damascus

so here's my story...

back in September 2009 i posted a thread so that you all would help me select a wheel/tire package for my '71 Olds:

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...1-cutlass.html

(the Wheels and Tires section did not exist on the forum at that time)

a bunch of you provided input ~ and especially Richard (gearheads78). Richard really was super helpful and kept me on track. i finally settled on a set of Budnik Billet Muroc wheels.

then came the difficult task: finding the right tire size for the wheels. it's really crazy when you get down to overall diameter (tire height), section width, recommended rim width, etc. ... it was nuts.

here's what i (we) came up with:

Budnik Billet Muroc wheels ~

18 X 8 with 4.50 backspace
18 X 9.5 with 5.50 backspace

BF Goodrich g-Force Sport tires ~

245/40ZR18 front
275/40ZR18 rear

i ordered the wheels on 10.23.09 and they arrived today ~ 1.19.10. i ordered them from Paradise Road Rod & Custom after a friend's recommendation. Jim was fantastic and i believe PRRC prices on Budnik wheels are excellent (http://www.paradise-road.com/).

when the roads clear up, i'll have them mounted and take some more photos...

Olds442October2009001.jpg

BudnikBilletMuroc001.jpg



BudnikBilletMuroc004.jpg

BudnikBilletMuroc005.jpg

i think the Budnik Murocs compliment the muscle car look with a slighlty modern twist.

thanks for all of the help with the sizing questions. pro-touring.com is also an excellent resource for wheel & tires.

jturkey69

I cant wait to see them on!!...is there a noticeable lip difference in the stagger?

The Stickman

Very nice/ Can't wait to see them mounted. BTW I love my G-Force Sports. I think they are a great tire and at a great price too.

gearheads78

Aw you done good grasshoppa......I vewy proud of you selection

Since we took it to PM's you owe my deluxe consutation fee. Paypal is fine


I am looking forward to mounted pics.

Olds64

Those should look good! Can't wait to see pics.

big mean

Are you serious? You are not going to mount them and at least take pics? There is no way I could have wheels that looked that nice and not have them on once...lol Anyways, the wheels look great!

damascus

the tires are mounted and wheels are on the Olds. we got the offset and all sizing perfect in my opinion... no issues at all. the springs are OEM (and new) ~ the ride height is just right. these photos were taken minutes after it came off the lift... i think it will settle a bit more. the lighting sucked ~ i'll post more photos later.

what do you think? (no worries purists > i'm keeping the stockers!)

BudnikBilletMuroc008.jpg
BudnikBilletMuroc013.jpg
BudnikBilletMuroc014.jpg
BudnikBilletMuroc018.jpg
BudnikBilletMuroc017.jpg

jturkey69

Holy beautiful!!! I realize my car now has a long way to go! personally I might have gone with more tire? or went with less backspacing?...looks like there is alot of room for some more meat, unless its the pics.

damascus

i understand... i think it's an individual preference thing... the rear wheels are very wide at 9.5 (and measure 10.5). they come very close to hitting the exhaust pipes on the inside. i imagine that we could have changed the back spacing to push the wheels out to the edge more ~ but the handling characteristics would have suffered. it rides very nice now... a noticeable improvement over the OEM set up.

jturkey69

the handling is definitely because of the lower sidewall...they look very cool!! is the color of your car called bittersweet orange?

damascus

#67 Sienna Gold ('71 color only, i've read)

gearheads78

Looks killer!!!. Now I just gotta talk you into a slight suspension tweak for perfection.

jturkey69

my 71 S i guess is bittersweet orange...but for some reason, yours looks similar?

OLD SKL 69

Looks very nice!

big mean

I liked slammed rides, so I think it could be a little lower, but the gap between the tires and wheel wells looks great. Its the gap between the rockers and the ground that looks a little high...lol I have a freind with a really nice 70 chevelle, he has 18's and 20's, the headers are about 2-3 inches from the ground and that is about as low as he could go. I think it is just this style of car that doesnt look very low but is. Either way the car looks great, still functional and looks to be a very nice ride! Good job!

damascus

the entire suspension is new and hopefully will settle some. the gap between top of tire and fender for the front looks right to me... maybe could come down another inch. the rear is too much for me. i hope it will settle ~ or i may cut off a half coil or so from the rear springs (ghetto?). or buy lowering springs?

The Stickman

I think it looks great and like I said you will love those tires they are the same ones I have. If it were mine I might have used less BS on the rears and a tick lower ride height but it's not mine and as long as you are happy with it that is ALL that matters. But those sticky low pro tires may make you start to like a handling car and start looking into suspension mods. You may be on your way to a Pro-Touring ride.

damascus

i used to participate in auto x events with an E30 M3... a car that handles well is my thing. pro-touring? stand by!

gearheads78

[quote=The Stickman;143703]. If it were mine I might have used less BS on the rears.[quote]

My arm chair tape measure tells me. There is only 1/2" or less he could go. You can't go by what the outside looks like. You have to consider where the inner wheelhouse is inside the wheel well throug the whole suspension travel.

