Hi Guys
I'm looking at the American Racing Torque Thrust style wheels (AR105M) for my '72 'Cuda. I've seen quite a few other owners post that a 275/40r17 tire on a 17x9 wheel with 5.0 inch backspacing will work for the rear, and a 245/45r17 on a 17x8 with 4.5 inch backspacing will work for the front.
After doing some measuring last night, I've found that the car has 15x8 Rallye wheels with 275 tires on the back now, but the original rear backspacing appears to be about 4.5 inches. American Racing only offers the AR105M wheel in a 17x9 size with a 5.94 inch backspacing. Since I'd be losing almost an in and a half of clearance to the leaf spring by going from 4.5 inches to 5.94 inches, I'm certain that at best I'll have less than a 1/4 inch of clearance. This is too close for comfort for me. This leads me to a few questions:
1. Has anyone used a 17x9 wheel on the rear with almost 6 inches of backspacing with the factory spring location (I'm don't plan to relocate or make any modifications)?
2. Most of the tire charts that I see don't recommend going over 265mm on a 9 inch wide wheel, and 245mm on an 8 inch wheel. It seems that many people exceed these recommendations. Are these charts correct, or are they a bit outdated based on today's tire design?
3. I may end up going with a 17x8 wheel on the back as well as the front since I know I can get 4.5 inch backspacing. Should I stick with a 245/45r17 like the front, or would it make sense to try to install wider tires on the rear wheels even though I'm using the same width of wheels for the front? Another option is to go with 17x7 up front.
I appreciate any insight that can be given from others who have gone the 17 inch wheel route.
Thanks!
I'm looking at the American Racing Torque Thrust style wheels (AR105M) for my '72 'Cuda. I've seen quite a few other owners post that a 275/40r17 tire on a 17x9 wheel with 5.0 inch backspacing will work for the rear, and a 245/45r17 on a 17x8 with 4.5 inch backspacing will work for the front.
After doing some measuring last night, I've found that the car has 15x8 Rallye wheels with 275 tires on the back now, but the original rear backspacing appears to be about 4.5 inches. American Racing only offers the AR105M wheel in a 17x9 size with a 5.94 inch backspacing. Since I'd be losing almost an in and a half of clearance to the leaf spring by going from 4.5 inches to 5.94 inches, I'm certain that at best I'll have less than a 1/4 inch of clearance. This is too close for comfort for me. This leads me to a few questions:
1. Has anyone used a 17x9 wheel on the rear with almost 6 inches of backspacing with the factory spring location (I'm don't plan to relocate or make any modifications)?
2. Most of the tire charts that I see don't recommend going over 265mm on a 9 inch wide wheel, and 245mm on an 8 inch wheel. It seems that many people exceed these recommendations. Are these charts correct, or are they a bit outdated based on today's tire design?
3. I may end up going with a 17x8 wheel on the back as well as the front since I know I can get 4.5 inch backspacing. Should I stick with a 245/45r17 like the front, or would it make sense to try to install wider tires on the rear wheels even though I'm using the same width of wheels for the front? Another option is to go with 17x7 up front.
I appreciate any insight that can be given from others who have gone the 17 inch wheel route.
Thanks!