I was wondering if you guys can help me with an issue I'm having with my wheel vendor. I'm running 19" wheels in the rear. The original recommendation was for a 6" back space, but I wanted to maximize the wheel lip, so they recommended a 5" back space with the caveat that I would have to narrow the rear in order for the wheels to fit. When I went to lower my rear, I noticed that the rear fits fine the way it is. I have about 3/8" clearance to the fender. However, I have about 2" of space to the frame & inner wheel well. The vendor is saying these wheels have fit any other A Body he's ever done and there must be something "different" about my car. The car is bone stock in the rear and has been modified in no way. The vendor refuses to believe that Cutlasses have much more room than Chevelles or Pontiacs in the rear (& fronts for that matter).

My question is:


Do any of you have an 11" wheel on a 1966 Cutlass coupe(non-convertible) that has not been mini-tubbed? If so please post about it!


Thanks

 

A 275 width tire is roughly 11 inches (10.8) and my wheel well swallowed that. I could probably put 305's in there. I think an 11 inch wheel would fit but I think you'd be better off with a 10 inch wheel and 295's max to account for suspension movement. Each car has it's little differences also so your best bet is to start measuring. For your back spacing just put a straightedge across the hub and measure to the back of the wheel well and figure it out from there. The fact that you have 2 inches in the rear and 3/8 inch up front should tell you that the backspacing they recommended isn't going to cut it.

 

Keep in mind an 11" wheel measures 12" plus any tire bulge. I hope you get this worked out

 

I tried explaining that to him, to no avail. On his own website he states:
Q: How much room should I leave between my outer fender, my inner fender, and my tire?

A: This question is relative to the size of the tire, and the sidewall height. Tires that are 65 series or higher will experience sidewall flex more so than a lower pro-file tire. For tires that are 65 series or higher, and street driven, the accepted clearance is .75" to the outer fender, and 1" to the inner fender. For tires lower in profile, in most cases, a .5" outer fender and .75" inner fender clearance is acceptable. Ride height and suspension modifications all play a vital role in wheel and tire fitment. For the widest wheel and tire option, please download our custom fitment form, and/or give us a call for technical assistance.

But he told me he felt a 10" wheel with 2" of space behind it "fit." I explained that technically a 3" wide wheel would fit, but that's not exactly what a wheel on a pro-touring car recommended by an "expert" should look like. Unfortunately, these days people have no integrity, especially when it comes to money. It's all about the next sale and customer service is just a slogan.

 

I think with the lower profile tires that shouldn't be a problem. Hopefully, if he decides to admit his error we can measure properly and actually decide on wheels based on technical measurements vs guessing. Wow, what a novel idea. Maybe I should get into custom wheel sales!