 7" wide. I've got some for sale out in Oregon, but I believe you could find some closer and save on the shipping. John

People call them that, but they would be incorrect. All argent-painted wheels were called SSII, all body-color wheels were called SSIII. The bolt-on center wheels were definitely available as SSII or SSIII. I'm not sure if the snap-in wheels were ever offered in argent or only in body color (which would make them all SSIII). Also, I should note that I'm not really a G-body expert, so I don't really know what Olds called the chrome versions.