Hi everyone, I have a question about what wheels and tires will fit on my olds. I have a 1966 f85 that is all stock except for new 1" drop springs. I want to get away from the 14 " wheels on it now and either go with a 15 or 17 " rim and appropriate tire size. I was wondering what would fit without any modification. This is the first time that I am changing a stock rim size so any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

There are a lot of wheels out there in the 15" range including stock steelies. Don't know anything about anything larger. 15x7 and 15x8/8.5 fit nicely.

 

Thinking that I am liking the 15" more of an original look. Is that what you have on the car in the picture? Are yours 15x8 rear? Is the backspacing 4.5, and what size tires are you running? thanks

 

Mine are 15x8 AR Torque Thrust D in the rear with P275-60-15 and in the front are 15x6 with P225-70-15. If your lowered your car then those front tires will rub. I raised my car about 2" all the way around.

 

Thinking then that I may need to go with a 60 series tire in the front?

 

I bought REV wheels for my 68 442, 16x8 with BFG 225/55ZR16 tires on all four. They fit nice in the fender and don't rub on anything.

 

that looks like a nice fit. I have seen 64-67 a bodies with 17" rims and they looked real nice also. Gives it a modern look just unsure about fitment due to mine being dropped an inch.

 

I don't think 1 inch would make a bit of difference in the way they fit the car.

 

65's don't have anywhere near the clearance of a 68.
Like I said in the other thread, find some place that will do some test fits to see what will actually fit. Every car is slightly different and with one that is 50 years old you can just about bet that things have shifted a bit over time.
Besides, the only way you'll know if you really like it is to put one on the car to see.

 

I agree with Randy, discount tire has worked with me on test fitting wheels and tires in order for me to make a decision on fit and looks.

 

When I had my 1966 Cutlass Post coupe this is the exact wheel & tire set up that I ran on the car. This yields an excellent stance & fills the wheel wells nicely. Highly recommended but I personally would add red line tires to Torque Thrust Ds.


Best of luck with your decision.

 

These cars look best with tires in the 26.5" - 27.5" overall diameter range. You want wheels with near zero offset. The 64-67 cars have slightly smaller wheel wells than do the 68-72 cars.

 

Really?. That is not my findings. I found that I could run a 275 60 15 tire on an 8" rim on the rear of my 66 Cutlass with tons of clearance but the exact same rim & tire would not go on any of my three 1969 442s without rubbing the outer wheel lip. More back spacing would not help as it would be too far in and hit the frame.


Personally I have found that the 68-69 cars have less room in the rear wheel wells than the 66. I can't speak to the 67 as I have never owned one but I am willing to bet that rim in tire fitment is the same as the 66.

 

I've run 275/60-15 T/As on 68-72 cars with no issues.

On the 66/67 cars, be aware that the Type O axle was a mid-year change to the 66 cars and continued for 1967. The Type O housing is wider than the other axles used on the 66/67 cars and will affect fitment of wheels and tires. The 67 and 68 Type O housings carry exactly the same part number in the factory parts book.

 

I can't comment on the rear tires with the car at stock height, but my fronts rubbed in the back of the wheel well if I went through a big dip. Once I raised the car it was perfect.

 

I guess everyone missed it....he has lowered the car 1" and that will make things all that more difficult.

 

Just a warning. I threw a pair of 17" 275's (Don't know aspect ratio) that a friend had on his Firebird and they looked pathetically small and bad on my 66 Cutlass. Like Joe P said you'll want something that is bigger in diameter and fills the wheel well nicely. Unfortunately I deleted the pics from my library or I'd show you.

 

The real problem with wheels larger that 15" is that most of the tires available are very low profile (45 or 35 series) and run about 25" in diameter. Fine for a ricer, not so much for a musclecar. BFG and Nitto sell some 17" and 18" tires in reasonable diameters.

 

+1. I think the taller sidewall looks a lot better on these cars. went to 15" on ours to clear the power brake conversion. I think the wheels are 8" all around. happy with the fit. don't recall what sizes I got. went conservative on the back thinking it may rub on the inside but I can go bigger. car isn't here right now, but I think they are 265 60's on the rear, don't recall the fronts. maybe 225's.

 

There is no such thing as a 265 60 15. I wish there was because it would be a perfect fit on a G body. 255 60 15s are a hair too small & 275 60 15s will rub somewhere.

 

Thanks for all the advice, I knew lowering the car would present a bit of a challenge to the wheel and tire fitment process. One thing that I have decided is that I agree with the fact that a 15" wheel will have a better more traditional look, so that is the way I will proceed. I read that 4.5 inch backspacing on a 15x8 rim would work, but it sounds like an 8" wheel will be too wide for the front. I was hoping to have all the rims and tires the same size for rotation purposes but by the sounds of it the stance and look will be affected by doing that. now it is just a question of tire sizes. I Would gladly sacrifice the rotation of tires for a nice stance and filling the wheelwells. Thanks again for all the input and advice

 

You can put any tire up to a 60 series on a 15x7" wheel. If you go with a traditional 70 series all the way around, then you can rotate them. If you go with 60's in the rear, then use the 15x8 and a 15x7 in front with 70's or smaller 60's.
This is a good comparison on sizes:
http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/infoTireMath.do

 

like I said in the thread.. I think....car isn't here to check. next time I am at the shop will see what they are.

 

I'd suggest 235/60-15s on 15x7 in the front and 275/60-15 on the 15x8 in the rear. This would give you a nice "rubber rake" if that's the look you're after. You might get away with 245/60-15s in the front, but it probably would be close.

 

I have 255/60-15 on the front of mine. Lowered 2-3 inches... they work fine.

 

Yours is not a 66.