I am looking to put a set of reproduction SS wheels ( 5 spoke type, is there an official name for these rims?) from Specialty Wheels of Oregon on my 70 Clone and would like to know what is the widest I can go, front and rear without any modifications. I need the Widest street rubber in the rear for the big block i'm running. I will be using BF Goodrich TA's as the tires. Either 60's or 50's on the profile. Thanks for any help you can give.

Welcome to ECC Matt. :) The wheels are usually refered to as the 69-70 super sport wheels. They were 14's from the factory, so if you are trying to be correct, that may not work so well. If you just want the look, they are reproduced in larger sizes. As for the tires, IMO don't set your sights too high on Radial T/S's being a performance tire. They look great, I have them on my car, however the big block has no problem overpowering them.

Thanks for the warm welcome! Sweet Car. Any more pics anywhere?

I currrently have 15in Weld Wheels with new T/A's bought used from a 70 chevelle. I was thinking about going to a 16in rim but a lot of my friends said it wouldn't look good so I have decided to stay with the 15's. She looks great in the rear right now with 15x8 with a 4.5 rear spacing( I could always go bigger if a 15x9 or 10 would fit)but the front well isn't filled out enough...for me.( 15x6) I really like the looks of the Rally Wheels and would like to get the biggest set I can without rubbing anywhere. Any Ideas on max rim widths on front and rear in 15 or 16?

I really like the looks of the T/A's and the stance it gives her so I will probably stick with the TA's for now. I don't drive her THAT hard yet, It has only been finished for 3 months and the engine isn't fully broke in and neither am I. :-)

Thanks Matt, More pics will be added soon I hope. I have not tried other sizes to see how big is too big. If memory serves there was a thread not long ago about that. Someone may chime in. I have 15x7 american TTd's with 235/60 in front and 255/60 rear. No clearance problems and I like how it looks. Not sure of backspace.
this might be what I was thinking of- look at page 2 of suspension, wide rims and tires

Thanks for the thread! I think those guys have throughly discovered the right set of wheels and tires to go with. I am going to try 245/60/15 on the front and 275/50/15 on the rear. I will see if that is a 9" rim or a 10" rim on the rear. I think it is a 8" on the front. I currently have about 4.5 to 5" of BS. It seems to match up well with what everyone else is getting away with.

I should have them on in a couple of weeks and will post some pics. I heard you get a Freemodel to pose with your car if you buy a new set of T/A's. I hope she is a leg model and not a hand model. :D

Thanks for all your help!

If the tires rub you may have to inner fender lip on the rear. Its something we had to do so I will take a picture for you

FO50FO...I'm the rookie here (just traded my '56 for some cash and a '70 El Camino), so there are a lot more knowledgeable people than I. That said, I thought I'd pipe in.

My '70 has 15" x 7" Ralleye Wheels with 245/60 tires on all four corners. Looks nice, but they also look a little small for my taste. Based upon what I've gathered from various sources and from my initial inspection, I'm planning on 255/60 x 15's up front and 275/60 x 15's out back, both on 8" rims. There are plenty of guys with much larger tires on the rear, not sure abiut the front.

Certainly, if anyone sees any problems with these sizes, please let me know.

Tim, When are you planning on putting the front 255's on the car (15x8 rims)? I would like to hear how they are working, if they rub and some pics. Any brand of tire that you are looking at?

I think that would be perfect for the front of my 70 and the rear set up is the same that I am running now. Thanks for your input!

Hey 65RiceEater,

Thanks! I would appreciate seeing the pics of your cut out.

FO50FO...I'll be happy to get back w/you on how things work out, but I'm probably 2-3 weeks away.

The biggest tire I would be comfortable putting on the rear with a 15" rim, without wheelwell mods, would be a 295/50. That would be on a 15x10 rim with at least 5.5" of backspacing. If you want to go that big, I would measure the position of the rear axle carefully (i.e. how far is the wheel mounting surface on the rear brakes from the inner and outer part of the wheelwell?). If your body has shifted on the frame, or the frame has been tweaked in an accident, things may not be centered up exactly. Another thing to consider is the condition of your suspension. If it has old, worn out components you will get lots of body roll.

You should probably check out the wheel & tire database in the Wheels & Tires forum on Team Chevelle (http://www.chevelles.com). There's a lot of good info on there about what people are running, and any mods they had to make.

FO50FO...ordered wheels/tires today, Stockton Wheel HQ's, 16 x 8 (4.5 RS) for the rear and 15 x 8 (4.25 RS) for the front. Sometime next week I'll be installing tires on rims and then everything on the car. Going with 285/60 on the rear and 255/60 up front. Will send pics when I'm finished.

I'm running 8 1/2 15" American's all around with BFG 265/50 Rears. I think BFG has discontinued that size as I don't see that size listed last time I checked. I read here before you can fit 17x11 wheels in the rear with the right back spacing. This subject has come up more than once. Check out the forums back posts.