The Stickman

[quote=gearheads78;143768][quote=The Stickman;143703]. If it were mine I might have used less BS on the rears.
Actually I was only thinking a half inch. Would have helped with being close to the exhaust pipes. Still looks great though. And btw for anyone else that wants to know these tires are cheap. I got mine through tir rack on sale for $139 each for the first two then $159 for that second two. SO cheap and handle great.

Olds64

Oh yeah!

marzgtp1

Looks really good and mean!!

Limey

it looks really good and love the wheels but I will have to agree on the Backspace issue (not really an issue) I would have went with just a little less backspacing to bring the wheel closer to the edge of fender lip.

Although be it you like them and they look really nice on there, if you ever choose to go with a wider tire later ...................

It does look killer though and whats the name of the wheels (yes I know budnik makes them) but I didn't see mention of the style I kinda like them, they kinda look like a chrome version of the salt flat wheel and I really like them, wished I would have looked at the Budnik site now that I see yours .....................

damascus

thanks. they are Budnik Muroc wheels. Budnik makes a Muroc, Muroc II, and Muroc III. http://www.budnik.com/roadwheelcat.asp?scid=96
i went with the original Muroc wheel. Budnik no longer lists the original Muroc wheel, but they will manufacture them if you ask. They are priced lower than the II and III.

i'm putting on a set of lowering springs - eibach p/n3856.140. that should finish it off nicely.

Limey

yea it should look even better then

Aceshigh

I think the car looks 10x better. Looks like a WHOLE NEW CAR!!!!!
IMHO I would consider powder coating the deep sections of the rims.
Maybe dark grey, black, or same color as your paint.

They might benefit from the added attention to detail.
Just a thought.....

Put those skinny minnies in the attic for a purist in case you ever sell it.
The rims definitely breathed some life back into the STYLE of the car for the modern day.
I wish more guys would do this, so much cooler looking.

damascus

thanks. i feel you on condidering a little detail... maybe paint the 5 small recessed slots black? the budnik website had photos of the wheels with black lugs. that looked pretty good too.

justagirlfromla

Beautiful!!!Awesome!

damascus

thanks! still thinking of painting the small slots black (or color match with car?). i have some eibach lowering springs coming in to take it down an inch or so ~ then it should really sit right!

jturkey69

^^^ yeah you beat me to the sale of those springs from pro-touring?..( I think?)..LOL
our cutlass is waiting for the paint job at the moment, while the new wheels and tires are sitting in the garage, soon to be alongside a new 4wdb kit.

I think black accents on your rims would look great to offset the vinyl top.

damascus

funny. well, not really. i bought the eibach's from pro-touring in early february. i have not received them and am having a problem contacting the seller .

can't wait to see your new paint work and wheels! what wheels did you go with?

firefrost gold

even the box's they came in look cool .

jturkey69

wow, that sucks, I hope the seller comes through! I hate feet draggin sellers.
I went with black center BOSS 338's 18's 245/45/18 front and 285/35/18 rear, color of the car will be 07 Corvette Atomic Orange Pearl with a lil extra pearl added...1 gallon freebie!...otherwise would have costed 700+!!...yikes! I cant wait!!!...although I am gettin impatient..lol

smithlanger

sounds good to me

kurtdaniel

i love that wheels..it complements the looks of my cars..the best part of it is its nef bars,,

nuttkaze

I have a 71' cutlass vert and I'm thinking of going 20x8.5 front and 20x10 rear. Whats your recommended backspacing. I like how your wheels fit in the wheel well and not poking out!!!

gearheads78

20's look too big on these cars 18/18 like above or 18/19 is a much better choice. The guys he got those from just joined here. PRRC is the username. They started a tread in major builds and projects. You might contact them on back space. I push the limits on that I build so I measure every car before ordering wheels.

nuttkaze

I have a 71' cutlass vert and I'm thinking of going 20x8.5 front and 20x10 rear. Whats your recommended backspacing. I like how damascus wheels fit in the wheel well and not poking out!!!

Well..today I went to a local wheel shop and the owner measured for backspacing. He told me to go 4'' backspacing front and rear because I have plans on installing 2'' drop springs in the rear because my rear sits about 1 7/8'' higher than my front. Do you all agree. He said by going 4'' backspacing in the rear I will have no issues on my tire rubbing the lip of the fender

gearheads78

Like I said I don't recommend to people what backspace to order on custom wheels. There are so many variables that can change for your personal needs. That being said the person you talked to at the local store is a complete moron. Take one of your wheels off the back and stick a ruler against the drum. Now look at the side of the car and where 6 3/4" meet on that ruler. That is where the outside edge of the tire will be if you order wheels from this pot smoker.

The correct B/S will in be in the 5"-6" range for the back and 4.75"-5.5" in the front.

Oldsguy

The car looks pretty good. But this reveals my age and old school sentiment, there just seems to be too much wheel and not enough side wall for the car to look balanced. I think probably 17 inch would be about the largest wheel size to still have a pleasing balance between metal and rubber in the wheel wells. I also admit that from a pro-touring/handling standpoint the stiffer sidewalls will provide better handling and cornering if the suspension is also modified, as Richard has suggested. Not being a hater or anything, the car is real nice with those wheels. Just admitting that I am too old I guess.........